Making a whole | Year 4 Mathematics PDF Download

Making a whole

• Begin by examining a basic shape, such as a circle or a square, like the ones shown opposite.
  
• If we divide these shapes into different parts, we can consider each part as a fraction of the entire shape, and the sum of these parts will equal one whole shape.
  
• The sum of three quarters and one quarter is four quarters, or one whole.
  
• The sum of seven tenths and three tenths is ten tenths, or one whole.

Using number lines to represent wholes

Let's explore how number lines can help us visualize wholes:
We can represent one whole unit on a number line.
We can divide this line to show fractions of the whole where each part represents a fraction, adding up to one whole.
For example, on a number line, 5/8 + 3/8 equals 8/8, which is one whole.
Let's delve deeper into fractions using another number line:
When we add 5/10, 2/10, and 3/10 on the number line, they sum up to 10/10, which equals one whole.

Using hundred squares to represent a whole

In the provided hundred square, imagine shading in eighty-seven out of one hundred squares and then adding thirteen more to make the whole square.
On the number line, the colored bar representing 0.87 and the bar representing 0.13 visually show how they combine to make 1.
0.87 + 0.13 = 1

Partitioning numbers

• Partitioning numbers involves showing how a number can be divided into parts.
• Consider these examples that demonstrate various ways a number can be divided into two or more parts.
• The sum of the individual parts is, of course, the original number you started with!
  

Part - whole models

Another way to represent partitioning a number into different parts is by using a part-whole model, like this:
Part-whole models are useful for showing how a whole can be divided into different parts and that the sum of these parts will equal the whole.
Look at this example to see another way to display information about the parts that make up a whole.