3.NF.A.2

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Pitfalls to avoid when teaching 3.NF.A.2

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3.NF.A.2 is focused on students continuing to formalize their understanding of fractions as numbers by representing fractions on a number line.

They partition the number line into equal parts and use their knowledge of unit fractions to locate and represent fractions on a number line.

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Number lines support students in making sense of fractions by providing a visual representation. This visual helps them see the relationship between fractions and whole numbers which helps with understanding the value or size the fraction represents.

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Number lines support students in making sense of fractions by providing a visual representation. This visual helps them see the relationship between fractions and whole numbers which helps with understanding the value or size the fraction represents.

Representing fractions on a number line becomes relevant in real-world situations, such as measurement.

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Along with understanding this, students must be able to represent where a fraction is located on a number line.

Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram.

Since this is the first time students are experiencing a number line with numbers other than whole numbers, it is important that they make sense (understand) that a fraction represents a number and that number can be represented on a number lin

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Click on the numbers below.

Unpack the standard

3.NF.A.1

2.MD.D.9

2.MD.B.6

3.NF.A.1 Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.

2.MD.D.9 Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the same object. Show the measurements by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in whole-number units.

Represent whole numbers as lengths from 0 on a number line diagram with equally spaced points corresponding to the numbers 0, 1, 2, ..., and represent whole-number sums and differences within 100 on a number line diagram.

2.MD.B.6

3.NF.A.2 Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram.

Connections to Prior Learning

Click on the yellow index cards below to learn about how these standards connect to 3.NF.A.2.

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One pitfall is not spending enough time helping students understand the importance of equal parts when partitioning a number line. Notice that the tick marks are not equally spaced.

Avoid this pitfall!

One pitfall is not spending enough time helping students understand the importance of equal parts when partitioning a number line. Avoid this pitfall by connecting students’ learning from partitioning with paper and tape diagrams to their work with a number line. It may also be helpful to provide graph paper to help with making the mark equidistant.

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Avoid this pitfall!

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