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Features

Shade the same amount on fraction strips, like 1/2 = 2/4 = 4/8
See the same rectangle or circle cut into more equal parts and write both fractions
Label number lines one above the other and find the fractions at the same point
Find the missing numerator or denominator with strips, then with no model
Cut every part of a shape into 2 equal parts to make an equal fraction
Write whole numbers as fractions, like 3 = 3/1, 4/4 = 1 and 8/4 = 2, with shapes and number lines
Every page in color and in black and white
Answer keys included

Skills Covered

Show equal fractions with fraction strips and area models
Find equal fractions at the same point on number lines
Explain why two fractions are equal with a model

Find a missing numerator or denominator
Make an equal fraction by cutting every part into equal parts
Write whole numbers as fractions and fractions as whole numbers

How to Use This Pack

Five pages on equivalent fractions with denominators 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8. On page 1 the top strip shows a fraction: students shade the same length on the strips below it and write their fractions, like 1/3 = 2/6, with a worked example first. Page 2 shows a rectangle or circle, then the same shape with every part cut into smaller equal parts with dashed lines: students write both fractions. Page 3 has number lines one above the other, halves, fourths and eighths, then thirds and sixths: students label the marks, write the fractions at the same point and decide whether pairs like 3/4 and 3/8 are at the same point. Page 4 finds missing numerators and denominators with strips, cuts every part of four shapes into 2 equal parts to make a new fraction, then finds eight missing numbers with no model. Page 5 writes whole numbers as fractions: shaded wholes like 8/4 = 2, number lines from 0 to 3 in halves and 0 to 2 in eighths with the fraction above each whole number, and equations like 5 = 5/1 and 0/4 = 0.

In the Classroom

Hand out paper strips of the same length and have students fold them into halves, fourths and eighths, then thirds and sixths, and label each part. Lay the strips one above another to find fractions that line up, and record them as equations on the board before page 1. For page 3, draw a long number line in halves and the same line in fourths right under it, and ask students where 2/4 lands. On page 5, ask: how many fourths make 1 whole? How many make 2?

At Home

Fold a sheet of paper in half and color one half. Fold it in half again: how many parts are there now, and how many are colored? Write both fractions, 1/2 = 2/4, and fold once more to find eighths. Cutting a sandwich or a pizza into more pieces works the same way.

Tips for Success

Equivalent fractions name the same amount of the same whole
When every part is cut into 2, there are twice as many parts, and twice as many are shaded
Fractions at the same point on a number line are equal
A whole number can be written as a fraction: 3 = 3/1, and 1 = 4/4 = 6/6
Check an equal fraction with a model: the shaded parts must be the same size

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.3a Know that two fractions are equal when they cover the same amount of a whole or land at the same spot on a number line.
3.NF.A.3b Find and make simple equal fractions, such as 3/6 = 1/2, and use a picture or model to show why they match.
3.NF.A.3c Show a whole number in fraction form and notice when a fraction names a whole number, such as 2 = 2/1 or 8/4 = 2.

Equivalent Fractions

3rd Grade

Equivalent fractions with halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths, and whole numbers written as fractions. Students shade fraction strips, read area models and number lines, find missing numerators and denominators, and write whole numbers as fractions.

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What’s Included

5 worksheets in color and in black and white, with answer keys (15 pages)
Fraction strips to shade and area models cut into more parts
Number lines one above the other, and missing numerators and denominators
Making equal fractions by cutting parts, and whole numbers as fractions

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