Splitting shapes into equal parts (age 7+)
Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares; describe shares as halves, thirds, and fourths; recognise that equal shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape
What a learner can do afterwards
- Partition a circle into 3 equal parts and label each 'a third'
- Partition a rectangle into 4 equal shares in more than one way
- Explain that two different-looking shares can still be equal in size
The lesson
You already know how to split shapes into halves and quarters. Now you can split them into thirds too. No matter how many parts you make, every part must be exactly the same size.
Mia cuts a rectangle into 4 equal strips. Each strip is the same size, so each one is called a fourth.
There is more than one way to cut a rectangle into fourths. You could use 4 strips or 4 small squares. As long as every part is the same size, both ways give you fourths.
Equal shares can look different, but if every part is the same size, the fraction name stays the same.
Watch it
Where it sits
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.