Max Maths, Year 4, Learn together, Comparing and ordering fractions (2)

In a Year 4 mathematics lesson from Max Maths, students learn to compare and order fractions to determine which is greater. The lesson uses real-world examples to make the concept relatable. In one scenario, Toby and Jade each have a pizza for dinner. Toby consumes three-fifths of his pizza, while Jade eats two-fifths of hers. To find out who ate more, students compare the two fractions, which have the same denominator. Since three is greater than two, it is clear that Toby ate the larger portion of pizza, as three-fifths is greater than two-fifths.

The lesson continues with another practical example where Han and Padma each bake a carrot cake of similar size. After dinner, Han's family eats five-eighths of their cake, whereas Padma's family eats seven-eighths of theirs. To determine which family ate the smaller amount, students are taught to compare the numerators of these like fractions, as they share the same denominator. By comparing the numerators, students can see that five is less than seven, indicating that five-eighths is smaller than seven-eighths. Therefore, it is Han’s family that ate the lesser amount of cake. The key takeaway for students is that when fractions have the same denominator, they can simply compare the numerators to determine which fraction is larger or smaller.