Curriculum › Math ›Grade 4

Grade 4 Math · Level 4, Measurement, Area, Angles & Symmetry

Fraction Line Plots

How the lesson starts: Fraction Line Plots

1. Seashell treasure

   Coral and Finn found 10 tiny seashells at the beach! They measured each one in inches. Every shell is less than 1 inch long. How can they show all 10 lengths at once? With a line plot!

2. Build the line plot

   A line plot puts one X above the number line for each shell. 1 shell at 1/4 inch. 2 at 3/8. 3 at 1/2. 1 at 5/8. 2 at 3/4. And 1 at 7/8. That's 10 X's for 10 shells! To read a stack, count its X's.

3. Longest minus shortest

   The longest shell is 7/8 inch. The shortest is 1/4 inch, which is the same as 2/8. Now the parts match, so subtract the tops. 7/8 − 2/8 = 5/8. The difference is 5/8 inch!