Primary 5 Maths: Fraction Word Problems — Tutor Lesson Plan (of a quantity vs of the whole)

2026-10-27

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary maths

Students can compute fractions; they cannot tell “used 1/4” from “used 1/4 of the whole”. This lesson fixes that single distinction.

Objectives — the student can distinguish a stated amount from a fraction of the whole, find the remainder using “the whole is 1”, and solve a two-step problem.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Fraction addition	2/3 − 1/4	5/12
Fraction of a quantity	1/4 of 2/3	1/6
The whole is 1	Used 3/8: what is left?	5/8

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-6 min	Two readings	Same rope, two different questions	Say how the questions differ
6-16 min	Stated amount	2/3 m used 1/4 m	One alone
16-26 min	Fraction of the whole	2/3 m used 1/4 of it	One alone
26-36 min	Two steps	24 sweets, 3/8 eaten, rest shared by 5	One alone
36-42 min	Fix errors	Board answering the amount used	Name what the question asked
42-45 min	Exit check	Three questions marked at once	Finish alone

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Same words, two calculations

A rope 2/3 m long, 1/4 m used: subtract, 2/3 − 1/4 = 5/12 m.
A rope 2/3 m long, 1/4 of it used: multiply, 1/6 used, 1/2 left.

Repeat: with a unit it is subtraction; with “of it” it is multiplication.

Scene 2: Remainder: the whole is 1

Used 3/8 of the whole, so 1 − 3/8 = 5/8 is left.
If the length is known, multiply: 40 × 5/8 = 25 cm.

Student does 40 cm with 3/8 used, 25 cm left.

Scene 3: Two steps: rest first, then share

24 sweets, 3/8 eaten means 9 eaten, 15 left; 15 shared by 5 is 3 each.
Write the remainder as a number before doing the second step.

Warn: keeping the fraction and dividing it by 5 mixes the denominators.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Stated amount	2/3 m, 1/4 m used	2/3 − 1/4	5/12 m
Fraction of whole	2/3 m, 1/4 of it used	1/6 used, 1/2 left	1/2 m
Remainder	40 cm, 3/8 used	40 × (1 − 3/8)	25 cm
Two steps	24 sweets, 3/8 eaten, rest by 5	15 ÷ 5	3 each

Sanity check (teach this): What is left is always smaller than the original; a remainder bigger than the original means multiplication and subtraction were swapped.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
60 cm, 1/3 used: left?	40 cm	Using 1 − 1/3
2/3 m, 1/4 m used: left?	5/12 m	Not treating it as multiplication
30 sweets, 2/5 eaten: left?	18	Working out the amount eaten first

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Two readings confused	2/3 − 1/4 done as 2/3 × 1/4	With a unit, subtract; with “of it”, multiply.
Answering the amount used	gives 1/6 when asked what is left	Subtract from 1 to get the remainder.
Remainder from 1 done wrongly	1 − 3/8 = 5/5	One is 8/8; the denominator does not change.
Second step skipped	stops at 15 sweets	The question asks per person, so divide by 5.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 5 first-term paper — Section E, questions 1 to 3
Primary 5 second-term paper — Section E, questions 4 to 6

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
60 cm, 1/3 used: left?	40 cm	All right: fractions complete
2/3 m, 1/4 m used	5/12 m	One wrong: re-teach the two readings
30 sweets, 2/5 eaten: left?	18	Two wrong: repeat scene 1

09 Tutor FAQ

Should they draw a diagram?

Yes. Marking used and left on a bar stops the two numbers being mixed.

Equation or sentence?

Both: the calculation, then one sentence with the unit.

How does this differ from the operations lesson?

That lesson drills the arithmetic; this one drills reading the question.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.