Breaking a fraction into parts: 4th grade math lesson

What this lesson shows

5/8 as 1/8 + 4/8, or 2/8 + 3/8: many right ways.

The worked example

The lesson works this one step by step: 5/8. Then your kid tries one like it on paper.

The steps

Shade the fraction
Group the parts
The tops add up, the bottom stays

Helping at home

Draw a bar and shade the fraction. Group the shaded parts in different ways and write each as a sum. Any way works if the tops add up and the bottom stays the same.

If your kid gets stuck

Group the shaded parts two different ways.

Watch it with Lux

With Lux, this lesson is a narrated video and a printed page your kid works on. Then Lux helps with the same math on their own worksheet, one question at a time.

See how Lux works

Standards

Common Core 4.NF.B.3b
Decompose a fraction into a sum of fractions with the same denominator in more than one way, recording each decomposition by an equation. Justify decompositions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. Examples: 3/8 = 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 ; 3/8 = 1/8 + 2/8 ; 2 1/8 = 1 + 1 + 1/8 = 8/8 + 8/8 + 1/8.

Matches a standard in all 50 states and DCSee each state's code

Alabama MA19.4.15a
Alaska 4.NF.3.b
Arizona 4.NF.B.3.b, 4.NF.A.2.b
Arkansas 4.NPV.5, 4.NPV.7
California 4.NF.B.3
Colorado 4.NF.B.3.b
Connecticut 4.NF.B.3
Delaware 4.NF.B.3
District of Columbia 4.NF.B.3
Florida MA.4.FR.2.1
Georgia 4.NR.4.3, 4.NR.4.4, 4.NR.4.5, 5.NR.3.2
Hawaii 4.NF.B.3
Idaho 4.NF.A.2.b, 4.NF.B.3.b
Illinois 4.NF.B.3
Indiana 5.NS.1, 4.CA.6, 4.NS.2
Iowa 4.NF.A.2, 4.NF.B.3.b
Kansas 4.NF.3.b
Kentucky KY.4.NF.3.b, KY.4.NF.2
Louisiana 4.NF.B.3.b
Maine 4.NF.B.3b
Maryland 4.NOS.D.10.a, 4.NOS.E.11
Massachusetts 4.NF.B.3.b
Michigan 4.NF.B.3
Minnesota 4.1.2.2, 4.1.2.3, 5.1.2.3
Mississippi 4.NF.3.b
Missouri 4.NF.A.3, 4.NF.B.5, 5.NF.A.3
Montana MT.4.NF.3.a, MT.4.NF.3.b, 4.D1.2, 4.D3.1, 4.D4.1, 4.D5
Nebraska 4.N.2.a, 4.N.2.c, 4.N.3.a, 5.N.2.b
Nevada 4.NF.B.3
New Hampshire 4.NF.B.3
New Jersey 4.NF.B.3b
New Mexico 4.NF.B.3
New York NY-4.NF.2, NY-4.NF.3.b
North Carolina NC.4.NF.3.b
North Dakota 4.NO.NF.5
Ohio 4.NF.3.b
Oklahoma 3.N.3.3, 4.N.3.2, 4.N.3.3, 4.N.3.4, 5.N.1.3
Oregon 4.NF.A.2, 4.NF.B.3
Pennsylvania CC.2.1.4.C.2
Rhode Island 4.NF.B.3.a, 4.NF.B.3.b
South Carolina 4.NR.2.4, 4.NR.2.6, 5.NR.2.1, 4.PAFR.2.1, 3.NR.2.4, 4.NR.2.5
South Dakota 4.NF.B.3.b
Tennessee 4.NF.A.2, 4.NF.B.3.b
Texas 111.5.b.3.D, 111.6.b.3.A, 111.6.b.3.B, 111.6.b.3.D, 111.6.b.3.E, 111.6.b.3.F, 111.6.b.3.G
Utah 4.NF.3.b
Vermont 4.NF.B.3
Virginia 3.NS.3b, 3.NS.3e, 4.NS.3f, 4.NS.3a, 4.NS.3b, 4.NS.3c, 4.NS.3d, 3.NS.3d
Washington 4.NF.B.3
West Virginia M.4.14
Wisconsin M.4.NF.A.2, M.4.NF.B.3
Wyoming 4.NF.2a, 4.NF.2b, 4.NFP.2.A, 4.NFP.2.B, 4.NF.3b, 4.NFP.3.B

Breaking a fraction into parts