This understanding treats a whole as 1 and determines the fraction that remains or is needed when some equal parts are known, using halves, thirds, or fourths. A shaded shape, bar model, or number line represents the total equal parts and shows how the known and missing fractions compose the whole; for example, and make 1. The work is limited to fractions of one whole with these simple denominators, not unlike denominators, improper fractions, or generalized fraction subtraction.
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A whole is equal to . To find the missing part, look at how many equal parts make the whole and count how many parts are already known.
Example: A rectangle is divided into equal parts. parts are shaded. What fraction is not shaded?
Therefore,
The missing part is .
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These adaptive units introduce, teach, or reinforce this skill (Find the missing part of a whole) through scaffolded problems that grow in difficulty as concepts are understood.