Objectives
Students should understand that a proper fraction is a fraction whose numerator is less than the denominator and that an improper fraction is any fraction whose numerator is equal to or greater than the denominator.
Vocabulary
improper fraction
proper fraction
mixed number
An improper fraction can be converted to the sum of a whole number and a fraction less than one. Converting a mixed number to a fraction can be thought of as fraction addition.
Lead students in a discussion about the relationship between the numerator and the denominator in an improper fraction.
Order the following from smallest to largest.
Answer: Thinking in mixed numbers is easier than fractions.
Division of a whole number by a smaller whole number results in an improper fraction that can be written as a mixed number.
Have students work together to predict how the improper fraction will be expressed as a mixed number.
