Fractions Concepts — Grade 1 Mathematics
A fraction describes a part of a whole. Whenever you share a pizza, cut a sandwich in half, or split a chocolate bar with a friend — you are using fractions! In Grade 1, we start with the simplest fractions: halves, quarters, and thirds.
What Is a Fraction?
Numerator — the number on top — tells you how many parts you have.
Denominator — the number on the bottom — tells you how many equal parts the whole is split into.
For the whole to be split into fractions, all parts must be equal in size.
Visual Fractions
Worked Examples
Cut a sandwich 🥪 into 2 equal pieces. You eat one piece. What fraction did you eat?
A chocolate bar 🍫 is broken into 4 equal pieces. Jake eats 1 piece. What fraction does Jake eat?
A pizza 🍕 is cut into 3 equal slices. Mia takes 1 slice. What fraction does Mia have?
Key check: Are all 3 slices the same size? Yes → fractions are valid.
Practice Questions
1. A circle is split into 2 equal parts and 1 part is coloured. What fraction is coloured?
2. What is ¼ of 8?
3. What is ½ of 10?
4. True or false: ½ means the whole is split into 3 parts.
5. A ribbon is cut into 4 equal pieces. 3 pieces are used. What fraction is used?
Key Points to Remember
- A fraction describes a part of a whole.
- All parts must be equal in size for fractions to work.
- The top number (numerator) = how many parts you have.
- The bottom number (denominator) = how many equal parts in total.
- ½ of a number = divide by 2. ¼ of a number = divide by 4.