Lesson 12 Ways to Compare Fractions

Warm-up Estimation Exploration: What’s That Point?

What is the value represented by the point on the number line?

Make an estimate that is:

too low	about right	too high

Here are 25 fractions in a table.

For each question, be prepared to explain your reasoning.

Here is the same table you saw earlier.

Which fractions are less than $\frac{1}{2}$ ? Circle each one of them. Then, complete this sentence:

I know a fraction is less than $\frac{1}{2}$ when …
Which are greater than $\frac{1}{2}$ but less than 1? Circle each of them with a pencil of a different color (or draw a triangle around each one). Then, complete this sentence:

I know a fraction is greater than $\frac{1}{2}$ but less than 1 when …
Circle the remaining fractions with a pencil of a third color (or draw a square around each one). How would you describe the size of these fractions?
Next to the table, create a legend or key to show what each color (or each shape) represents.
Here are some pairs of fractions from the table. In each pair, which fraction is greater?
1. $\frac{2}{5}$ or $\frac{7}{10}$
2. $\frac{4}{10}$ or $\frac{7}{12}$
3. $\frac{11}{100}$ or $\frac{4}{3}$
4. $\frac{24}{10}$ or $\frac{11}{12}$

For each pair of fractions, decide which fraction is greater. Explain or show your reasoning.