Compare and order unit fractions by looking at the denominator | Maths

Starter quiz

Which inequality symbol goes into the gap? 6 ___ 11

< ✓

>
Which inequality symbol goes into the gap? 3 + 30 ___ 15 + 16

<

> ✓
Which inequality symbol goes into the box to show which glass is fuller?

'<' ✓
Which of the following is the definition of a division bar?

The number of equal parts that a whole has been divided into.

The number of selected equal parts.

A line to show that a whole has been divided into equal parts. ✓
$What fraction of the whole is the shaded part in the image?$

What fraction of the whole is the shaded part in the image?

$\frac{1}{5}$

$\frac{1}{3}$

$\frac{1}{4}$

$\frac{1}{2}$ ✓
$What fraction of the whole is the shaded part of the image?$

What fraction of the whole is the shaded part of the image?

$\frac{1}{6}$

$\frac{1}{7}$

$\frac{1}{10}$

$\frac{1}{8}$ ✓

Exit quiz

What is special about the parts that a denominator tells us the whole has been split into?

They are all square.

They are all equal. ✓

They are separate.
Which inequality symbol goes into each of the boxes to show which glass is more full?

<

> ✓

=
Fill in the correct word from the choices below to complete this sentence: one-half is __________ than one-third which is __________ than one-quarter.

greater ✓

smaller
Which inequality symbol completes this statement? $\frac{1}{3}$ ______ $\frac{1}{4}$

'>' ✓
$Which inequality symbol completes the ordering of these fractions? <Math> \frac{1}{5} </Math> <span class="blank">______</span> <Math> \frac{1}{3} </Math> <span class="blank">______</span> <Math> \frac{1}{2} </Math>$

Which inequality symbol completes the ordering of these fractions? $\frac{1}{5}$ ______ $\frac{1}{3}$ ______ $\frac{1}{2}$

'<' ✓
Which inequality symbol completes the ordering of these fractions? $\frac{1}{5}$ ______ $\frac{1}{9}$ ______ $\frac{1}{15}$

'>' ✓

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

When the whole is the same, the greater the number of equal parts, the smaller each equal part is.
When the whole is the same, the smaller the number of equal parts, the larger each equal part is.
When comparing and ordering unit fractions, the greater the denominator, the smaller the fraction.
When comparing and ordering unit fractions, the smaller the denominator, the larger the fraction.

Common misconception

Children will often fall into the trap of thinking that a greater denominator creates a bigger fraction.

Ensure the children have good access to fraction walls to reinforce the fact that the greater the denominator the smaller the fraction. Fraction walls that can be dismantled and arranged are very useful for this.

Keywords

Whole - The whole is all of a group or number.
Part - A part is a section of the whole.
Denominator - A denominator is the bottom number in a fraction. It shows how many equal parts a whole has been divided into.
Unit fraction - A unit fraction is a fraction where the numerator is 1