Fractions Around School

Overview

This is lesson 8 of 9 in Rational Numbers in Action. Students apply their understanding of halves and quarters beyond paper tasks by finding equal parts in familiar school objects, spaces and groups, then recording and explaining their evidence.

Learning intentions

• WALT find halves and quarters in real places and objects.
• WALT check that fractional parts are equal.
• WALT communicate a fraction using drawings, labels, words and photographs where appropriate.
• WALT explain how a whole has been divided into two or four equal parts.

Success criteria

• I can identify a half or quarter in a real context.
• I can show the whole and its equal parts clearly.
• I can label my drawing or photograph with “half” or “quarter”.
• I can explain why the parts are equal.

Curriculum links

• Mathematics and Statistics — developing understanding of fractions through equal sharing and equal parts.
• Mathematics and Statistics — representing, describing and communicating mathematical thinking in familiar contexts.
• Mathematics and Statistics — reasoning, noticing patterns and checking whether solutions are fair.
• Mathsteasers — higher-order thinking and challenge for advanced learners through open-ended mathematical investigation.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and revisit. Teacher opens with the hook and fraction examples and shows a container, a folded piece of paper and a classroom shape; ask, “Where might we find a fair half or quarter in our school?” Students turn and talk, then share one possible example. Revisit that halves and quarters must contain equal parts.

2. 5–11 min · Model the investigation. Teacher demonstrates one example, such as folding paper into four equal parts or identifying a quarter turn, and records a drawing, label and explanation on the modelling slides. Students help decide whether the example is a half, quarter or neither, explaining how they know the parts are equal.

3. 11–15 min · Organise the hunt. Teacher places students in five groups of five, explains boundaries and safety, and distributes the school fraction hunt recording sheet; assign roles of navigator, finder, recorder, checker and photographer or reporter. Students repeat the roles and success criteria, then prepare to investigate.

4. 15–30 min · School fraction hunt. Teacher circulates, prompts with “What is the whole?”, “How many equal parts can you see?” and “How can you prove they are equal?”, and uses the hunt instructions and prompt slides as needed. Groups find examples such as half-full containers, quarter turns, folded paper, fairly shared groups and classroom shapes, recording a drawing, label, location and explanation for each; photographs may be taken only according to school procedures.

5. 30–38 min · Group check and share-back. Teacher pauses the class and asks groups to select their clearest example from the school fraction hunt recording sheet; display discussion prompts from the share-back slides. Each group briefly presents what the whole was, how it was divided and why the parts were equal; classmates respond with “I agree because…” or ask one clarifying question.

6. 38–45 min · Individual reflection and exit check. Teacher asks students to complete the individual section of the school fraction hunt recording sheet: draw or describe one half or quarter found today and explain how the parts are equal. Students complete the response independently, then share with a partner while the teacher listens to selected explanations and identifies next steps for the final lesson.

Resources

• the complete Fractions Around Our School slide deck
• the school fraction hunt recording sheet
• Foldable paper squares and strips
• Clear containers or cups, partly filled where suitable
• Classroom objects and shape examples
• Pencils, crayons and clipboards
• Tablets or cameras, if permitted
• High-visibility group role cards or lanyards
• Timer and boundary map of the investigation area

Assessment

• During modelling and the hunt, listen for students identifying the whole, naming halves or quarters, and checking that parts are equal.
• Use group recording sheets to assess accurate identification, representation and mathematical explanations; note whether students can distinguish equal from unequal parts.
• Use the individual share-back and reflection as an exit assessment. Record students who need further support with equal parts, vocabulary or communicating their reasoning.

Differentiation

• Provide a prepared picture hunt for students who need reduced movement, additional structure or a more accessible starting point. They can circle halves and quarters and add a drawing or oral explanation.
• Offer adult support, assigned roles, movement breaks and a reduced number of examples for students with SEN, attention, mobility or working-memory needs.
• Accept oral explanations, labelled drawings, photographs or a scribed response. Use sentence starters: “The whole is…”, “I found a…”, and “I know the parts are equal because…”.
• Pre-teach and display whole, equal parts, half and quarter. Pair EAL learners with supportive peers and use gestures, real objects and visual examples.
• Extend advanced learners by asking them to design a fair-sharing challenge for another group, compare more than one solution, or find a situation that looks like a half or quarter but is not equal.