Decompose Fractions

How the lesson starts: Decompose Fractions

Luna's rainbow fence
Hi there! Luna is painting her fence with her friends. The fence has 8 equal boards. Today they painted 5/8 of it together. But who painted which part? Let's break a fraction into smaller pieces!
One board at a time
Each board is 1/8 of the fence. Luna painted 5 boards, one at a time. So 5/8 is 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8. Five of those tiny unit fractions make 5/8!
Two painters
Luna painted 2 boards. Max painted 3 boards. Together that is 5/8. So 5/8 = 2/8 + 3/8. The bottom number stays 8, and the tops add up: 2 + 3 = 5. It's not 2/4 + 3/4, those are different boards!