Compare and Order Fractions

Compare and Order Fractions

What students learn

Students learn to compare fractions by checking that the whole stays the same and then looking at the size of each part. Start with Comparing Fractions: Look for the Same Whole to see the first comparison step.

Why it matters

When students can tell which fraction is larger, they can also read fraction models more carefully and make sense of number lines. Comparing Fractions: Put Fractions in Order shows how fractions can be lined up from least to greatest.

Learn the idea

Comparing fractions is easier when the wholes are equal and the pieces are easy to count. Comparing Fractions: Check Which Part Is Larger gives one more look at the same idea with a visual model.

Try it

Ask the student to compare 1/4 and 3/4, then order 1/2, 1/4, and 3/4 from least to greatest. After each answer, have them explain how they knew which fraction was larger.

Parent guide

Use fraction circles or a number line if the comparison feels abstract. Ask the child to say whether each fraction is less than, greater than, or equal to the other.