Spark CoachBuild Expeditions
Skills
MathOn grade · 10 min3.NF.A.2

Fractions on a Number Line

A fraction isn't only a slice of something — it's a spot on a ruler, which is how a builder measures a cut that lands between the whole numbers.

Powers Expedition 2 · Before-It's-a-Fight Fair Shares
The idea

Split the distance from 0 to 1 into equal steps. The bottom number tells how many steps make one whole; the top number counts how many steps you have taken from 0. Count the STEPS, not the tick marks.

Work it out

The line from 0 to 1 is split into equal steps. Which fraction is the dot sitting on?

01

Zoe folded a strip of paper from 0 to 1 into equal steps. Which fraction is the dot on?

01

Which fraction is the dot on?

01

Marcus marked his rope where the dot is. Which fraction is that?

01

The line from 0 to 1 is split into 8 equal steps. Which fraction is the dot on?

01

Careful — this line runs all the way to 2, and it is split into 4 equal steps. Which fraction is the dot on?

02

Work all the way through to finish. 5 of 6 right and it’s hers.