Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 4

Lesson Video

This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.

For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.

Performance objectives

• Identify and name simple fractions like halves, thirds, and quarters.
• Show fractions by shading parts of a whole.
• Compare fractions that have the same denominator.
• Solve simple word problems using fractions.

Lesson summary

This lesson introduces Grade 4 learners to the fundamental concept of fractions. Fractions are not just numbers on a page; they are a crucial part of our daily lives in South Africa. We use fractions when we share a loaf of bread with our family, when we pour half a glass of juice, or when we talk about a quarter of an hour. Understanding fractions helps us to make sense of the world, ensuring fairness in sharing and accuracy in measuring. This week, we will focus on identifying, naming, and comparing simple fractions using familiar, everyday contexts like sharing food and playing games, making the abstract concept of fractions concrete and understandable for every learner.

Lesson notes

What is a Fraction? A fraction is a number that represents a part of a whole. The 'whole' can be a single object, like one pizza, or it can be a group of objects, like a bag of 10 marbles. When we divide a whole into equal parts, each part is a fraction of the whole.

Example: Imagine a round vetkoek. If you cut it into 4 equal pieces, each piece is one-quarter (1/4) of the whole vetkoek. The Parts of a Fraction A fraction has two main parts: Numerator: The top number. It tells us how many of the equal parts we have or are talking about.

Denominator: The bottom number. It tells us how many equal parts the whole is divided into. A good way to remember this is 'd' for denominator and 'd' for down. \[ \frac{\text{Numerator}}{\text{Denominator}} = \frac{\text{Parts we have}}{\text{Total equal parts}} \]