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Use fraction words in context

A learner interprets and uses the words half, third, and fourth (or quarter) to describe one of two, three, or four equal shares of a whole, and understands that the whole consists of the corresponding number of equal shares. The language applies to familiar regions and quantities, including differently shaped partitions, while unequal parts do not represent these fraction words; symbolic notation, comparison of general fractions, and fractions with larger denominators are beyond this level.

Detailed Explanation: Use fraction words in context

A fraction word tells how many equal shares make a whole and describes one of those shares.

  • Half means one of 2 equal shares.
  • Third means one of 3 equal shares.
  • Fourth, or quarter, means one of 4 equal shares.

Example: A sandwich is cut into 4 equal pieces. What fraction word describes one piece?

  1. The whole is the entire sandwich.
  2. Count the equal pieces: there are 4.
  3. One of 4 equal pieces is called one fourth, or one quarter.
  4. So, one piece is a fourth of the sandwich.

The whole sandwich consists of four equal fourths. If the pieces were not equal, one piece would not be called a fourth or quarter.

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Fractions Halves - Which Set Makes a Whole


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