Comparing Fractions: Use 1/2

Comparing fractions using benchmarks worksheet that teaches 1/2 as the first tool to reach for, then shows what to do when the benchmark isn't enough. Three student pages move from one fraction versus 1/2, to two fractions on opposite sides of 1/2, to two fractions on the same side that need common denominators.

What's inside (3 student pages + answer key)

• Page 1 – Is it more or less than 1/2? Mark 5/8 and 2/6 on number lines with 1/2 labeled. A Why? scaffold walks through half of the denominator (1/2 = 4/8; is 5 more or less than 4?).
• Page 2 – Compare through 1/2: 3/8 vs 4/6 and 7/10 vs 1/4. Students mark both, write each as more or less than 1/2, then circle < or >.
• Page 3 – Both more than 1/2: 3/4 vs 5/6 and 2/3 vs 3/5. Bars with dashed twelfths and fifteenths let students count same-size pieces and rewrite before comparing.

Standards: CCSS 4.NF.A.2 (compare fractions with different numerators and denominators using a benchmark such as 1/2 or common denominators; comparisons valid only for same-size wholes).

Why teachers love it: The Same-size wholes only! reminder on every comparison, the explicit Both more than 1/2 pivot to a second strategy, and a key that shows the reasoning, not just the answer. Print-and-go.