Pizza Party: Exploring Halves and Fourths!

Math Grades 1st Grade 3:16 Video
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Lesson Description

Let's learn about sharing pizza and other shapes equally by cutting them into halves and fourths! We'll discover what it means to have half of something and a quarter of something.

Video Resource

Understanding Halves and Fourths - 1st Grade Math (1.GA.3)

Boddle Learning

Duration: 3:16
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Halves: Dividing something into two equal parts.
  • Fourths (or Quarters): Dividing something into four equal parts.
  • Equal Shares: Each part must be the same size.

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to identify shapes divided into halves and fourths.
  • Students will be able to divide simple shapes into halves and fourths.
  • Students will be able to use the terms 'halves,' 'fourths,' and 'quarters' to describe equal shares.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students if they have ever shared a snack with a friend or family member. Discuss how they made sure each person got a fair share. Introduce the idea of dividing things equally.
  • Video Time! (5 mins)
    Watch the 'Understanding Halves and Fourths - 1st Grade Math (1.GA.3)' video by Boddle Learning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFJLxia1kGE). Tell students to pay attention to how Sarah divides the pizzas and what the words 'halves' and 'fourths' mean.
  • Discussion and Practice (10 mins)
    After the video, review the concepts of halves and fourths. Use real-life examples like a sandwich, a cookie, or a piece of paper. Have students practice dividing these objects (or drawings of them) into halves and fourths.
  • Shape Sorting Game (10 mins)
    Prepare cut-out shapes (circles, squares, rectangles) that are either undivided, divided into halves, divided into fourths, or divided into unequal parts. Have students sort the shapes into categories: 'Halves,' 'Fourths,' and 'Not Equal Parts.'
  • Creative Partitioning (10 mins)
    Provide students with blank paper and crayons. Ask them to draw their favorite food (e.g., pizza, cake, pie) and then divide it into halves or fourths. Have them label each section with the correct term (half or fourth).

Interactive Exercises

  • Worksheet Activity
    Provide a worksheet with pictures of various shapes. Students will color half of some shapes and a quarter of others. They will also circle the shapes that are correctly divided into halves or fourths.

Discussion Questions

  • What does it mean for something to be divided into halves?
  • What does it mean for something to be divided into fourths (or quarters)?
  • Can you think of other times when we need to divide things equally?

Skills Developed

  • Understanding fractions
  • Visual discrimination
  • Problem-solving

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

If you cut a cookie into two equal pieces, what are those pieces called?

Correct Answer: Halves

Question 2:

Which shape is divided into fourths?

Correct Answer: A rectangle with 4 equal parts

Question 3:

What is another name for fourths?

Correct Answer: Quarters

Question 4:

If you have half of a pizza, how many equal pieces do you have?

Correct Answer: Two

Question 5:

Which of these is NOT divided into equal parts?

Correct Answer: A candy bar broken unevenly

Question 6:

If you have a quarter of a cake, how many pieces are there?

Correct Answer: Four

Question 7:

What do we call 2 equal parts of a shape?

Correct Answer: Halves

Question 8:

How many quarters make a whole circle?

Correct Answer: Four

Question 9:

Which shape has 4 equal pieces?

Correct Answer: Quarter

Question 10:

If you share a pizza with 3 friends and each person gets a quarter, how many people are eating pizza?

Correct Answer: Four

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

When we cut something into two equal parts, we call each part a ________.

Correct Answer: half

Question 2:

A shape divided into ________ has four equal parts.

Correct Answer: fourths

Question 3:

Another name for fourths is ________.

Correct Answer: quarters

Question 4:

Two ________ make a whole.

Correct Answer: halves

Question 5:

Four ________ make a whole.

Correct Answer: quarters

Question 6:

If I eat half of my sandwich, there is one ________ left.

Correct Answer: half

Question 7:

To have fourths, all the parts must be ________.

Correct Answer: equal

Question 8:

A pizza cut into quarters has ________ pieces.

Correct Answer: four

Question 9:

If you have one quarter of a cake, you have one of ________ equal pieces.

Correct Answer: four

Question 10:

Cutting something into halves and fourths is a way to ________.

Correct Answer: share

Educational Standards

CCSS.Math.Content.1.G.A.3:Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares.

Teaching Materials

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