Comparing fractions
Is it less than a half, or more? Start there.
What this skill is
Fractions are numbers with locations, not shapes with parts shaded. The number line is the representation that makes improper fractions ordinary and makes equivalence obvious — when you subdivide, the point does not move.
Three ways to teach it at home
- Draw the line first, mark 0 and 1, then fold or measure to make equal parts. Equal parts are the whole idea.
- Count in unit fractions out loud: one third, two thirds, three thirds, four thirds. Keep going past one.
- Ask "is it more or less than a half?" before anything else. Benchmarks beat rules.
Where this sits in the ladder
Comes after
Opens next
This is the top of its strand.
Questions people actually ask
What grade is "comparing fractions"?
It sits in grade 4 in most sequences, and it is aligned to 4.NF.A.2. In Ladderbug it opens once equivalent fractions is solid — grade labels are a rough guide, and readiness is what actually matters.
Is this game free?
Yes. This page needs no account, no email and no card, and there are no advertisements. It saves progress in your own browser.
What mistakes should I watch for?
Thinks 1/4 > 1/3 because 4 > 3. We probe for it deliberately by offering that exact wrong answer as a choice, and if a child picks it twice we go back to unit fractions on a number line rather than repeating the same question.
This is one rung of 82.
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