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