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Year 5

Use the relationship between the numerator and denominator in equivalent fractions to solve problems

I can use the relationship between the numerator and denominator in equivalent fractions to solve problems

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Year 5

Use the relationship between the numerator and denominator in equivalent fractions to solve problems

I can use the relationship between the numerator and denominator in equivalent fractions to solve problems

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. If the multiplicative relationship between the numerator and denominator is the same, the fractions will be equivalent
  2. If a fraction is equivalent to a half, the numerator will be half the value of the denominator
  3. If a fraction is equivalent to fifth, the denominator will be 5 times the value of the numerator

Keywords

  • Numerator - The numerator is the top number in a fraction and shows how many parts we have.

  • Denominator - The denominator is the bottom number in a fraction and shows how many equal parts the whole has been divided into.

  • Equivalent fraction - Equivalent fractions are fractions which have the same value, even though they may look different.

  • Proportion - The proportion of a number, shape or group of objects is a part of the whole.

Common misconception

Children need to understand that equivalent fractions must be part of the same whole and that they can be represented as parts of a whole or as a number with a unique position on the number line.

Use the stem sentences to draw attention to how we describe equivalence and use representations to support this. Be clear about when the representation is showing a part of a whole and when it is labelling a point on a number line.


To help you plan your year 5 maths lesson on: Use the relationship between the numerator and denominator in equivalent fractions to solve problems, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Remind children that the whole has to be the same when we are describing equivalent fractions. Encourage discussion, drawing on stem sentences and generalisations, to give opportunities for children to describe and identify equivalent fractions throughout the lesson and in the game in the task.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Order these fractions from the smallest to the largest
1 - $${1}\over{7}$$
2 - $${2}\over{7}$$
3 - $${3}\over{7}$$
4 - $${4}\over{7}$$
5 - $${5}\over{7}$$
Q2.
Order these fractions from the largest to the smallest
1 - $${3}\over{4}$$
2 - $${3}\over{5}$$
3 - $${3}\over{6}$$
4 - $${3}\over{7}$$
5 - $${3}\over{8}$$
Q3.
Match the statements to make the sentences correct.
Correct Answer:1 is the same proportion of 2 as,4 is of 8
tick

4 is of 8

Correct Answer:3 is the same proportion of 9 as,1 is of 3
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1 is of 3

Correct Answer:1 is the same proportion of 4 as,3 is of 12
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3 is of 12

Correct Answer:2 is the same proportion of 5 as,4 is of 10
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4 is of 10

Q4.
Which fractions are equivalent to $${1}\over{7}$$?
Correct answer: $${2}\over{14}$$
$${4}\over{10}$$
$${2}\over{8}$$
Correct answer: $${11}\over{77}$$
Q5.
Which of these fractions are less than $${1}\over{2}$$?
$${2}\over{3}$$
Correct answer: $${2}\over{4}$$
$${3}\over{4}$$
Correct answer: $${3}\over{6}$$
Q6.
Which fractions are greater than $${1}\over{3}$$?
$${2}\over{8}$$
Correct answer: $${2}\over{4}$$
Correct answer: $${2}\over{5}$$
$${2}\over{7}$$

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the missing denominator in this pair of equivalent fractions?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 30, thirty
Q2.
What is the missing numerator in this pair of equivalent fractions?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 5, five
Q3.
What is the missing numerator in this pair of equivalent fractions?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 1, one, won
Q4.
The same number is the missing numerator in one fraction and the denominator in the other fraction. What is the missing number?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 8, eight, ate
Q5.
Match the pairs of equivalent fractions.
Correct Answer:$${1}\over {7}$$,$${4}\over {28}$$
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$${4}\over {28}$$

Correct Answer:$${1}\over {10}$$,$${4}\over {40}$$
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$${4}\over {40}$$

Correct Answer:$${4}\over {8}$$,$${40}\over {80}$$
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$${40}\over {80}$$

Correct Answer:$${2}\over {6}$$,$${4}\over {12}$$
tick

$${4}\over {12}$$

Q6.
Which of these statements are correct?
$${2}\over{12}$$ > $${1}\over{6}$$
Correct answer: $${6}\over{24}$$ < $${1}\over{2}$$
$${4}\over{12}$$ = $${8}\over{16}$$
Correct answer: $${4}\over{12}$$ = $${8}\over{24}$$

Additional material

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