Big and Small Fractions

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Purpose:

You can help your child to order fractions. 

What you need:

Cards (PDF, 26 KB). You can print these or make your own.

What to do:

Cut out the number cards, shuffle and place them a face down pile between the players. Each player takes 2 cards and arranges them to form a fraction.
For example:                                      
3
5
The player with the largest fraction wins.
Ask your child questions to help them decide which fraction is bigger. For example:
Are either of the fractions greater than 1? (The top number will be bigger than the bottom number)
Are either of the fractions greater than a half? (The top number will be more half of the bottom number)
Can you use the fraction wall to help decide which is bigger?
The cards are placed at the bottom of the pile and each player picks up new cards to play again.

What to expect your child to do:

  • To be able to make fractions over 1.
  • To use strategies such as comparing fractions to 1 and 1/2 to decide which of two fractions is bigger.

Variation:

The player who forms the smallest fraction wins.

He Kupu Māori:

hautau
fraction
pakitara hautau
fraction wall
nui ake
bigger
iti iho
smaller
taurunga
top number (numerator)
tauraro
bottom number (denominator)
haurua
half
kotahi haurima
one fifth
rua haurima
two fifths
whitu hautoru
seven thirds

He Whakawhitinga Kōrero:

  • Riwhiriwhia ngā kāri. (Shuffle the cards.)
  • Whakaputua ngā kāri ko ngā mata ki raro. (Lay the cards face down in a pile.)
  • Māu e tīmata. Tangohia ētahi kāri e rua. (You start. Take two cards.)
  • Kei ahau ināianei. Māku e tango ētahi kari e rua. (My turn now. I’ll take two cards.)
  • Whakamahia ngā kāri e rua hei hanga i tētahi hautau. (Use the two cards to make a fraction.)
  • Pānuihia mai tō hautau. (Read your fraction.)
  • Kei a wai te hautau nui rawa? (Who’s got the biggest fraction?)
  • He nui ake tāku hautau i tāu, he nui ake tāu rānei? (Is my fraction bigger than yours, or is yours bigger?)
  • He nui ake tētahi o ngā hautau i te kotahi? (Is one of the fractions bigger than one?
  • He nui ake te taurunga i te tauraro, nō reira he nui ake te hautau i te kotahi. (The top number – numerator – is bigger than the bottom number – denominator – so the fraction is bigger than one.)
  • He nui ake tāu i te haurua? (Is yours bigger than a half?)
  • Titiro ki te pakitara hautau hei āwhina i a koe ki te whiriwhiri i te hautau nui rawa. (Look at the fraction wall to help you work out which is the biggest fraction.)

Download a file of this activity:

PDF (292KB)