Fractions as parts of shapes
Partition shapes into parts with equal areas and express the area of each part as a unit fraction of the whole
What a learner can do afterwards
- Partition a rectangle into 6 equal-area parts and label each 1/6
- Show two different ways to partition a square into 4 equal parts
- Given a pre-partitioned shape, write the unit fraction for one part
The lesson
You already know how to split a shape into equal parts. Now you will give each part a name using a fraction. When every part has the same area, one single part is called a unit fraction of the whole shape.
Mia cuts a square into 4 equal-area parts two different ways. First she cuts it into 4 equal columns, side by side. Then she cuts the same size square into 4 equal triangles that meet in the middle. Both squares end up with 4 equal parts, so one part is still called 1/4 in each case, even though the pieces look different.
If you are given a shape that is already cut into parts, count how many equal parts there are in all. That total number becomes the bottom of the fraction, and 1 becomes the top for a single part.
Count the equal parts in a shape, and one part out of that total is its unit fraction.
Watch it
Where it sits
This opens up
Nothing builds on it yet.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.