Fractions — South Australian Year 3 Maths
Halves, quarters, eighths, thirds and fifths modelled with shapes, strips and groups, comparing unit fractions, and fractions of a collection. Three subtopics and 60 questions, aligned to AC9M3N02.
Fractions in South Australian Year 3
A fraction names equal parts of a whole or of a group. In this topic Year 3 students model halves, quarters, eighths, thirds and fifths, compare unit fractions and find fractions of collections.
The three subtopics below cover unit fractions with halves, quarters and eighths, then thirds and fifths, and finally fractions of a collection. Fractions is one of the 18 topics in South Australian Year 3 Maths and sits in the Number strand. It covers Australian Curriculum v9 code AC9M3N02. Fractions link to Division, because finding a third of a group is the same as sharing it into 3 equal groups, and they lead on to more fraction work in Year 4.
Subtopics
Fractions: common questions
What makes a fraction a unit fraction?
A unit fraction has 1 on top, such as \(\frac{1}{3}\) or \(\frac{1}{8}\). It names one of the equal parts when a whole is cut up, and the bottom number says how many equal parts there are.
Why does a bigger bottom number mean a smaller piece?
Because the same whole is cut into more pieces. A pizza cut into 6 equal slices has smaller slices than one cut into 4, so \(\frac{1}{6}\) is smaller than \(\frac{1}{4}\). Children often think \(\frac{1}{6}\) is bigger because 6 is bigger than 4.
How do you find a fraction of a group?
Share the group into as many equal groups as the bottom number, then take as many groups as the top number. For \(\frac{2}{5}\) of 35, share 35 into 5 groups of 7, then take 2 groups to get 14.
How can we practise fractions at home?
Cut sandwiches, fruit or paper strips into equal parts and name them. Check the parts really are equal: a piece is only a quarter if all four pieces are the same size. Share a bag of grapes and ask what fraction each person gets.
Which curriculum codes cover Fractions in South Australian Year 3?
The subtopics come under Australian Curriculum v9 code AC9M3N02 (modelling unit fractions, and fractions built from them, in several ways).