Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 3

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Identify and represent halves, thirds, and quarters.
• Divide a whole object into equal parts.
• Solve simple word problems involving sharing.
• Recognise that fractions represent parts of a whole.

Lesson summary

This week, we’re diving deeper into the world of fractions! Fractions are all around us, helping us share fairly, measure ingredients when cooking, and even understand time. We'll be focusing on halves (½), thirds (⅓), and quarters (¼), which are essential building blocks for understanding more complex fractions later on. Think about sharing a slab of chocolate fairly with your friends or cutting a pizza into equal slices – that's where fractions come in! This week's learning will give you the skills to solve everyday problems using these important fractions. Understanding fractions makes maths more fun and helps us make sense of the world around us.

Lesson notes

What is a Fraction? A fraction represents a part of a whole. The whole can be an object (like a pizza) or a collection of objects (like a bag of sweets).

A fraction has two parts: Numerator: The number on top of the line. It tells us how many parts we have.

Denominator: The number below the line. It tells us how many equal parts the whole is divided into. For example, in the fraction 1/2: 1 is the numerator (how many parts we have) 2 is the denominator (how many equal parts the whole is divided into) Halves (½): A half means dividing something into two equal parts. When you cut an apple exactly in the middle so two people can share it fairly, you've made two halves. Each person gets one half (1/2) of the apple. Two halves together make a whole.

Example 1: Imagine a loaf of bread. If you cut it into two equal slices, each slice is one half (1/2) of the loaf.

Example 2: You have a rope. To find half of the rope, fold it in half, so both ends meet. The point where it folds is the halfway point. If the rope was 10 cm long, half of it would be 5 cm (because 10 divided by 2 is 5). Thirds (⅓): A third means dividing something into three equal parts. Imagine you and two friends want to share a packet of biscuits equally. You would need to divide the packet into three equal portions. Each person gets one third (1/3) of the biscuits. Three thirds together make a whole.

Example 1: Think of a round pizza. If you cut it into three equal slices, each slice is one third (1/3) of the pizza.

Example 2: You have a chocolate bar with 9 squares. To find one-third of the chocolate bar, you need to divide it into 3 equal groups. 9 divided by 3 is

3. So, one-third of the chocolate bar is 3 squares. Quarters (¼): A quarter means dividing something into four equal parts. Think about cutting a sandwich into four equal pieces. Each piece is one quarter (1/4) of the sandwich. Four quarters together make a whole. Another way to think of a quarter is “half of a half”.

Example 1: Imagine a square piece of paper. Fold it in half once, and then fold it in half again. When you open it up, you'll see four equal squares. Each square is one quarter (1/4) of the original piece of paper.

Example 2: You have a bag of 12 marbles. To find one-quarter of the marbles, you need to divide them into 4 equal groups. 12 divided by 4 is

3. So, one-quarter of the bag is 3 marbles.

Why it's important to have equal parts: The key to fractions is that the parts must be equal. If you cut a pizza into different sized slices, they are no longer fractions (halves, thirds, or quarters). Sharing fairly means everyone gets the same amount. Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Draw a circle. Divide it into halves. Shade one half. What fraction of the circle is shaded?

Solution: Draw a circle. Draw a line through the middle of the circle, dividing it into two equal parts. Shade one of the parts. The shaded part represents one out of the two equal parts.

Therefore, the fraction of the circle that is shaded is 1/2 (one half).

Commentary: This question reinforces the visual representation of a half.

Question 2: You have a packet of 6 sweets. You want to share them equally between 3 friends. How many sweets does each friend get? What fraction of the sweets does each friend get?

Solution: You have 6 sweets and 3 friends. Divide the number of sweets by the number of friends: 6 ÷ 3 = 2 Each friend gets 2 sweets. Each friend gets one third (1/3) of the packet of sweets, because there are 3 friends and each gets an equal share.

Commentary: This question links division to fractions in a sharing context.

Question 3: A baker has a cake. He cuts it into quarters. How many pieces of cake are there? If you eat one piece, what fraction of the cake have you eaten?

Solution: The cake is cut into quarters, which means it's divided into 4 equal pieces.

Therefore, there are 4 pieces of cake. If you eat one piece, you have eaten one out of the four pieces. You have eaten 1/4 (one quarter) of the cake.

Commentary: This question focuses on understanding quarters and relating them to a real-life object.

Question 4: Sarah has 8 crayons. She gives half of them to her sister. How many crayons does Sarah give away?

Solution: Sarah has 8 crayons. She gives away half, meaning she divides her crayons into two equal groups.

Divide the number of crayons by 2: 8 ÷ 2 = 4 Sarah gives away 4 crayons.

Commentary: Emphasises finding half of a collection of objects. Independent Practice (Questions Only) Draw a rectangle. Divide it into thirds. Shade two-thirds of the rectangle. You have a pizza cut into 4 equal slices. You eat 2 slices. What fraction of the pizza did you eat? John has 12 marbles. He gives one quarter of them to his friend. How many marbles did John give away? Thandi has a ribbon that is 20 cm long. She cuts it in half. How long is each piece of ribbon? A farmer has 3 cows. He wants to give each cow an equal share of a pile of hay. Each cow gets what fraction of the hay?