Cluster 7: Understanding Fractions as Parts of a Whole

Throughout this unit, students develop an understanding that fractions are numbers and represent fractions using area and linear models and with symbolic notation. The study of fractions in third grade begins with learning that unit fractions (fractions with the numerator 1) are formed by partitioning a whole into equal parts. It is important for students to see the unit fraction as the basic building blocks for all fractions. Students begin to understand that just as all whole numbers are made of a specific number of 1s, all fractions are made of a specific number of unit fractions.  (See About this Cluster and the Unpacking Document below for more details on this cluster.)