Mathematics
Intermediate
50 mins
Teacher/Student led
+75 XP
Teacher-led from the board. Pupils do not need a device, but can follow on one.
What you need:
IWB/Projector/Large Screen

Comparing Fractions

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    Fraction strips

    1 - Getting Started ~4 mins

    Here are two pizzas of the very same size. One is cut into fifths with three slices left; the other is cut into fifths with two slices left.

    Hands up: which pizza has more left on it, and how can you tell just by looking?

    2 - Watch and Notice ~9 mins

    Three pairs of fractions, one at a time. Each pair starts with just the two fractions. Decide which is bigger, or whether they are the same, and choose it. Then the strips appear: watch how far each shaded part reaches along its strip.

    3 - Try It Together ~9 mins

    Four fractions, each against one half, one at a time. You see only the two fractions first. Decide together which is bigger, choose it, and then read the strips to see if you were right.

    Bigger or smaller than one half?

    4 - Write the Comparisons in Your Copy ~3 mins

    COPYBOOK MOMENT

    In your maths copy, write these three pairs of fractions, one under the other, and put the correct sign between each pair — more than or less than:

    • 3/4 and 1/4
    • 2/5 and 4/5
    • 1/2 and 1/3

    For the last pair, draw a quick bar for each fraction to check which one reaches further before you write the sign.

    5 - Class Challenge ~8 mins

    Today we work through these comparisons together, each a step harder than the last: one quarter against one half, then three quarters against one half, then two fifths against one half, and finally four fifths against one half. Use the half strip as your gauge and shade each fraction to match.

    Compare with the half gauge

    Pupil practice
    Module 3 · Fractions and First Decimals Number
    Lesson 35 · Comparing Fractions
    Download Activity Book page (PDF)
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