Interactive Fraction Wall
Fractions · Year 2–Year 6
Shade parts to compare fractions and find equivalents.
About the fraction wall
Every row is exactly the same width, which is what makes a fraction wall work: line up two quarters against one half and they match, because they are the same length on the board.
Tap parts to shade them, or drag along a row to shade several. The total is worked out as an exact fraction in lowest terms, so shading a half and a quarter reads as three quarters rather than 0.75.
Choose how many rows you want. Halves to sixths is plenty for Year 2 and 3; go to twelfths when you are comparing fractions with different denominators, since twelve is where thirds, quarters and sixths all meet.
The labels can be turned off to turn the wall into a blank comparison strip, which is useful once children can name the parts themselves.
How to use it on your whiteboard
- 1Tap a part to shade it, and tap it again to clear it.
- 2Drag along a row to shade several parts at once.
- 3Read the total underneath, shown as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 4Choose how many rows with the presets, up to twelfths.
- 5Turn the labels off for a blank wall.
Questions
- Does it add the fractions I shade?
- Yes, exactly. Shading a half and a quarter shows three quarters, worked out over a common denominator rather than in decimals.
- Can I show equivalent fractions?
- Yes. Shade one half, then shade two quarters underneath it, and the two runs line up exactly because the rows are the same width.
- Which denominators are there?
- One to six, plus eighths, tenths and twelfths. Twelve is the useful one for comparing thirds, quarters and sixths.