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Features

Shade two fractions with the same denominator and compare them with >, < and =
Shade two fractions with the same numerator: fewer parts in the whole means bigger parts
Compare without models and circle the reason for each answer
Decide whether a classmate is right that 2/6 is greater than 2/4
Put three fractions in order and compare fractions on number lines
Solve stories about pizza, pie, a fence, a trail and ribbon, including small and big wholes that make a comparison unfair
Every page in color and in black and white
Answer keys included

Skills Covered

Compare fractions with the same denominator
Compare fractions with the same numerator
Write the comparison with >, < or =

Explain a comparison: the size of the parts or the number of parts
Order three fractions and compare them on number lines
Compare parts of wholes that are the same size

How to Use This Pack

Five pages on comparing fractions that share a denominator or a numerator, with denominators 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8. On page 1 students shade two fractions with the same denominator on strips or circles of the same size, like 5/8 and 3/8, and write >, < or =, with a worked example first. Page 2 does the same with the same numerator, like 2/3 and 2/6: fewer parts in the whole means bigger parts. Page 3 has no models: students write the sign and circle the reason, "same size parts, more of them" or "same number of parts, bigger parts", then decide whether Lily is right that 2/6 is greater than 2/4 because 6 is greater than 4. Page 4 puts three fractions in order from least to greatest, then marks two fractions on number lines and compares them. Page 5 has six stories: four with wholes of the same size, and two with a small and a big whole, where the bigger fraction is not the bigger amount.

In the Classroom

Give each pair of students fraction strips of the same length. For page 1, lay 3/8 and 5/8 side by side: the parts are the same size, so count them. For page 2, lay 2/3 and 2/6 side by side: there are 2 parts of each, so the bigger parts win. Before page 5, cut 1/2 from a small paper circle and 1/4 from a big one, and ask which piece is bigger and why the fractions alone do not tell.

At Home

Cut two slices of bread or two pieces of paper the same size. Cut one into 4 equal parts and the other into 8, then ask your child which is more, 3 of the fourths or 3 of the eighths, and why. Try it again with the same number of parts: 2 of 6 and 5 of 6.

Tips for Success

Same denominator: the parts are the same size, so the fraction with more parts is greater
Same numerator: there are the same number of parts, so the fraction with bigger parts is greater
Fewer parts in the whole means bigger parts: 1/3 is greater than 1/6
Only compare parts of wholes that are the same size
Use > for greater than, < for less than and = for equal to

Common Core Standards Alignment

This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

3.NF.A.2a Mark 1/b on a number line by splitting the space from 0 to 1 into b equal parts; the first part ends at 1/b.
3.NF.A.2b Place a/b on a number line by counting a jumps of size 1/b from 0; where the jumps end is a/b.
3.NF.A.3d Compare fractions of the same whole that have equal numerators or equal denominators, thinking about part size; record with >, = or < and explain.

Comparing Fractions

3rd Grade

Comparing fractions that have the same denominator or the same numerator, with halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths. Students shade strips and circles, write >, < and =, explain each comparison, put fractions in order, use number lines and solve stories where the wholes must be the same size.

Download PDF

What’s Included

5 worksheets in color and in black and white, with answer keys (15 pages)
Strips and circles to shade with the same denominator and the same numerator
Comparisons with reasons, a Who is right question, and ordering three fractions
Number lines to mark and compare, and six fraction stories

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