Recognizing fractions – Grade 2 math lesson
Lesson 11 of 16 in the Grade 2 math course
US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 2 (ages 7–8) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 15 min homework
- Grade
- Grade 2 (ages 7–8)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Graded
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.
- Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
- Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “Is a quarter of a pizza bigger or smaller than a half? Why?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Calling any piece a half, even when the pieces are not equal. Fold or cut the shape: do the parts match exactly?
- Thinking a bigger bottom number means a bigger fraction. Share a pizza between 2 and between 4: which slice is bigger?
Tip for home: Share food fairly: cut a sandwich into halves, then quarters.
What your child will learn
Learning goal: recognize and find halves, quarters, thirds and other fractions of shapes and amounts.
Success looks like
- I can say if parts are equal.
- I can name halves, quarters and thirds.
- I can find a fraction of an amount.
Key words
- fraction
- an equal part of a whole
- half
- one of two equal parts
- fourth
- one of four equal parts (also called a quarter)
- equal
- the same size
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Fold paper shapes into halves and quarters. Share a pile of 12 counters into 2, 3 and 4 equal groups. No counters? Use small snacks or buttons to share.
The big ideas (for the adult)
A fraction is an equal part of a whole. A half is 1 of 2 equal parts; a fourth (or quarter) is 1 of 4 equal parts.
The parts must be equal. The bottom number says how many equal parts; the top number says how many we have.
To find a fraction of an amount, share it into equal groups: half of 10 is 5, a third of 12 is 4.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, graded by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Closure and exit ticket | 6 min | Graded by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.
Homework and practice at home
15 minutes: 8 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.
More practice
More Grade 2 math lessons
- Addition facts to 10 and 20
- Adding and subtracting
- The equals sign and missing numbers
- Addition and subtraction word problems
- Multiplication and division
- Skip counting
- One more, one less, ten more and ten less
- Tens and ones
- Number lines
- Comparing, ordering and writing numbers
- Counting coins
- Telling time
- Measuring length
- Picture graphs and bar graphs
- Shapes and position
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards 2.G.A.3: “Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of, etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths. Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape.”
Common Core State Standards 1.G.A.3: “Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares.”
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.