Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 3
Fractions: halves, thirds and quarters – Week 2 focus
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Fractions: halves, thirds and quarters – Week 2 focus
Download the Lessonotes Mobile South Africa app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Mathematics
Class: Grade 3
Term: 2nd Term
Week: 2
Theme: General lesson support
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Welcome, Grade 3 learners! This week, we're diving deeper into the exciting world of fractions! We started learning about them last week, and now we'll be focusing on halves, thirds, and quarters. Fractions are everywhere around us! Imagine sharing a vetkoek with your friend – you're using fractions! Or when your mom cuts a pizza into equal slices for your family, that’s fractions in action. Understanding fractions helps us share fairly, measure things accurately, and even cook delicious meals. It is also a building block for more complex maths in later grades! This week, we'll get really good at recognizing, understanding, and even drawing these important fractions.
What is a Fraction? A fraction represents a part of a whole. Think of it as sharing something fairly. The whole is the entire object or group, and the fraction tells us how many equal parts we're interested in.
Every fraction has two parts: Numerator: The number on top. It tells us how many parts we have.
Denominator: The number on the bottom. It tells us how many equal parts the whole is divided into.
We write it like this: Numerator / Denominator Halves (1/2): A half means dividing something into two equal parts. So, the denominator is
2. If you have one of those two parts, you have one half, written as 1/
2. Example 1: Imagine you have a bunny chow. You want to share it equally with your friend. You cut it into two equal pieces. Each piece is one half (1/2) of the bunny chow.
Example 2: Draw a circle. Divide the circle into two equal parts. Shade one of the parts. The shaded part represents 1/2 (one half) of the circle. Why is it important that the parts are equal? If the pieces are not equal, it isn’t fair sharing and doesn’t accurately represent 1/
2. Thirds (1/3): A third means dividing something into three equal parts. So, the denominator is
3. If you have one of those three parts, you have one third, written as 1/
3. Example 1: You have a slab of chocolate divided into three equal blocks. You eat one block. You have eaten 1/3 (one third) of the chocolate slab.
Example 2: Draw a rectangle. Divide the rectangle into three equal parts. Colour one of the parts. The coloured part represents 1/3 (one third) of the rectangle.
Think about it: If you have two of those three blocks of chocolate, you would have 2/3 (two thirds) of the chocolate slab.
Quarters (1/4): A quarter means dividing something into four equal parts. So, the denominator is
4. If you have one of those four parts, you have one quarter, written as 1/
4. Sometimes we also call a quarter "one fourth".
Example 1: A pizza is cut into four equal slices. Each slice is one quarter (1/4) of the pizza.
Example 2: Draw a square. Divide the square into four equal parts. Put a cross in one of the parts. The part with the cross represents 1/4 (one quarter) of the square.
Important Point: Two quarters (2/4) is the same as one half (1/2). Think about a pizza, two slices are equal to half of the pizza.
Comparing Fractions: It’s important to understand which fraction represents more. Comparing 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4: Imagine you have three identical koeksisters. You share one with a friend (1/2), one with two friends (1/3), and one with three friends (1/4). You get the biggest piece when you share with only one friend (1/2). So, 1/2 is bigger than 1/3 and 1/
4. Visual Aid: Draw three identical rectangles. Divide one in half, one into thirds, and one into quarters. Shade one part in each. You can clearly see that the shaded area is largest for 1/2 and smallest for 1/
4. Important Reminder: When we talk about fractions, we MUST divide the whole into equal parts. If the parts are not equal, we cannot use fractions to describe them accurately. Guided Practice (With Solutions)
Question 1: Draw a circle and divide it to show halves. Shade one half. Write the fraction.
Solution: Draw a circle. Draw a line through the middle of the circle, dividing it into two equal parts. Shade one of the parts.
Write the fraction: 1/2
Commentary: The key is to divide the circle into equal parts. The line should pass through the center to ensure this.
Question 2: You have a small packet of Simba chips. You decide to share it with two friends so there are three people altogether. Draw a rectangle to represent the Simba chips and divide it to show thirds. Shade the part that you will get. What fraction is that?
Solution: Draw a rectangle. Divide the rectangle into three equal parts. Shade one of the parts.
Write the fraction: 1/3
Commentary: Notice that the rectangle is divided into three equal parts. We are sharing the packet among three people, including yourself.
Question 3: Mom baked a loaf of bread. She cuts the loaf into quarters. Draw a picture to represent the bread and the cuts. How many slices are there? Write the fraction that represents each slice.
Solution: Draw a rectangle to represent the loaf of bread. Divide the rectangle into four equal parts (quarters). Each slice represents 1/4 of the loaf of bread. There are four slices.
Commentary: Each section must be equal to accurately represent a quarter. Four quarters together make one whole loaf of bread.
Question 4: Which is bigger, 1/2 of a chocolate bar or 1/4 of the same chocolate bar? Explain your answer with a drawing.
Solution: Draw two identical rectangles. Divide the first rectangle into two equal parts (halves) and shade one part (1/2). Divide the second rectangle into four equal parts (quarters) and shade one part (1/4). Comparing the shaded areas, the shaded area for 1/2 is clearly bigger than the shaded area for 1/4.