Fractions

Fractions

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about adding and subtracting fractions.
Questions/instructions

What is the answer to the following fraction number sentences?

Write your answers after each number sentence. 
 
1.
   
1414 + 1414 = 
 
    
2.   
 
2323 + 1313 = 
 
    
3.   
 
1212 + 1212 + 1212 = 
 
    
4.   
 
31313 + 21313 = 
 
    
5.   
 
3434 – 1414 = 
 
    
6.   
 
1212 – 1414 = 
 
    
7.   
 
6 – 1212 = 
 
    
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper.
Copyright: 
NEMP
Level:
2
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Number and Algebra, Number Strategies
Keywords: 
nemp, addition, subtraction, fractions
Description of task: 
For this NEMP task students use addition and subtraction operations in calculations involving fractions.
Answers/responses: 
Year 4 Y4 (10/2001)
  1. 1/2
  2. 1
  3. 11/2
  4. 52/3
  5. 1/2
  6. 1/4
  7. 51/2
 24%
7%
19%
11%
5%
13%
17%
Diagnostic and formative information: 
Commentary
The percentage 5 recorded here are for getting the correct answer reduced to the simpliest form (eg. 1/2 rather than 2/4).
A few of the success rates would have been almost doubled if unsimplified correct answers had been included, but no more than 62 percent would have succeeded with any of the tasks.