Recognizing fractions – Grade 3 math lesson
Lesson 9 of 15 in the Grade 3 math course
US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 3 (ages 8–9) 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 3 (ages 8–9)
- 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 3 math lessons
- Multiplication facts
- Multiplication and division
- Solving word problems
- Rounding to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000
- Adding with the standard algorithm
- Subtracting with the standard algorithm
- Number lines
- Equivalent fractions
- Comparing and simplifying fractions
- Area of rectangles
- Perimeter
- Line plots
- Bar graphs, picture graphs and tables
- Elapsed time and schedules
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards 3.NF.A.1: “Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.”
Common Core State Standards 3.G.A.2: “Partition shapes into parts with equal areas. Express the area of each part as a unit fraction of the whole. For example, partition a shape into 4 parts with equal area, and describe the area of each part as 1/4 of the area of the shape.”
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.