Sharing Fairly: From Halves to Quarters
What this lesson covers
- Equal sharing means every group gets the same number.
- A quarter of a group is one of four equal groups.
- You can find a fraction of a group by sharing.
- Half of a half is a quarter.
Fair shares
- Share 12 strawberries between 3 children.
- Give one each, again and again, until none are left.
- Each child gets 4. Everyone has the same, so it is fair.
A quarter of a group
- Share a group into 4 equal groups.
- One of those groups is a quarter.
- 12 shells shared into 4 groups is 3 each, so a quarter of 12 is 3.
Try it: share between 4
Find a fraction by sharing
- Two equal groups give halves.
- Four equal groups give quarters.
| Group | Share into | Each group | So |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 apples | 2 | 4 | half of 8 is 4 |
| 8 apples | 4 | 2 | a quarter of 8 is 2 |
| 16 counters | 4 | 4 | a quarter of 16 is 4 |
| 20 grapes | 2 | 10 | half of 20 is 10 |
| 20 grapes | 4 | 5 | a quarter of 20 is 5 |
Halve, then halve again
- Fold a piece of paper in half. Open it: 2 halves.
- Fold it in half again. Open it: 4 quarters.
- A half of a half is a quarter. Two quarters make one half.
Try it: two quarters make a half
Quarters by halving twice
- To find a quarter, halve the number, then halve again.
| Number | Half | Half again (a quarter) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | 4 | 2 |
| 12 | 6 | 3 |
| 16 | 8 | 4 |
| 20 | 10 | 5 |
Try it: halves and quarters on a fraction wall
Common mistakes
- Sharing 12 as 5, 4 and 3 is fair.Fair shares are equal. 12 between 3 is 4 each.
- A quarter of 8 is 4.4 is half of 8. Halve again for a quarter: 2.
- Two quarters are less than a half.Two quarters make exactly one half.
- To find a quarter, share into 2 groups.Share into 4 groups, or halve and then halve again.
Your turn
1
Share 12 shells equally between 4 friends. How many does each friend get?
2
What is half of 16?
3
What is a quarter of 16?
4
How many quarters make a half?
5
Halve 20, then halve it again. What do you get?
Show answer
1. 3 2. 8 3. 4 4. 2 5. 5
What to take away
- Fair shares are equal shares.
- A quarter is one of 4 equal groups.
- Halve, then halve again, to find a quarter.
- Two quarters make a half.
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More in Number
Counting to 100 and Place ValueNotes1st, 2nd, 3rd, Te Reo Numbers and Number LinesNotesGroups, Pairs and Counting in 2s and 10sNotesNumber Facts to 10, Doubles and Adding to 20NotesJoining, Taking Away and Equal GroupsNotesHalves and QuartersNotesSharing Fairly: From Halves to QuartersNotesNew Zealand Coins and NotesNotes
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