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Fractions on a Number Line Worksheets

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Number lines in halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths: label the marks, find and mark fractions, jump from 0, and work past 1. With answer keys.

Download the fractions on a number line worksheets

Fractions on a number line chart and labeling

A chart of number lines in halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths, labeling the marks from 0 to 1 and past 1, cutting a 6 inch line into equal parts with a ruler, and blank number lines.

  • Preview of the printable “Fractions on a number line” worksheet: seeing halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths as points on number lines from 0 to 1View larger

    Fractions on a number line

    Seeing halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths as points on number lines from 0 to 1

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    1 page35 KB

  • Preview of the printable “Label the number Line, sheet B” worksheet: writing fractions greater than 1 on number lines from 0 to 2 and 0 to 3View all 2 pages

    Label the number Line, sheet B

    Writing fractions greater than 1 on number lines from 0 to 2 and 0 to 3

    Answer key on page 2

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    2 pages40 KB

  • Preview of the printable “Divide the number line” worksheet: using a ruler to cut 0 to 1 into equal parts and label each mark as a fractionView all 2 pages

    Divide the number line

    Using a ruler to cut 0 to 1 into equal parts and label each mark as a fraction

    Answer key on page 2

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    2 pages35 KB

  • Preview of the printable “Blank fraction number lines” worksheet: blank number lines from 0 to 1 and 0 to 2 marked in halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighthsView larger

    Blank fraction number lines

    Blank number lines from 0 to 1 and 0 to 2 marked in halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    1 page29 KB

Find, mark and jump to fractions

Name the fraction at a point, mark a fraction with a dot, and show a fraction as jumps of a unit fraction from 0.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these fractions on a number line worksheets

On a number line a fraction is a point, just like a whole number. The whole is the distance from 0 to 1. Cut it into 4 equal parts and each part is 1/4 long. Start at 0 and make 3 jumps of 1/4, and you land on 3/4.

These worksheets build that idea step by step: a chart of number lines lined up from halves to eighths, labeling every mark, naming the fraction at a point, marking a fraction yourself and drawing the jumps. Later pages go from 0 to 2 and 0 to 3, so children meet fractions like 5/4 and see that 4/4 sits at the same point as 1.

Every mark is placed by exact measurement, so the parts are truly equal. On Divide the Number Line each line is exactly 6 inches long, and children use a ruler to make halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths. Practice pages have keys on page 2.

Standards

  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.2Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.2.ARepresent a fraction 1/b on a number line diagram by defining the interval from 0 to 1 as the whole and partitioning it into b equal parts. Recognize that each part has size 1/b and that the endpoint of the part based at 0 locates the number 1/b on the number line.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.2.BRepresent a fraction a/b on a number line diagram by marking off a lengths 1/b from 0. Recognize that the resulting interval has size a/b and that its endpoint locates the number a/b on the number line.

How to use them

  1. Hang or hand out the Fractions on a Number Line chart and compare the lines: the more parts, the shorter each part.
  2. Start with Label the Number Line Sheet A (0 to 1). Sheet B goes to 2 and 3.
  3. Use Jump to the Fraction to show that the numerator counts jumps and the denominator names their size.
  4. Divide the Number Line pairs well with a ruler lesson. Print at 100% so the lines are exactly 6 inches.
  5. Keep the blank number lines for warm-ups, comparing and your own problems.

Teaching tips

  • Count the spaces, not the marks. A line cut into fourths has 4 spaces but 5 marks.
  • Point to 0 and 1 first. Many mistakes come from treating the whole line as 1 when it goes to 2.
  • Say each mark aloud: one fourth, two fourths, three fourths, four fourths.
  • Fractions bigger than 1 are fine in 3rd grade. 5/4 is one jump past 1.

Questions teachers and parents ask

How do you put a fraction on a number line?

Cut the space from 0 to 1 into as many equal parts as the denominator. Then start at 0 and count that many parts as the numerator. For 2/3, cut 0 to 1 into 3 equal parts and count 2 of them.

Why is 4/4 the same as 1?

Four jumps of 1/4 from 0 land exactly on 1. On a number line 4/4 and 1 are the same point, so they are the same number.

Are the number lines equally spaced?

Yes. Every mark is placed by exact measurement. On Divide the Number Line the lines are exactly 6 inches long when printed at 100%, so children can measure the parts with a ruler.