For this activity you will need some sheets of paper and a pen or pencil. Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half from left to right. Make a firm crease. Now unfold it. You've divided the sheet of paper into two parts. Now fold it back along the same crease. Fold it again, this time from top to bottom. Now unfold it. Now there are four parts. You have one whole sheet of paper divided into four parts. How could we write this as a fraction?
We have one whole made up of four parts. Because the whole is divided by four, we know that the denominator is 4. And because it takes four parts to make the whole, we know that the top number of the fraction is 4. So what is our fraction? As the number line below tells us, the fraction is 
. Can you fill in the rest of the number line?
Now, what if you fold the paper once more? When you unfold it, you get eight parts. How would you write this as a fraction? First, find your denominator. How would you fill out the number line below? What would be the correct fraction for each whole number?
Now try folding the paper again. How many parts do you get? Make a number line that shows what you have.
Ready to move on to the next lesson?
Placing Fractions on Number Lines
