Resource 2: Practical fractions

 Teacher resource for planning or adapting to use with pupils

Fractions may be easier to understand when related to everyday objects that pupils recognise.

Original source: http://www.bel-uk.co.uk/ images/ (Accessed 2008)

Show your pupils an object (or picture of an object) that can easily be divided into fractions, like the cheese pictured above.

Set pupils a series of questions relating to the object. For example:

• If there are 6 cheese triangles in one packet and Kofi eats half of them, how many are left for his brother Kwame?
• Can you express one cheese triangle as a fraction?
• How many cheese triangles will be left after Abina eats two-thirds of them?