Mathematics · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Introduction to Fractions: Quarters of Quantities

Active learning works well for introducing quarters because young students need to see and feel equal parts before they can name them. Handling real objects lets children test their own ideas, such as whether four piles must be the same size, and builds the language of fair shares naturally through doing, not just listening.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Mathematics - Fractions

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 20 min · Pairs

Pairs: Share the Counters

Give each pair 12 counters and four paper plates. Ask them to deal one counter per plate until none remain, forming four equal groups. Identify one group as a quarter, then discuss and record how many that quarter holds. Pairs repeat with 8 counters.

Explain how to find a quarter of a group of 8 objects.

Facilitation Tip

During Pairs: Share the Counters, circulate and prompt pairs to check each pile matches before declaring it a quarter.

What to look for

Give each student 8 counters. Ask them to draw 4 circles on a piece of paper and share the counters equally into the circles. Then, ask them to circle one group and write how many counters are in that quarter.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Quarter Hunt Stations

Set up three stations with objects: 16 buttons, 20 sticks, 12 blocks. Groups partition each into four equal shares at one station before rotating every 7 minutes. At the end, groups share one quarter example per station with the class.

Compare finding a half with finding a quarter of a quantity.

Facilitation Tip

During Small Groups: Quarter Hunt Stations, provide a checklist so groups record which multiples of 4 they tried and how many objects were in each quarter.

What to look for

Present students with a picture of 4 cookies and a picture of 8 cookies. Ask: 'If you wanted to share these cookies equally with 3 friends, so there are 4 people in total, how many cookies would each person get from the group of 8? How is this different from sharing the group of 4 cookies?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Fruit Fraction Share

Display 8 apples on the board or real fruit. Model dividing into four equal groups. Students chorally predict and confirm quarter size, then draw their own 8-object set quartered. Discuss comparisons to halves.

Predict how many groups you would make if you were finding a quarter.

Facilitation Tip

During Whole Class: Fruit Fraction Share, pause after cutting each fruit to ask the class to predict how many pieces are in one quarter before you count aloud.

What to look for

Hold up a collection of 4 identical objects. Ask students to show with their fingers how many objects would be in one quarter of the collection. Repeat with 12 objects.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 15 min · Individual

Individual: Fold and Shade Quarters

Provide square paper and crayons. Students fold into four equal parts, shade one quarter, and label. Extend by drawing circles or rectangles quartered. Collect to review equal partitioning.

Explain how to find a quarter of a group of 8 objects.

Facilitation Tip

During Individual: Fold and Shade Quarters, ask students to fold twice and unfold so the creases clearly mark four equal parts before shading.

What to look for

Give each student 8 counters. Ask them to draw 4 circles on a piece of paper and share the counters equally into the circles. Then, ask them to circle one group and write how many counters are in that quarter.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with what children already know: halving. Use objects they can split by eye, then introduce quarters as two equal halves of a half. Avoid worksheets early on; concrete handling reduces confusion between the number four and the fraction one quarter. Research shows that children who physically share objects develop stronger mental images of fractions than those who only see pictures on paper.

By the end of these activities you should see students confidently splitting 8 or 12 items into four equal groups, naming each group a quarter, and explaining why two quarters make a half. They should also compare quarter piles with half piles and use the word ‘equal’ when describing fairness.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs: Share the Counters, watch for students who create piles of different sizes because they rush.

  Ask the pair to recount by moving one object at a time until all piles match exactly, then name the matching group a quarter together.

• During Small Groups: Quarter Hunt Stations, watch for the belief that only multiples of 4 can be quartered.

  Redirect the group to try 12 items; after splitting, ask them to explain why 12 works but 5 does not, using the station’s recording sheet.

• During Whole Class: Fruit Fraction Share, watch for students who claim a quarter is the same size as a half.

  Hold up two halves and one quarter cut from the same fruit; ask the class to compare widths and agree that two quarters stacked equal one half.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning