Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 2

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Define a half as one of two equal parts.
• Define a quarter as one of four equal parts.
• Identify halves and quarters in different shapes.
• Divide objects into halves and quarters.
• Use the words 'half' and 'quarter' correctly.

Lesson summary

Fractions are a very important part of everyday life. Imagine sharing a delicious koeksister with your best friend, or dividing a sandwich for your lunch. Understanding fractions helps us to share things fairly and understand parts of a whole. In this lesson, we will explore halves and quarters, which are two common and useful fractions. Knowing about fractions will help you in the classroom when sharing crayons or building blocks, at home when sharing food with your family, and even later in life when you might need to measure ingredients for a recipe or divide costs with friends.

Lesson notes

What is a Fraction? A fraction represents a part of a whole. The "whole" can be anything: a pizza, a chocolate bar, a group of friends, or even a shape like a circle or square. Fractions tell us how many equal parts the whole has been divided into and how many of those parts we are talking about. Introducing Halves A half means dividing something into two equal parts. It's like sharing something fairly between two people. If you have a whole apple and you cut it exactly in half, each person gets one half of the apple. We can write "half" as the fraction 1/

2. The '1' means we have one part, and the '2' means the whole is divided into two parts.

Example 1: Cutting a round loaf of bread. Imagine your mom has a delicious round loaf of vetkoek. She wants to share it equally with you and your brother. She cuts the vetkoek in half. Now, there are two equal pieces. Each of you gets one half (1/2) of the vetkoek. Both pieces must be the same size for it to be a true half.

Example 2: A Chocolate Slab Let's say you have a slab of chocolate with 4 blocks in a row. To share half the slab with a friend, you need to break it so you each get the same number of blocks. You would break it after the second block. You each get two blocks, which is one half (1/2) of the slab. Introducing Quarters A quarter means dividing something into four equal parts. It's like sharing something fairly among four people. If you have a whole pizza and cut it into quarters, each person gets one quarter of the pizza. We can write "quarter" as the fraction 1/

4. The '1' means we have one part, and the '4' means the whole is divided into four parts.

Example 1: Sharing a Round Pie Your granny bakes a lekker chicken pie. You want to share it with yourself and 3 friends. She cuts the pie into four equal slices. Each slice is one quarter (1/4) of the pie. All four slices must be the same size.

Example 2: A Square of Fudge Imagine you have a square piece of fudge. To cut it into quarters, you can cut it down the middle (in half), and then cut each of those halves in half again. Now you have four equal pieces. Each piece is a quarter (1/4) of the whole fudge. Visualizing Halves and Quarters It's important to be able to identify halves and quarters in different shapes.

Circles: Imagine a round plate. A half would be cutting it straight down the middle. A quarter would be cutting it into a cross shape, making sure all four sections are equal.

Squares: Imagine a square piece of paper. A half would be cutting it down the middle either horizontally or vertically. A quarter would be cutting it down the middle both horizontally and vertically.

Rectangles: Similar to a square, cut a rectangle down the middle (either long ways or short ways for a half). For quarters, cut it in half and then cut each half in half again. Important

Note: The parts MUST be equal for them to be halves or quarters! Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Is the shape below divided into halves? Explain why or why not. [Draw a rectangle divided into two unequal parts. One part is much larger than the other.] Solution: No, this shape is not divided into halves. The two parts are not equal in size. To be halves, each part must be the same size.

Question 2: Draw a circle and divide it into quarters.

Solution: [Draw a circle divided into four equal sections, like cutting a pizza into four slices.] This circle is divided into quarters because it has been divided into four equal parts. Each part is the same size and shape.

Question 3: You have 8 marbles. How many marbles are in one half?

Solution: To find one half of 8 marbles, we need to divide the marbles into two equal groups. 8 ÷ 2 = 4 There are 4 marbles in one half.

Question 4: A square cake has been cut into 4 pieces.

However, 3 pieces are very small, and one piece is very big. Is this cake cut into quarters? Explain.

Solution: No, this cake is not cut into quarters. For it to be cut into quarters, all four pieces must be the same size. In this case, the pieces are unequal, so it's not quarters. Independent Practice (Questions Only) Draw a square and divide it into halves. Draw a rectangle and divide it into quarters. You have a packet of 12 biscuits. If you eat one quarter of the biscuits, how many biscuits did you eat? Is the following shape divided into quarters? Why or why not? [Draw a shape divided into 4 parts where the parts are clearly unequal] Colour one half of the following shape. [Draw a shape that can be easily divided in half]. Colour one quarter of the following shape. [Draw a shape that can be easily divided into quarters]. Maria has 16 crayons. She wants to give one half to her friend Sarah. How many crayons will Maria give to Sarah? John ate one quarter of a pizza. How many quarters of the pizza are left? Draw a picture to show how you can share a loaf of bread between 2 people equally. Draw a picture to show how you can share a chocolate bar between 4 friends equally.