- Define and explain Quarters of Shapes in your own words
- Use key terms such as Denominator accurately
- Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
- Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic
This lesson focuses on Quarters of Shapes: split shapes and groups into four equal parts.
Split shapes and groups into four equal parts.
Key ideas
Quarter versus half
A quarter is smaller than a half, because splitting a whole into four parts makes each piece thinner than splitting it into two.
Equal parts
A fraction only makes sense if the parts are exactly equal — two uneven pieces are not halves, no matter how they look.
Key term — Denominator: The bottom number of a fraction; it tells you how many equal parts the whole is split into.
A rectangle is split into 4 equal parts. How many parts make one quarter?
1 — a quarter is 1 out of 4 equal parts.
Answer: 1 — a quarter is 1 out of 4 equal parts.
- Calling unequal pieces halves The pieces must be exactly the same size for halves, quarters or any fraction to be correct.
- Writing the fraction upside down The total number of equal parts goes on the bottom, not the top.
Practice
1/2 — two parts make bigger pieces than four.
5 — 20 ÷ 4 = 5.
9 — 18 ÷ 2 = 9.
12 — 24 ÷ 2 = 12.
Quick check
Which of these best defines "Denominator"?
You eat 1/2 of a pizza and your friend eats 1/4. Who ate more?
- Quarters of Shapes: split shapes and groups into four equal parts.
- Quarter versus half: A quarter is smaller than a half, because splitting a whole into four parts makes each piece thinner than splitting it into two.
- Half: One of two equal parts of a whole.
- Watch out for: calling unequal pieces halves