More Fractions
Background Information & Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

We highly recommend reviewing the Basic Parts of a Whole movie before exploring this movie. The Basic Fractions movie introduces fractions and explores unit fractions, including one-half, one-third, and one-fourth. This movie will go beyond unit fractions and further investigate fractions of sets. We encourage children to work with counters, small objects, or even food to help them experiment with different parts of a whole or set.

Review with children that a fraction is a number that shows part of a whole. You may wish to introduce a simple fraction such as one-half. You can take a piece of paper and cut it in half to show that there are two equal parts. Remind children that since there are two equal parts, two goes in the denominator, or the bottom of the fraction. Then take one half away. What fraction of the whole paper is left? Point out that there is only one of two parts remaining, so one goes in the numerator, or the top of the fraction. Thus, one-half of the paper is left. You may wish to continue this activity with other unit fractions, including one-third and one-fourth.

Help children move beyond unit fractions. You can divide a piece of paper into eighths and color two sections blue. Ask children to identify the fraction of the paper that is blue. Help them count the total number of sections (eight) and put that number in the denominator. Then count the total number of blue sections (two) and put that number in the numerator. Thus, two-eighths of the paper is blue. Repeat the activity by having students identify the fraction of the paper that is not blue. Six-eighths of the paper is not blue. Repeat the activity again to explore other fractions, such as three-fourths, five-sixths, and eight-tenths. You may wish to have students work in pairs and trade off coloring in squares and writing fractions that name the colored and plain parts.

Help children understand how fractions can name a whole. Divide a piece of paper into fourths and color all the sections blue. What fraction of the paper is blue? Guide children to understand that there are four equal parts, so four is the denominator. How many parts are blue? Guide children to count the blue sections and put four in the numerator. So four-fourths of the paper is blue. That means the whole paper is blue. Help children understand that four-fourths, five-fifths, eight-eighths and so on, all represent a whole.

Explain to children that fractions can also name no parts! Take a piece of white paper and divide it into sixths. Since there are six equal parts, six goes in the denominator. How many parts are blue? Since none of the parts are blue, you put zero in the numerator. Repeat this activity to represent other fractions.

Explore fractions of sets together. Show a collection of fruit, such as three apples and two bananas. What fraction of the pieces of fruit are apples? Guide children to count all the fruit and put that number (five) in the denominator. Then have them count the number of apples and put that number (three) in the numerator. Thus, three-fifths of the fruit are apples. Then show the same collection and ask what fraction of the fruit are oranges. Help them understand that zero out of the five fruit are oranges!

You may want children to work in pairs and use counters or objects to create a set. Then have them challenge each other to name fractions that describe their sets, being sure to write their fractions down. Fractions can be challenging for some children, but hands-on exploration can help young learners understand and practice the concepts so they can become experts!

See more lesson plans and resources: BrainPOP Educators.

More Fractions Teacher Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Ready, Sets, Go

Have each student prepare a set of small objects. They can group together different colors of crayons, blocks, counters, shapes, beads, beans, or other small items. Encourage them to be creative! Then have students get in small groups and ask questions about each other's sets. What fraction of the set is red? What fraction of the set is not red? Have students write down their fractions and check each other's work.

Then challenge each small group to use their combined objects to show another fraction. For example, you might ask them to create a set that is two-thirds red. Have students work together to put together a set that illustrates the fraction.

Pretend Pizza Party

Host a pretend pizza party in your classroom! Give students different blank circles, squares, or rectangles that are divided into halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths, or tenths. Then ask students to draw different toppings or glue shapes or small objects to their pizzas. Encourage them to be creative. They may want to use paper clips as toppings, as Moby did in the movie, or even use grass, leaves, or shells. Then have pairs write fractions that describe their pizza. What fraction of the pizza has paper clips? Have them write out their fractions on the back of their pizzas. Ask volunteers share their pizzas with the class, or place the pizzas in a center or independent work station as a self-checking fraction practice activity.

More Fractions Family Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Fraction Lunch Munch

Make lunch together with your child. Then divide each lunch item into equal parts. For example, you might want to cut a sandwich into halves, slice an apple into fourths, or pour equal amounts of milk into three glasses. Then, as your child eats or drinks, write a fraction of what is left on the plate. What fraction is left when your child finishes his or her sandwich?

Animal Count

Go on a walk with your child and keep track of all the animals you see. You may want to sort the animals into different groups, such as mammals, birds, and insects, or classify the animals by possible pets and wild animals. Record your observations in a tally chart or have your child draw pictures of what he or she sees. You could also use a digital camera to take photos of the animals. Then use the chart, drawings, or photos to come up with fractions. What was the total number of animals? What fraction of the animals were insects? Mammals? Guide your child to record the numerator and denominator for each fraction on paper or as a caption to the photos after they have been uploaded. Share your results in a photo album or online slideshare,