Roots of Reason
Roots of Reason
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equal parts of one whole
Anchor Chart · Grade 3 · 3.NF.A.1

What a Fraction Is

34 the denominator, the bottom number, cuts one whole into 4 equal parts.
the numerator, the top number, takes 3 of them.
1Equal Parts
✗ four parts, not equal✓ four equal parts, so one fourth
Four parts only make fourths when the parts are the same size.
2What the Denominator Says
1/21/31/41/6
It counts the equal parts in one whole. More parts means smaller pieces.
3What the Numerator Says
count the fourths1/41/41/41/4 and 1/4 and 1/4 is 3/4
three pieces of size 1/4, so three fourths
It counts how many of those equal pieces you have.
4Say What the Whole Is
whole = 3 boxes2/3whole = 6 boxes2/6
the shaded picture never changed. the whole did.
The same picture is 2/3 or 2/6, depending on what counts as one whole.