Adding and Subtracting Fractions - PowerPoint

This set of teaching resources is designed to help Year 4 students understand the concepts of adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. The lesson begins with a recap of what fractions are: equal parts of a whole, which could be an object, a quantity, or a number. Students are reminded that a fraction is composed of a numerator and a denominator, where the numerator indicates the number of equal parts being considered, and the denominator shows how many parts the whole is divided into. The focus of the lesson is on performing addition and subtraction of fractions by combining or taking away numerators while keeping the denominator constant.

Students are guided through the process of adding fractions using visual aids such as diagrams, which illustrate how to add the numerators and maintain the same denominator to find the sum. The resources also explain how some fractions, when added, result in a sum greater than one, known as an improper fraction. Students learn to convert these to mixed numbers, which contain both a whole part and a fraction part. Similarly, when subtracting fractions, the numerator is decreased while the denominator remains unchanged, and students are encouraged to simplify their answers where possible. The worksheets provided offer a range of problems, from straightforward calculations to word problems, allowing students to apply their understanding in different contexts and to practice simplifying the results of their fraction operations.