Academics · Elementary · Grades 2–5

Fractions you can
tap, cut and compare.

Build a fraction by shading a bar, watch it land on the number line, and see the same amount cut into more pieces. Then practice in short rounds with a hint after every miss.

Open the labWhat you get

The fraction lab

Start in the lab, then pick a level and try the sample round in Practice. Everything works with a mouse, a finger or the keyboard.

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What you get

Academics · ElementaryFree

What you finish with
Hands-on practice with fraction bars and number lines, eight-question rounds with hints and a score by skill, a saved list of past rounds, and printable worksheets with answer keys at three levels.
Who it is for
Students in grades 2 to 5 working on fractions, the parents and homeschool families practicing with them, and teachers who want a station activity or a quick worksheet.
Format
Browser lab and practice set. Works on a tablet, phone or computer and from the keyboard. Print a 12-question worksheet with an answer key; save past rounds as a .csv.
Access
Free. No account and no sign-in. Rounds are saved only in this browser; no names are asked for and nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Elementary space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. In the lab, pick how many equal parts, then tap parts to shade them. Watch the fraction, the number line and the same-amount list change.
  2. Type a fraction like 5/8 to see it drawn.
  3. Pick a level and start a round in Practice. After a miss you get a hint and one more try.
  4. Check My rounds to see progress, and print a worksheet for practice away from the screen.

Open the lab

What the levels cover

The usual order fractions are taught in, from first parts of a whole to unlike denominators.

The three levels

  • Grades 2–3: halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths. Shade and name parts of a whole, place fractions on a number line, and compare two fractions with the same top or bottom number.
  • Grade 4: equivalent fractions by multiplying top and bottom by the same number, comparing fractions with different bottom numbers, and adding and subtracting with the same bottom number. Fifths, tenths and twelfths join in.
  • Grade 5: adding and subtracting fractions with different bottom numbers by making equal-size parts first.

How answers are checked

  • Comparisons cross-multiply: a/b is more than c/d when a × d is more than c × b.
  • Sums and differences accept any equal fraction and then show the simplest form, so 4/6 counts for 2/3.
  • Naming a shaded bar asks for the parts in that bar: 2/4 is the answer for a bar in fourths, even though 1/2 is the same amount, and the hint says so.
  • The score is the first-try score; a question answered after a hint counts as practice, not a miss hidden away.

Sources

  1. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Number and Operations—Fractions, grades 3 (3.NF.1 to 3.NF.3, denominators 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8), 4 (4.NF.1 to 4.NF.3) and 5 (5.NF.1), corestandards.org: the order of the levels.
  2. Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse practice guide Developing Effective Fractions Instruction for Kindergarten Through 8th Grade (NCEE 2010-4039): number lines and area models as central representations.

A practice tool, not a test. Scores show first-try answers in one round and are not grade-level measures. Questions are generated by the page, not taken from any published test or curriculum. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.