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Number Trail Grade 4 / Week 09 / Monday
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Week 09 · Multiply a fraction by a whole number

Monday

Fractions are made of unit fractions
// Groups of fractions
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: Fractions are made of unit fractions

Rosie the Rabbit bounces into the clearing, her bright bandana flapping in the breeze.

"Party time on the trail!" she cheers. "I cut ribbon for the lantern posts."

She holds up five ribbon pieces. Each piece is one fourth of a meter long.

Bennie the Bear sets down his basket of stones and looks closely.

"Each piece is a unit fraction, one fourth," he says. "Five of them make five fourths."

Rosie wiggles her long ears. "So five fourths is five pieces of one fourth?"

"Yes," says Bennie with a smile. "And that is a times sentence. Let me show you."

Learn it: count the unit fractions

A unit fraction has a numerator of 1, like 1/4.

Here is one fourth of a strip.

A bar cut into four equal parts, one part shaded

Rosie has 5 pieces of 1/4. That is 5 fourths, or 5/4.

Five fourths is more than one whole strip.

Two bars cut in fourths, five parts shaded in all

Bennie writes it as a times sentence: 5/4 = 5 × 1/4.

Any fraction works this way. 3/8 = 3 × 1/8, because 3/8 is 3 eighths.

The numerator tells how many unit fractions there are.

COUNT THE UNIT FRACTIONS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
5/4 = ? × 1/4
3/8 = ? × 1/8
7/10 = ? × 1/10
4/3 = ? × 1/3
WRITE THE PRODUCT AS A FRACTION
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
4 × 1/6 = ?
7 × 1/12 = ?
2 × 1/5 = ?
9 × 1/100 = ?
READ THE FRACTION STRIPS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A bar cut into eight equal parts, five shadedWhat fraction of the bar is shaded?
A bar cut into six equal parts, four shadedHow many sixths are shaded?
A bar cut into three equal parts, three shaded; a bar cut into three equal parts, two shadedHow many thirds are shaded in all?
A bar cut into three equal parts, three shaded; a bar cut into three equal parts, two shadedWhich times sentence matches the strips?
COUNT BY FOURTHS
  • Count by one fourth at a time.
  • Tap the fractions from least to greatest.
11st
22nd
33rd
44th
55th
SentenceTrue or false?
5/4 = 5 × 1/4?
3/8 = 8 × 1/3?
7/10 = 7 × 1/10?
6/5 = 5 × 1/6?
A unit fraction has a numerator of 1.?
WHY THIS EXERCISE8 × 1/3 is 8/3, not 3/8. And 5 × 1/6 is 5/6, not 6/5.
Try it
Fold a paper strip in half, then in half again.
Open it. You made 4 equal parts, so each part is 1/4.
Make a second strip the same way.
Color 5 parts across the two strips.
Say it out loud: five fourths is 5 × 1/4.
Draw fraction strips to show 7/6 as 7 × 1/6.

Great counting! Tomorrow Rosie needs groups of bigger fractions.