← Back to course
Number Trail Grade 4 / Week 07 / Thursday
4/6
Week 07 · Equal and compare fractions

Thursday

The halfway rock
// Same amount, different parts
⏱ about 15 min

Thursday: The halfway rock

Chris the Coyote sits on a big flat rock beside the trail.

"This is the halfway rock," he says. "Let me tell you its story."

"One morning, Riley and Donnie the Deer hiked toward the waterfall."

"Riley had walked 5/8 of the trail. Donnie had walked 2/5 of it."

"Who passed the halfway rock?" Riley asked with a twinkle.

"Donnie thought slowly. Half of 8 is 4, and 5 is more than 4."

"Half of 5 is two and a half, and 2 is less than that."

"So Riley passed the rock, and Donnie had not reached it yet."

Story: Use one half to compare

One half is a benchmark. It helps us compare in our heads.

5/8 is more than 1/2, because 4/8 is one half.

2/5 is less than 1/2, because one half of 5 parts is two and a half parts.

So 5/8 > 2/5.

A number line from 0 to 1 in eighths, with a dot at 5/8
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STORY
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A trailWho walked farther, Riley or Donnie?
Is 5/8 more than, less than, or equal to 1/2?
Is 2/5 more than, less than, or equal to 1/2?
COMPARE TO ONE HALF
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Is 3/8 more than, less than, or equal to 1/2?
Is 4/6 more than, less than, or equal to 1/2?
Is 5/10 more than, less than, or equal to 1/2?
Is 7/12 more than, less than, or equal to 1/2?
USE ONE HALF TO COMPARE
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
3/8 ? 4/6
6/10 ? 2/6
1/3 ? 5/8
7/12 ? 2/5

Learn it: the same whole

Half of a big pumpkin is more than half of a small apple.

So we only compare fractions when they are parts of the same whole.

On this trail, every fraction is part of the same trail.

TRAIL PUZZLES
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Hazel walks 3/4 mile. Ferris walks 5/8 mile. Who walks farther?
A bookLucy reads 2/6 of a book. Rosie reads 1/3 of the same book. Who reads more?
Two flower beds use 4/10 and 45/100 of the same garden. Which part is bigger?
SentenceTrue or false?
5/8 > 2/5?
3/8 < 1/2?
7/12 < 1/2?
Half of a big pumpkin equals half of a small apple.?
WHY THIS EXERCISE7/12 is more than 1/2, because 6/12 is one half.
Try it
Walk from one end of a hallway or yard to the other.
Mark the halfway point with a sock or a shoe.
Now walk 3/8 of the way. Are you before or after the halfway mark?
Draw the trail with the halfway rock. Mark where Riley and Donnie stopped.

What a hike! Tomorrow Freddy has a review game.

← Wednesday