Fractions — Victorian Year 4 Maths
Fractions on number lines, counting by fractions, equivalent fractions as lengths, comparing and ordering, and mixed numerals. Five subtopics and 100 questions with worked solutions, aligned to VC2M4N03 and VC2M4N04.
Fractions in Victorian Year 4
This topic treats fractions as numbers with their own place on a number line. Students place and count fractions, keep counting past one whole into mixed numerals, use fraction strips to find equivalent fractions, and compare and order fractions of the same whole.
The five subtopics are Fractions on a Number Line, Count by Fractions, Equivalent Fractions (as Lengths), Compare and Order Fractions, and Fractions Greater than One (Mixed Numerals). Fractions is one of the 20 topics in Victorian Year 4 Maths and belongs to the Number strand. It comes under Victorian Curriculum codes VC2M4N04 (counting by fractions and number lines) and VC2M4N03 (equivalent fractions). This work leads straight into tenths and hundredths in the Decimals topic.
Subtopics
Fractions: common questions
How do you put a fraction on a number line?
Cut the line from \(0\) to \(1\) into equal parts; the number of parts is the denominator. Then count spaces, not tick marks, from \(0\). For \(\frac{5}{6}\), make six equal spaces and count five of them. Past \(1\) the same parts keep going, so \(\frac{7}{6}\) is one sixth beyond \(1\).
What are equivalent fractions?
They are fractions that name the same length of the same whole. Splitting every quarter of a strip in half turns quarters into eighths, so \(\frac{1}{4} = \frac{2}{8}\).
How do you compare two fractions?
With the same denominator, compare the top numbers: \(\frac{4}{7}\) is more than \(\frac{2}{7}\). With the same numerator, the bigger denominator means smaller pieces, so \(\frac{1}{6}\) is less than \(\frac{1}{5}\). Otherwise rename one fraction: \(\frac{1}{2} = \frac{5}{10}\), so \(\frac{7}{10}\) is more than \(\frac{1}{2}\).
What is a mixed numeral?
It is a whole number and a fraction together, such as \(2\frac{1}{5}\). To write it as an improper fraction, count all the fifths: two wholes make \(10\) fifths, plus \(1\) more, so \(2\frac{1}{5} = \frac{11}{5}\). At home, count slices of pizza or cups in a recipe in halves and quarters past one whole.
Which curriculum codes cover Fractions in Victorian Year 4?
Victorian Curriculum 2.0 code VC2M4N04 covers counting by fractions, mixed numerals and placing fractions on number lines. VC2M4N03 covers equivalent fractions with related denominators, which students use to compare and order fractions.