Equal Shares & Fraction Shapes

For a fraction to make sense, all the parts must be the same size. When you cut a pizza into 4 slices, each slice must be exactly the same size so every person gets a fair share.

We call these equal shares or equal parts. If the parts are not equal, they do not represent a proper fraction.

A unit fraction has a 1 on top. The bottom number (denominator) tells you how many equal parts the whole is cut into. The top number (numerator) tells you how many of those parts you have.

• 1/2 — one of two equal parts (one-half)
• 1/3 — one of three equal parts (one-third)
• 1/4 — one of four equal parts (one-fourth)
• 1/8 — one of eight equal parts (one-eighth)

The most common fractions you will see in grades 2 and 3 are halves (2 parts), thirds (3 parts), fourths (4 parts), sixths (6 parts), and eighths (8 parts).

Folding a square piece of paper in half, then in half again gives you 4 equal parts — each is one-fourth (1/4) of the whole paper.

Fractions appear everywhere around us every day:

• Pizza and pie cut into equal slices
• Folding paper for art projects
• Reading a ruler or tape measure
• Sharing food fairly at lunch
• Clock faces divided into quarters and halves