Recognising fractions – Year 1 maths lesson
Lesson 13 of 18 in the Year 1 maths course
UK version. UK school years, UK spelling and pounds (£). · US Math Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for Year 1 (ages 5–6) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is marked straight away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 15 min homework
- Year
- Year 1 (ages 5–6)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Marked
- 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 marked straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to mark 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
We are learning to recognise 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
- quarter
- one of four equal parts
- 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 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 | Marked by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, marked by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Plenary and exit ticket | 6 min | Marked by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are marked 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 marked instantly.
More practice
More Year 1 maths lessons
- Counting objects
- Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s
- One more, one less, ten more and ten less
- Tens and ones
- Numbers in words
- Comparing numbers
- Number lines
- Number bonds to 10 and 20
- Adding and subtracting
- The equals sign and missing numbers
- Adding and subtracting word problems
- Multiplication and division
- Counting money
- Telling the time
- Measuring length, mass and capacity
- Shapes, position and turns
- Tally charts, pictograms and block diagrams
Curriculum
National Curriculum for England, Year 1: “recognise, find and name a half as 1 of 2 equal parts of an object, shape or quantity”
National Curriculum for England, Year 1: “recognise, find and name a quarter as 1 of 4 equal parts of an object, shape or quantity”
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.