Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 2

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

• Recognise and name a half (1/2) and a quarter (1/4).
• Divide shapes into halves and quarters.
• Describe halves and quarters using math words.
• See that a half is bigger than a quarter.

Lesson summary

This lesson introduces Grade 2 learners to the foundational concept of fractions, focusing on halves and quarters. Fractions are a crucial part of mathematics, representing parts of a whole. In the South African context, the idea of sharing is deeply embedded in our communities and cultures (Ubuntu). Understanding fractions is understanding how to share things fairly, whether it's a loaf of bread with family, a piece of land, or a bottle of water with a friend. This lesson uses familiar objects and scenarios to make the abstract concept of fractions concrete and relatable for young learners, laying the groundwork for more complex mathematical skills later on.

Lesson notes

This section explains the core ideas of fractions for this week. We will learn what a 'whole', a 'half', and a 'quarter' are. What is a 'Whole'? A 'whole' is the entire object before we divide it or share it. It is one complete thing. A whole pizza. A whole chocolate bar. A whole orange. A whole piece of paper. What is a 'Fraction'? A fraction is a part of a whole. When we talk about fractions, it is VERY important that the parts are EQUAL. If the parts are not equal, they are not fractions. Imagine you have a vetkoek. If you cut it into two pieces, but one piece is big and one is small, you have not cut it into fractions. Halves (1/2) A half is what we get when we divide one whole thing into two equal parts. Each part is called a half. The word for two halves is 'halves'.

We write a half as a fraction like this: 1/

2. The '2' at the bottom tells us how many equal parts the whole is divided into. The '1' at the top tells us how many of those parts we are talking about. Two halves put together make one whole again. (1/2 + 1/2 = 1 whole)