Task Cards for Composing and Decomposing Fractions

Once your students have an understanding of what a fraction is (a part of a whole), they are ready to move on to composing and decomposing fractions. Here is a simple definition of these concepts to refresh your memory:

• Composing Fractions – Composing a fraction is all about putting a group of smaller fractions together to make a bigger one. For example, one-quarter and two-quarters can be put together to create the fraction three-quarters.
• Decomposing Fractions – Decomposing a fraction is all about breaking a fraction down into a collection of smaller fractions. For example, four-sixths can be broken down into four separate unit fractions of one-sixth.

This set of 24 task cards contains various questions that will allow your students to practice composing and decomposing fractions. These questions are presented in a variety of different ways, such as:

• Bar models
• Fraction circles
• Fraction notation
• Worded questions

The resource download includes:

• Instruction Page
• Task Cards
• Recording Sheet
• Answer Page

We have provided an easy-print PDF or an editable Google Slides version of these composing and decomposing fractions task cards. Answers are also provided in the download to make grading quick and painless!

Differentiate These Composing and Decomposing Fractions Task Cards

Are you looking for ways to ensure that these composing and decomposing task cards are accessible to all of your students, regardless of their math ability? Here are some ideas from our teacher team to help keep all students on track:

• Support less confident students by providing manipulatives such as fraction strips, fraction circles or even physical objects like blocks or counters that represent fractions. Students can use these manipulatives to physically decompose and compose fractions, which can be especially helpful for tactile learners or students who benefit from hands-on experiences.
• Extend more confident students by having them create their own composing and decomposing fractions task cards to swap with a partner. Encourage them to represent their questions in different ways and to provide an answer sheet.

Download to Compose and Decompose Fractions

Use the Download button above to select your chosen file format.

As this resource contains an answer page, we recommend printing one copy of the entire file, removing the answer page, then making further copies if required.

Print the cards on cardstock to increase the durability of the resource. Place the cards together in a large envelope or ziplock bag for safekeeping.

This resource was created by Cassandra Friesen, a teacher in Colorado and a Teach Starter collaborator.

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