Teaching article
Quarters require four equal shares of the whole
Establish four equal parts and retain a visible reference to the original whole.
A shape divided into four regions provides a starting question, not an automatic answer. Children need to examine the shares before naming each one a quarter, using the original whole as their reference.
Start with the whole and maintain equal parts. Counting four pieces alone does not establish that each is a quarter.
Check equality as well as the part count
To hand: A paper square or rectangle.
Mark the original whole. Partition it into four equal parts. Label one part and the complete set.
One of four equal parts represents one quarter of that specified whole.
Similar-looking pieces from different wholes may represent different amounts. Which object is the whole in this example?
Provide a pre-partitioned shape to discuss.
Resources
- Maths Puzzle Generator — Choose arithmetic or missing-number questions only when they match the number relationship being explored.
Further reading
Read next
- A fraction of a shape and a fraction of a set
- Recognising a small quantity without counting each dot
- Regrouping changes the pieces, not the amount
Explore Number, operations and fractions. Browse all teaching articles.