Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 3

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Identify halves, thirds, and quarters.
• Divide objects into equal parts.
• Explain what these fractions mean.
• Solve sharing word problems.
• Compare which fractions are bigger or smaller.

Lesson summary

This week, we're continuing our exciting journey into the world of fractions! Fractions help us understand parts of a whole. Imagine sharing a delicious vetkoek with your friends, or figuring out how much of your playtime is left. Fractions are everywhere! Knowing about halves, thirds, and quarters will make sharing, measuring, and understanding the world around you much easier. In South Africa, understanding fractions is important for things like dividing land fairly, sharing food during a braai, and even understanding sports scores! Think about how a soccer game has two halves, or how a rugby field might be divided into sections.

Lesson notes

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 marbles).

Halves (1/2): When something is divided into two equal parts, each part is called a half. The fraction 1/2 means one out of two equal parts. Imagine cutting a yummy watermelon in half to share with a friend. Each of you gets 1/2 of the watermelon.

Example: If you have 4 apples and you want to give half to your brother, how many apples do you give him?

Solution: Half of 4 apples is 4 divided by 2, which equals 2 apples. Your brother gets 2 apples.

Thirds (1/3): When something is divided into three equal parts, each part is called a third. The fraction 1/3 means one out of three equal parts. Think about sharing a koeksister with two friends. If you cut it into three equal pieces, each of you gets 1/3 of the koeksister.

Example: You have a packet of 9 biscuits and want to share them equally with two friends (3 people total). How many biscuits does each person get?

Solution: Each person gets 1/3 of the biscuits. 9 divided by 3 equals 3 biscuits. Each person gets 3 biscuits.

Quarters (1/4): When something is divided into four equal parts, each part is called a quarter. The fraction 1/4 means one out of four equal parts. Imagine sharing a chocolate slab with three friends (4 people total). If you break it into four equal pieces, each of you gets 1/4 of the chocolate slab.

Example: Your mom baked a pizza and cut it into four equal slices. You eat one slice. What fraction of the pizza did you eat?

Solution: You ate 1/4 of the pizza.

Important points to remember: The parts must be equal. If the parts are not equal, then they are not proper fractions (halves, thirds, or quarters). The bottom number of a fraction (the denominator) tells you how many equal parts the whole is divided into. The top number of a fraction (the numerator) tells you how many of those parts you have.

Comparing Fractions: 1/2 is bigger than 1/3, and 1/3 is bigger than 1/

4. Think about it - if you share something with only one other person, you get a bigger piece than if you share it with two or three other people!

Visual Representations: It's helpful to use pictures to understand fractions. Draw circles, squares, or rectangles and divide them into halves, thirds, and quarters. Colour in some of the parts to represent the fraction.

Example: Draw a rectangle. Divide it into two equal parts. Colour one part blue. This shows 1/

2. Draw a circle. Divide it into three equal parts. Colour one part red. This shows 1/

3. Draw a square. Divide it into four equal parts. Colour one part yellow. This shows 1/

4. Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Sarah has 6 sweets. She wants to give half to her friend Thando. How many sweets does Thando get?

Solution: We need to find 1/2 of

6. Divide the total number of sweets (6) by 2 (because we want halves): 6 ÷ 2 = 3 Thando gets 3 sweets.

Commentary: This problem reinforces the concept of a half by dividing a collection of objects. We focus on the division operation and linking it back to the term half.

Question 2: Sipho has a round vetkoek. He cuts it into three equal pieces. What fraction of the vetkoek is each piece?

Solution: The vetkoek is divided into three equal pieces. Each piece represents 1/3 (one third) of the vetkoek.

Commentary: This questions tests the learners' understanding of the concept of thirds. The visual image of the vetkoek is used to enhance understanding.

Question 3: Maria has a square of chocolate divided into 4 equal pieces. She eats one piece. What fraction of the chocolate did she eat?

Solution: The chocolate is divided into four equal pieces. Maria ate one of the four pieces.

Therefore, she ate 1/4 (one quarter) of the chocolate.

Commentary: Reinforces the relationship between quarters and dividing something into four equal parts.

Question 4: Which is bigger: 1/2 of a pizza or 1/4 of the same pizza?

Solution: Imagine cutting the pizza. If you cut it in half (1/2), the pieces are bigger than if you cut it into quarters (1/4). 1/2 is bigger than 1/

4. Commentary: This introduces a comparison between fractions. Encourage visualization of the fractions of a pizza for easier comprehension. Independent Practice (Questions Only) John has 8 marbles. He gives half of them to his sister. How many marbles does his sister get? A loaf of bread is cut into 3 equal slices. What fraction of the loaf is each slice? Lisa has a pie cut into 4 equal pieces. She eats 2 pieces. What fraction of the pie did she eat?

Which is smaller: 1/3 of a cake or 1/2 of the same cake? Draw a circle and divide it into thirds. Colour one third of the circle. There are 12 children at a party. One quarter of them want juice. How many children want juice? If you have a chocolate bar and share it equally among 3 friends, what fraction of the chocolate bar will each friend get? Mom baked 10 cookies. You ate half of them. How many cookies did you eat? Is 1/3 bigger than 1/4?