Year 5 Proper fractions times whole numbers worksheet

“Fractions in word problems” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 5 maths unit “Proper fractions times whole numbers”, for children aged 9 to 10, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Week 25 of the year, 1 sheet in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Fractions in word problems

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 5 · Maths · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can solve word problems with a fraction times a whole number, then check if the answer is more or less than one.

A Look back3 min

1.
1/5 + 1/5 + 1/5 =
2.
2 × 3/10 =
3.
3 × 2/3 =

B Watch me, then you4 min

Ella cuts ribbon into fifths. Each gift bag needs 2/5 of a metre. She ties 4 bags. How much ribbon does she use?

A roll of ribbon beside four small gift bags on a wooden table

Watch me

Each bag uses 2/5 of a metre, so 4 bags use 4 lots of 2/5.

4 × 2 = 8, and the bottom number stays 5.

8/5 is more than one whole: 1 and 3/5 metres.

Now you

1.
Jamal runs 3/4 of a kilometre each day. How far does he run in 2 days?

C Your turn6 min

Sam bakes 3 cakes each time. Write each answer, then say if it is more or less than 1 kg.

1.
One cake needs 1/8 of a kilogram of butter. How much butter do 3 cakes need? kg
2.
One cake needs 2/8 of a kilogram of butter. How much butter do 3 cakes need? kg
3.
One cake needs 3/8 of a kilogram of butter. How much butter do 3 cakes need? kg
4.
One cake needs 4/8 of a kilogram of butter. How much butter do 3 cakes need? kg

Say it out loud: What changed in each row, and what stayed the same? What happened to the answer?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Ren says: “4 × 1/5 is bigger than 3 × 1/2, because 4 is bigger than 3.”

1.
Which is bigger, 4 × 1/5 or 3 × 1/2? Circle one.
4 × 1/53 × 1/2

E Think deeper4 min

1.
Which whole numbers from 1 to 10 can you multiply by 2/5 to make more than one whole? Write them all.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Fractions in word problems · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. 3/5 = 0.6

2. 6/10 = 0.6

3. 2

B

1. 6/4 = 1.5 If your child writes 0.75, they doubled the bottom number too, so 6/8 came out. Keep the 4 the same and double only the 3, giving 6/4.

C

1. 3/8 = 0.375

2. 6/8 = 0.75

3. 9/8 = 1.125

4. 12/8 = 1.5

D

1. 3 × 1/2 Ren judged by the bigger whole number. Check the top numbers: 4 × 1 is 4 fifths, which is less than one whole, but 3 × 1 is 3 halves, which is more than one whole.

E

1. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Explain to your grown-up how you know. If your child stops early, ask what 3 × 2/5 makes. Is 6 fifths more than 5 fifths, which is one whole?

Words to use

Say“Which number is the whole number, and which is the top number of the fraction? Is the answer more or less than one whole?”

Instead of“Multiply the bottom number too.”

After the sheet

Cut a strip of paper into 4 equal bits and shade 3 of them. Copy the strip twice, then count the shaded bits in total.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

This unit is a single sheet, so the whole unit is free. The other 184 sheets in Year 5 maths come with a StudyDen plan.

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