Equal parts first
Children learn fractions as equal shares of one whole. Circles and bars show the same idea two ways, so the fraction is not tied to one shape.CAPS links
- Grade 2Names unitary fractions (halves, quarters, thirds and fifths), recognises them in diagrams and writes them in words, as in 1 half.
- Grade 3Adds non-unitary fractions such as 2 thirds, plus sixths and eighths, and sees that 2 halves make a whole and 1 half equals 2 quarters.
- Grade 4Compares and orders common fractions with different denominators, from halves to eighths, in diagram form.
CAPS states that Foundation Phase learners are not expected to read or write fraction symbols. Fractions start with sharing real things, like a loaf of bread or a packet of sweets, and in Grades 2 and 3 they are written in words. If your class has not met the symbols yet, read each fraction aloud in words first (“3 quarters”), and keep written notation for Grade 4.
South African classrooms say quarters rather than fourths. Fractions are not named in the Grade 1 CAPS, which works on equal sharing and grouping instead.
Summarised in our own words from the DBE’s CAPS for Mathematics, Foundation Phase and Intermediate Phase Grades 4–6 (2011).
