What are equivalent fractions?
Equivalent fractions are fractions that are equal in size, even though they have different numerators and denominators.
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Equivalent Fractions KS2
As children progress through KS2, they will become more familiar with identifying and expressing equivalent fractions, including visual representations, and using equivalent fractions to help solve addition and subtraction fraction calculations.
Equivalent Fractions Year 3
Equivalent fractions are first introduced in KS2 in Year 3, with the following objective from the National Curriculum:
- recognise and show, using diagrams, equivalent fractions with small denominators
Equivelant Fractions Year 3 Lesson Pack
£1.49
Lesson description:
Teach your Year 3 class about equivalent fractions with this ready-to-teach lesson. The included slideshow introduces your class to fraction walls and how to use them to understand and recognise different equivalent fractions. In their independent activities, children will then identify and match up a range of different equivalent fractions. Alternatively, they can play a game of Snap! which will help them to get better at finding equivalent fractions in both numerical and pictorial form.
This Year 3 equivalent fractions Maths lesson includes:
- a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
- a slideshow for the teaching input
- a range of printable resources for independent learning activities
- answer sheets
Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lessons' resources:
This lesson is part of our Finding Fractions Maths scheme of work for Year 3.
Equivalent Fractions Year 4
In Year 4, children extend their understanding of equivalent fractions by finding families of equivalent fractions, such as identifying that one half, two quarters and four eighths all represent the same proportion.
- recognise and show, using diagrams, families of common equivalent fractions
Finding Equivelant Fractions Year 4 Lesson Pack
£1.49
Lesson description:
Teach your Year 4 class how to find equivalent fractions with this ready-to-teach lesson. Children will learn how to find equivalent fractions using diagrams. For example, in several diagrams with arrays of 16 circles, each shaded in different patterns, children will work out which have been shaded to represent one quarter and which have not. During their independent learning, pupils may either play equivalent fractions games (using the provided printable resources) or complete a 'Colour by Fraction' activity to reveal a picture.
This Year 4 equivalent fractions Maths lesson includes:
- a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
- a slideshow for the teaching input
- a range of printable resources for independent learning activities
- answer sheets
Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lessons' resources:
This lesson is part of our Proportion Problems Maths scheme of work for Year 4.
Equivalent Fractions Year 5
By Year 5, children are becoming more familiar with representing equivalent fractions visually. They extend to exploring how to use the relationships between numerators and denominators to calculate equivalent fractions.
- identify, name and write equivalent fractions of a given fraction, represented visually, including tenths and hundredths
Finding Equivelant Fractions Year 5 Lesson Pack
£1.49
Lesson description:
Teach your Year 5 class how to find equivalent fractions with this ready-to-teach lesson. Children will explore how to use the relationship between numerators and denominators to find equivalent fractions. They will find out how to multiply the numerator and denominator by the same number to create equivalent fractions, the slides and main activities giving plenty of engaging ways to practise this. There is also fun game for the alternative activity that will really encourage them to use their multiplication skills to find the most obscure equivalent fractions possible!
This Year 5 equivalent fractions Maths lesson includes:
- a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
- a slideshow for the teaching input
- a range of printable resources for independent learning activities
- answer sheets
Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lessons' resources:
This lesson is part of our Fractions and Proportion Maths scheme of work for Year 5.
Equivalent Fractions Year 6
Children's understanding of equivalent fractions becomes more secure in Year 6 and they are challenged to work out increasingly complicated equivalent fractions, as well as using equivalent fractions to solve addition and subtraction problems.
- add and subtract fractions with different denominators and mixed numbers, using the concept of equivalent fractions
Find Equivelant Fractions Year 6 Lesson Pack
£1.49
Lesson description:
Teach your Year 6 class different ways to find equivalent fractions with this ready-to-teach lesson. They will start by recapping how percentages may be converted into fractions. After that, a number of methods for finding equivalent fractions are shown, including doubling or halving, multiplying, dividing, and finding common factors of a fraction’s numerator and denominator. After that there’s a choice of activities where children may either practise and develop the skills they’ve learnt, or apply their learning to a ‘real world’ scenario where they must make data more meaningful for an audience by converting or simplifying fractions and percentages.
This Year 6 equivalent fractions Maths lesson includes:
- a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
- a slideshow for the teaching input
- a range of printable resources for independent learning activities
- answer sheets
Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lessons' resources:
This lesson is part of our Fractions, Decimals and Percentagesn Maths scheme of work for Year 5.
Equivalent Fractions Methods and Examples
Fractions equivalent to 1/2:
If the denominator is exactly double the numerator, then the fraction is equivalent to one half.
Fractions equivalent to 1/3:
If the denominator is exactly three times the numerator, then the fraction is equivalent to one third.
Fractions equivalent to 1/4:
If the denominator is exactly four times the numerator, then the fraction is equivalent to one quarter.
How to find equivalent fractions
To find an equivalent fraction of a given fraction, you need to multiply or divide the numerator and denominator by the same number.
How to find missing numbers in equivalent fractions
1. In this missing number question, we have a missing numerator.
2. Look at the denominators. What would you multiply the first denominator by to make it equal the second denominator?
In this case, 8 x 2 = 16.
3. To find the missing number, we now need to multiply the numerator of the first number by 2.
In this case, 2 x 2 = 4.
The missing numerator is 4.
1. In this missing number question, we have a missing denominator.
2. Look at the numerators. What would you divide the first numerator by to make it equal the second numerator?
In this case, 12 ÷ 4 = 3.
3. To find the missing number, we now need to divide the denominator of the first number by 4.
In this case, 20 ÷ 4 = 5.
The missing denominator is 5.