Lesson 7.

2
Name
Write Fractions as Sums Numbers and Operations—
Essential Question How can you write a fraction as a sum of fractions Fractions—4.NF.B.3b
with the same denominators? MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES
MP2, MP4, MP8

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the Problem
Problem
Emilio cut a sandwich into 8 equal pieces and ate 1 piece. He
has 8_7 of the sandwich left. Emilio put each remaining piece on
a snack plate. How many snack plates did he use? What part
of the sandwich did he put on each plate?

Each piece of the sandwich is 8_1 of the whole. 8_1 is called

a unit fraction because it tells the part of the whole that
1 piece represents. A unit fraction always has a
numerator of 1.

Example 1 Write 7_8 as a sum of unit fractions.

7=_+_+_+_+_+_+_
_
8

The number of addends represents the number of plates used.

The unit fractions represent the part of the sandwich on each plate.

So, Emilio used _ plates. He put _ of a sandwich on each plate.

1. What if Emilio ate 3 pieces of the sandwich instead of 1 piece?

How many snack plates would he need? What part of the
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sandwich would be on each plate? Explain.

Chapter 7 391
 Example 2 Write a fraction as a sum.
Kevin and Isabel are going to share a whole pizza. The pizza is cut
into 6 equal slices. They will put the slices on two separate dishes.
What part of the whole pizza could be on each dish?

Shade the models to show three different ways Kevin and Isabel
could share the pizza. Write an equation for each model.

Think: 6_6 = 1 whole pizza.

= +

= +
_ _

= +

= _ + _

= +

Math MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES 8

= _ + _ Talk
Use Repeated Reasoning
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If there were 8 dishes,

could 1_6 of the whole pizza
2. What if 3 friends share the pizza and they put the pizza slices be on each dish? Explain.
on three separate dishes? What part of the pizza could be on
each dish? Write equations to support your answer.

392
 Name

MATH
M
Share
Share and
and Show
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Sh BOARD
B

1. Write 4_3 as a sum of unit fractions.

3=
__ + +
4 _ _ _
Write the fraction as a sum of unit fractions.
2. 3.
1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
6 6 6 6 6 6 3 3 3

5=
_ 2=
_
6 ___ 3 ___

Math MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES 2

Talk
Use Reasoning How is
the numerator in 5_6 related
On to the number of addends
On Your
Your Own
Own in the sum of its unit
fractions?
Write the fraction as a sum of unit fractions.
4=
4. ___ 5. 6
__ =
12 ____ 8 ____

Write the fraction as a sum of fractions three different ways.

8
6. __ 7. _6
10 6
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MATHEMATICAL
8. PRACTICE Compare Representations How many different ways can you
3
write a fraction that has a numerator of 2 as a sum of fractions? Explain.

Chapter 7 • Lesson 2 393

 MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES ANALYZE
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Problem

9. SMARTER Holly’s garden is divided into

5 equal sections. She will fence the garden into
3 areas by grouping some equal sections together.
What part of the garden could each fenced area be?
a. What information do you need to use?

b. How can writing an equation help you solve the problem?

c. How can drawing a model help you write an equation?

d. Show how you can solve the problem. e. Complete the sentence.
WRITE M
t Show Your Work
Math
The garden can be fenced into _,

_, and _ parts or _,
_, and _ parts.

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10. DEEPER Leena walked 2_3 of a mile. What 11. SMARTER Ellie’s mom sells toys. She
is 2_3 written as a sum of unit fractions with a sold __
7 __
7
10 of the toys. Select a way 10 can be
denominator of 9? written as a sum of fractions. Mark all that
apply.

A 4 + __
__ 1 + __
1 + __
1
10 10 10 10
B __ 3 + __
4 + __ 1 + __
1 + __
1
10 10 10 10 10
C 1 + __
__ 3 + __
2 + __ 1
10 10 10 10
394
 Practice and Homework
Name
Lesson 7.2
Write Fractions as Sums
COMMON CORE STANDARD—4.NF.B.3b
Build fractions from unit fractions by applying
and extending previous understandings of
Write the fraction as a sum of unit fractions. operations on whole numbers.

1 1 + __
__ + __ 1 + __
1
4
__ 5
1. = _____ 5 5 5 3 = _____
2. __
5 8
Think: Add 5_1 four times.

6 = _____
3. ___ 4 = _____
4. __
12 4

_____

Write the fraction as a sum of fractions three different ways.

7
5. ___ 6
6. __
10 6

Problem
Problem Solving
Solving
7. Petra is asked to color 6_6 of her grid. She must 8. WRITE Math Write __
9 as a sum of unit
12
use 3 colors: blue, red, and pink. There must fractions.
be more blue sections than red sections or
pink sections. What are the different ways
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Petra can color the sections of her grid and

follow all the rules?

Chapter 7 395
Lesson Check (4.NF.B.3b)
1. Jorge wants to write 4_5 as a sum of unit 2. What fraction is equivalent to the
fractions. What should he write? expression 4_8 + 2_8 + 1_8 ?

Spiral Review (4.OA.A.3, 4.OA.B.4, 4.NBT.B.6, 4.NF.B.3a)

3. An apple is cut into 6 equal slices. Nancy 4. Which of these numbers is a prime number:
eats 2 of the slices. What fraction of the 1, 11, 21, 51?
apple is left?

5. A teacher has a bag of 100 unit cubes. She 6. Jessie sorted the coins in her bank. She
gives an equal number of cubes to each of made 7 stacks of 6 dimes and 8 stacks
the 7 groups in her class. She gives each of 5 nickels. She then found 1 dime and
group as many cubes as she can. How many 1 nickel. How many dimes and nickels does © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
unit cubes are left over? Jessie have in all?

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