A key part of fraction work in Year 3 is for children to understand that a fraction is a part of a whole. The terms denominator and numerator are used extensively, with the denominator showing how many equal parts the whole has been divided into. The numerator tells us how many of those parts we have.

We have just published 4 new step-by-step tutorials for Year 3, covering the following topics:

• Compare and order fractions of a whole one: Fractions are compared; to begin with this is just comparisons of unit fractions (where the numerator, or top number is 1). A rule is established that, when the numerators are the same, the larger the denominator, the smaller the fraction.

• Adding fractions: At first fractions are only added if the denominators are the same.

• Subtracting fractions: Similarly with subtraction, at first only fractions with the same denominators are subtracted from each other.

• Equivalent fractions: A guide explaining what equivalent fractions are, such as one-half, two-quarters and four-eighths all being equivalent.