Fractions for Grade 3: Equal Parts, Examples, and Practice

Free Grade 3 math activity · Materials: paper and pencil

A fraction can describe equal parts of a whole. If one whole is divided into four equal parts, each part is one fourth. We write one fourth as 1/4.

The word equal matters. Four pieces of different sizes do not each represent one fourth of the whole.

This free lesson introduces fractions using folded paper, worked examples and six practice questions. It is designed for Grade 3 fraction practice and can also help any learner beginning this skill.

Start by choosing the whole

Take a rectangular sheet of paper. For this activity, the entire sheet is one whole.

Fold it in half so the two parts match. Open it. Each part is 1/2 of the sheet.

Fold it in half again, lining up the edges carefully. Open the sheet. You now have four equal sections. Each section is 1/4 of the original whole.

The whole has stayed the same size. You have divided it into more, smaller parts.

Read the two numbers in a fraction

In the fraction 3/4:

• The bottom number, 4, is the denominator. It tells how many equal parts make one whole.
• The top number, 3, is the numerator. It tells how many of those equal parts we are counting.

Shade three sections of your folded paper. You shaded 3/4 of the sheet. One section, or 1/4, remains unshaded.

A fraction with 1 as its numerator is called a unit fraction. Examples include 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4.

Work through two examples

Example 1: A strip of paper

A strip is divided into six equal sections. Two sections are colored.

There are six equal parts in the whole, so the denominator is 6. Two are colored, so the numerator is 2. The colored part is 2/6 of the strip.

Example 2: A whole divided into thirds

A rectangle is divided into three equal parts. All three are shaded.

The shaded fraction is 3/3. All of the whole is shaded, so 3/3 = 1.

Compare equal parts carefully

Imagine two identical sheets of paper. Divide one into two equal parts and the other into four equal parts.

One half of the first sheet is larger than one fourth of the second sheet. When the wholes are the same size, dividing them into more equal parts makes each individual part smaller.

Always check the size of the whole before comparing pieces. Half of a small sheet does not have to be larger than a fourth of a much larger sheet.

Try it yourself

Write a fraction for each situation.

1. A rectangle has four equal parts. One part is shaded. What fraction is shaded?
2. A strip has six equal parts. Five parts are colored. What fraction is colored?
3. A shape has three equal parts. Two parts are shaded. What fraction is unshaded?
4. A square has four equal parts. All four are shaded. Write the fraction and the whole number it equals.
5. A rectangle has four unequal pieces. Can you call every piece 1/4 of the rectangle? Explain.
6. Two identical paper strips are divided into equal parts. One strip has two parts; the other has eight. Which is larger: one part of the first strip or one part of the second?

Check your answers

1. 1/4. One of four equal parts is shaded.
2. 5/6. Five of six equal parts are colored.
3. 1/3. One of three equal parts is unshaded.
4. 4/4 = 1. All four parts make the whole.
5. No. Fourths must be four equal parts of the whole.
6. One part of the first strip. With identical wholes, 1/2 is larger than 1/8.

A quick check for understanding

Ask the learner to draw a rectangle, split it into four equal parts and shade three. Then ask: “Why is this 3/4?”

A useful explanation names both numbers: “There are four equal parts in the whole, and three are shaded.”

If the learner counts the pieces but overlooks their sizes, return to folding paper and matching the sections before adding more questions.

Wonder Squad Academy provides completely free educational resources for Kindergarten through Grade 7. Try this activity together, then let the learner create a new fraction question for you to solve.

For a video introduction, visit our Fractions for Kids: Halves, Thirds & Fourths lesson.