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Halves and Fourths Worksheets

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Equal shares for 1st grade: equal or not equal, find the halves and fourths, color one half or one fourth, cut shapes into equal parts and share food fairly.

Download the halves and fourths worksheets

Halves and fourths chart

Equal shares

Color and cut

Name, compare and share

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

About these halves and fourths worksheets

First graders cut circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares and name them halves and fourths (or quarters). They learn that a whole is two halves or four fourths, and that cutting a shape into more equal shares makes each share smaller.

The chart shows a whole, halves and fourths of a circle and a rectangle, with the words children need: one half, half of, one fourth, one quarter. Then children decide whether shares are equal, find the shapes cut into halves or fourths, color one half or one fourth, draw lines to cut shapes into equal parts, and name a shaded share.

The last pages connect it all: which share is bigger, a half or a fourth of the same shape, and sharing stories where children cut a pizza, a sandwich, a pie or a cracker so friends get fair shares. Every page with one right answer has an answer key; the drawing keys show examples, since halves and fourths can be cut more than one way.

Standards

  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.3Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares.

How to use them

  1. Fold paper first. Fold a square in half, then in half again, and open it to see four equal parts.
  2. Ask "Are the parts the same size?" before naming them. Unequal parts are not halves or fourths.
  3. Show different ways to cut: a square can be cut into halves straight down, straight across or corner to corner.
  4. Use food at snack time: cut a sandwich into halves, then fourths, and ask which pieces are bigger.
  5. Use the words half of, fourth of and quarter of in sentences: "I ate one fourth of the pizza."

Teaching tips

  • Children often think any shape cut into two parts shows halves. Point to a big part and a small part and ask, "Would that be fair?"
  • Fourths of a circle are made with two lines that cross in the middle.
  • "Fourth" and "quarter" mean the same thing here, like a quarter is one fourth of a dollar.
  • More parts means smaller parts. A half is bigger than a fourth of the same whole, even though 4 is bigger than 2.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What fractions do 1st graders learn?

First graders learn halves and fourths (also called quarters) of circles and rectangles. They learn that the parts must be equal, and that a whole is two halves or four fourths. Fractions with numbers like 1/2 come in 3rd grade.

Is a fourth the same as a quarter?

Yes. One fourth and one quarter both mean one of four equal parts of a whole.

Why is a half bigger than a fourth?

When the same whole is cut into more equal parts, each part is smaller. A pizza cut for 4 friends gives smaller slices than one cut for 2.

Do the halves and fourths worksheets have answer keys?

Yes. Every page with right answers has an answer key on page 2. On the coloring and cutting pages the keys show one example, because any equal parts are right.