Standard 1: Develop an understanding of the relationship between different fractions and the relationship between fractions and decimals.

This is a fun and interactive game that helps students practice ordering rational numbers, including decimals, fractions, and percents. You are planting and harvesting flowers for cash. Allow the bee to pollinate, and you can multiply your crops and cash rewards!

Type: Educational Game

Test your fraction skills by answering questions on this site. This quiz asks you to simplify fractions, convert fractions to decimals and percentages, and answer algebra questions involving fractions. You can even choose difficulty level, question types, and time limit.

Type: Educational Game

Students scale number lines to locate given fractions, find equivalent fractions, and explain the relationship between equivalent fractions.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students use a number line to explain that one-half is equivalent to two-fourths.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students draw a visual fraction model to determine whether two fractions are equivalent.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students compare two fractions with unlike denominators in the context of a word problem and record the comparison using an inequality symbol.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students compare two fractions using benchmark fractions on a number line and record the comparison using the less than or greater than symbol.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students consider the correctness of a model for comparing four-fifths to three-fourths.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students are given three sets of fractions to compare and are asked to record the comparisons using the less than, greater than, or equal to symbols.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students partition squares to model two fractions and then determine if the fractions are equivalent.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students are asked to use benchmark decimals to place four fractions on a number line.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students are given four fractions and asked to write each in decimal form.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students are asked to use benchmark fractions to place four decimals on a number line.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students are given four decimals and asked to write each as a fraction.

Type: Formative Assessment

Students will calculate the total amount of trash at different locations in the community to determine which location has the most trash and explore ways a community can work together to prevent future trash buildup in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn ways to help keep the ocean clean by recycling and write letters to lobby government officials to support recycling programs. They will decide which materials are most important to recycle by looking at several characteristics of the materials including whether they are renewable or nonrenewable, if the material will decompose, and the amount of the materials currently being recycled in this MEA.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations.  Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will use the benchmark fraction ½ to estimate and compare fractions and make a connection to achieving a simple majority when voting during this integrated lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

The students follow a scaffold model starting with using concrete models of fractions with the fraction tiles to create equivalent fractions, and then by using prior knowledge of multiples to develop the algorithm for creating equivalent fractions.  The algorithm noted here is based on the identity property of multiplying a fraction times a fraction so you are multiplying by 2/2 or 3/3.  

Type: Lesson Plan

This MEA will ask students to work in teams to help their client, The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to decide which Burmese python traps manufacturing company to buy traps from. The traps will be placed along the Florida Keys and the Everglades to help prevent the growth of invasive Burmese Python population. The students will implement their knowledge of how plants, animals, and humans impact the environment, use mathematical and analytical problem-solving strategies, and be able report their finding in an organized, descriptive manner.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson asks students to recommend which cookie the owners of The Cookie Jar should add to their menu. Before they make their decision, the students have to convert decimal notation and fractions with denominators 10 and 100 to fractions with like denominators. Then they will be able to see exactly how many people voted for each cookie and they can factor in that information along with additional cookie facts to make their final recommendation.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson asks students to recommend which cookie the owners of The Cookie Jar should add to their menu. Before they make their decision, the students have to convert fractions so they have like denominators. Once they have converted the fractions they will be able to see exactly how many people voted for each cookie and they can factor in that information along with additional cookie facts to make their final recommendation.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

The lesson is an application and extension of fraction comparison strategies, not an introduction.  While the beginning of the lesson has a review, the situational stories require students to read and analyze carefully.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this MEA, students will convert fractions into decimals and then compare the decimals to decide which donut a donut shop should add to their menu.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

In this Model Eliciting Activity, MEA, students will compare fractions with different denominators and add money using decimal notation to decide a procedure for ranking which cupcake a bakery should add to their menu.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will apply their knowledge of identifying and creating equivalent fractions.  The use of tiles allows a visual check of their equivalent fraction creations using parts of a set. 

Type: Lesson Plan

This activity requires students to apply their knowledge of unit conversions, speed calculation, and comparing fractions to solve the problem of which water park their class should choose to go on for their 5th grade class trip.

Type: Lesson Plan

This  is an application lesson for the students’ knowledge of how to identify or create equivalent fractions. After a review, they are expected to multiply or divide to create equivalent fractions.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson uses paper strips to show equivalent fractions.  It discusses what happens to the denominator and numerator as students learn to multiply to make equivalent fractions. It is part of a series about identifying and creating equivalent fractions. All lessons in the series share the Fraction Land title and are available on CPALMS. 

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is a way for students to use benchmark fractions to get a conceptual understanding of comparing and ordering fractions.

Type: Lesson Plan

Fourth graders will help Cookies and Treats find cost-effective and eco-friendly packaging for its cookies. Students will organize data and compare prices using decimal notation in order to develop a procedure for choosing packaging for cookies.  Students will use multiplication and division of whole numbers to plan for how many packages to order.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson provides a conceptual approach to multiplying a fraction times a whole number and a whole number times a fraction.  Students are to use an understanding of the meaning of the denominator and numerator to figure out a strategy for finding the solution. 

Type: Lesson Plan

This is a lesson intended to reinforce students' ability to find equivalent fractions and decimals. The lesson requires prior essential vocabulary knowledge, and a basic understanding of converting fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions  (tenths and hundredths).

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will identify equivalent fractions to 1/2 using manipulatives and determine what happened to the numerator and denominator when an equivalent fraction was formed.  They will practice this idea by identifying equivalent fractions in a domino game.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will correctly model and discover fractions and their decimal equivalents through the use of decimal grids and base ten blocks.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will model and compare fraction pairs by writing an inequality.  

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students engage in problem solving, a fraction sort activity and play the game "Fraction War" to practice and demonstrate understanding of using benchmark quantities when comparing fractions with different numerators and denominators.  This lesson is not intended as initial instruction on using benchmark quantities to compare fractions.  Instead, it may be useful for skill reinforcement, student engagement, and formative assessment of skill mastery.  Parts of this lesson could be revisited periodically as students build comfort and mastery comparing fractions.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is a practice lesson for student’s knowledge on connecting decimals, money and fractions. 

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson demonstrates the relationships between equivalent fractions and the size of the pieces that represent the fractions. The lesson moves from concrete activities to pictorial representations. The lesson begins by using a pan of brownies to represent equivalent fractions. The brownies will help to engage students as the lesson moves from the concrete to the pictorial representation of equivalent fractions.

Type: Lesson Plan

Chocolate bars will be used to introduce equivalent fractions. Students will find patterns for equivalent fractions through the concrete-representational-abstract process.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students generate and describe a numerical pattern using the multiplication and subtraction of fractions.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will identify equivalent fractions to 1/2 using manipulatives and determine what happened to the numerator and denominator when an equivalent fraction was formed.  They will practice this idea by identifying equivalent fractions in a domino game.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use Cuisenaire rods to measure lengths and generate equivalent fractions. This is a concrete way to introduce how to generate equivalent fractions by finding patterns in the numerators and denominators.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with math manipulatives to understand that it takes 100 hundredths of something to make one whole. They will use manipulatives with money (pennies and dollars), fractions (one hundredth pieces and one whole pieces), and base ten blocks (units and wholes) to show different values. They will express values with combinations of the given manipulatives and draw their solutions.

This lesson 2 of 2 in a unit on fraction and decimal concepts

Type: Lesson Plan

Students work in groups to arrange sets of fraction cards from least to greatest using multiple strategies.  Fractions include those greater than one.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this MEA, students will decide which entertainer an owner of an entertainment company should hire. They will base their decisions on information provided on resumes. Students will calculate the cost of hiring the entertainer (multiplication of whole numbers) as well as compare the statistics of their talent competitions and attendance turn-out (comparing fractions). Students will write letters to the owner of the entertainment company ranking the entertainers and providing explanation and justification of their strategy for doing so.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

In this Model Eliciting Activity, MEA, students will work in groups to determine a procedure for ranking playground equipment to help a school purchase new equipment for their playground. Students will compare fractions with like and unlike denominators and numerators, make decisions based on information given in a data table, and write a letter to the school providing evidence for their decisions.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will work with math manipulatives to understand that it takes 10 tenths to make one whole. They will use manipulatives with money (dimes), fractions (one tenth pieces), and base ten blocks (rods) to show different values. They will use decimal notation to record these tenths. 

This is lesson one in a two part lesson unit. Lesson two (HAPPY HUNDREDTHS) deals with hundredths.

Type: Lesson Plan

Use equivalent fractions to compare fractions in this garden-themed, interactive tutorials

This is Part 2 in a two-part series. Click to open Part 1,  “Mama’s Pizza, Butterflies, & Comparing Fractions.”

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to locate decimals on a number line and compare decimals to save the Decis from a wizard's spell in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Help a family settle an argument about who got the most pizza and which butterfly was longer by comparing fractions using benchmarks and area models, in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Help Rich escape Deci Land by learning how to write decimals that are related to fractions with denominators of 10 and 100 in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to create equivalent fractions and visually see how they are equivalent in this interactive tutorial.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series. Click HERE to open Part 2.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to find equivalent fractions in a multiplication table in this interactive tutorial. 

This is part 2 of a 2 part series. Click HERE to open Part 1. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Unlock an effective teaching strategy for using pattern blocks to explore fraction concepts in this Teacher Perspectives video for educators.

Type: Perspectives Video: Teaching Idea

Unlock an effective teaching strategy for teaching stem and leaf plots in this Teacher Perspectives video for educators.

Type: Perspectives Video: Teaching Idea

The fractions for this task have been carefully chosen to encourage and reward different methods of comparison. The first solution judiciously uses each of the following strategies when appropriate: comparing to benchmark fractions, finding a common denominator, finding a common numerator. The second and third solution shown use only either common denominators or numerators. Teachers should encourage multiple approaches to solving the problem. This task is mostly intended for instructional purposes, although it has value as a formative assessment item as well.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

The purpose of this task is for students to finish the equations to make true statements. Parts (a) and (b) have the same solution, which emphasizes that the order in which we add doesn't matter (because addition is commutative), while parts (c) and (d) emphasize that the position of a digit in a decimal number is critical. The student must really think to encode the quantity in positional notation. In parts (e), (f), and (g), the base-ten units in 14 hundredths are bundled in different ways. In part (e), "hundredths" are thought of as units: 14 things = 10 things + 4 things. Part (h) addresses the notion of equivalence between hundredths and tenths.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

Students may not articulate every detail, but the basic idea for a case like the one shown here is that when you have equivalent fractions, you have just cut the pieces that represent the fraction into more but smaller pieces. Explaining fraction equivalences at higher grades can be a bit more involved (e.g. 6/8=9/12), but it can always be framed as subdividing the same quantity in different ways.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

The purpose of this task is to provide students with an opportunity to explain fraction equivalence through visual models in a particular example. Students will need more opportunities to think about fraction equivalence with different examples and models, but this task represents a good first step.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

The purpose of this task is for students to show they understand the connection between fraction and decimal notation by writing the same numbers both ways. Comparing and contrasting the two solutions shown below shows why decimal notation can be confusing. The first solution shows the briefest way to represent each number, and the second solution makes all the zeros explicit.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

The purpose of this task is to help students gain a better understanding of fractions through the use of dimes and pennies.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

The focus of this task is on understanding that fractions, in an explicit context, are fractions of a specific whole. In this this problem there are three different wholes: the medium pizza, the large pizza, and the two pizzas taken together. This task is best suited for instruction. Students can practice explaining their reasoning to each other in pairs or as part of a whole group discussion.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

The purpose of this task is to help develop students' understanding of addition of fractions; it is intended as an instructional task. Notice that students are not asked to find the sum so this may be given to students who are limited to computing sums of fractions with the same denominator. Rather, they need to apply a firm understanding of unit fractions (fractions with one in the numerator) and reason about their relative size.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

This task is intended primarily for instruction. The goal is to provide examples for comparing two fractions, 1/5 and 2/7 in this case, by finding a benchmark fraction which lies in between the two. In Melissa's example, she chooses 1/4 as being larger than 1/5 and smaller than 2/7.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

The purpose of this task is for students to identify which fraction is closest to the whole number 1.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

The purpose of this task is for students to compare two fractions that arise in a context. Because the fractions are equal, students need to be able to explain how they know that. Some students might stop at the second-to-last picture and note that it looks like they ran the same distance, but the explanation is not yet complete at that point.

Type: Problem-Solving Task

In this Khan Academy video decimals are written and spoken in words.

Type: Tutorial

The Khan Academy video uses grid diagrams and number-line representations to say and write equivalent decimals and fractions.

Type: Tutorial

The Khan Academy video illustrates how to determine and write the decimal represented by shaded grids.

Type: Tutorial

In this Khan Academy video a fraction is converted from tenths to hundredths using grid diagrams.

Type: Tutorial

This Khan Academy video illustrates that fraction a/b is equivalent to fraction (a x n)/(b x n).

Type: Tutorial

This tutorial for student audiences will provide a basic introduction to decimals. The tutorial presents a decimal as another way to represent a fraction. Students will be able to navigate the teaching portion of the tutorial at their own pace and test their understanding after each step of the lesson with a "Try This" section. The "Try This" section will monitor students answers and self-check by a right answer gaining an orange circle and a wrong answer graying out. Some "Try This" sections will read the decimal to the students as well.

Type: Tutorial

This tutorial for student audiences will assist learners with a further understanding that fractions are a way of showing part of a whole. Yet some fractions are larger than others. So this tutorial will help to refresh the understanding for the comparison of fractions. Students will be able to navigate the teaching portion of the tutorial at their own pace and test their understanding after each step of the lesson with a "Try This" section. The "Try This" section will monitor students answers and self-check by a right answer turning orange and a wrong answer dissolving.

Type: Tutorial

This virtual manipulative allows individual students to work with fraction relationships. (There is also a link to a two-player version.)

Type: Virtual Manipulative