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Year 6 Addition and subtraction of fractions worksheet

“Simplest form fractions” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 6 maths unit “Addition and subtraction of fractions”, for children aged 10 to 11, 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. Weeks 21 to 22 of the year, 10 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Simplest form fractions

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 6 · Maths · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can explain how to write a fraction in its simplest form.

A Look back3 min

  1. 1.

    Which number is a factor of 12? Circle one.

    5479
  2. 2.

    1/2 = /4

  3. 3.

    3 × 8 =

B Watch me, then you4 min

Simplify 6/8. Both numbers are even, so one number divides into both.

Watch me

6 and 8 can both be divided by 2.

6 ÷ 2 = 3 and 8 ÷ 2 = 4, so 6/8 = 3/4.

3 and 4 share no factor except 1, so 3/4 is in simplest form.

Now you
  1. 1.

    Which fraction is 8/10 in its simplest form?

    4/51/28/104/10

C Your turn6 min

  1. 1.

    Which fraction is 6/12 in its simplest form?

    1/21/61/126/12
  2. 2.

    Which fraction is 8/12 in its simplest form?

    2/31/38/121/4
  3. 3.

    Which fraction is 4/12 in its simplest form?

    1/31/44/121/12
  4. 4.

    Which fraction is 10/12 in its simplest form?

    5/61/210/125/12

Say it out loud: The bottom number stayed at 12. What did you divide both numbers by each time, and how did you know?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Kit says: “The simplest form of 9/12 has 1 on top, so it is 1/4.”
  1. 1.

    Kit is wrong. Which fraction is 9/12 in simplest form?

    3/41/49/121/3

E Think deeper4 min

  1. 1.

    Each numerator from 1 to 12 is written over 12. Which numerators give a fraction in simplest form? Write them all.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet
StudyDen · Year 6 · Maths · Addition and subtraction of fractionsAnswers are on the grown-up page

For the grown-up

Simplest form fractions · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. 4 If your child picks 5, ask whether 5 groups fit into 12 with none left over. It does not, so 5 is not a factor of 12.

2. 2 If your child changes only the bottom number, the amount changes. Split each half into two quarters and count the shaded quarters.

3. 24 If your child gets 11, they have added 3 and 8. Count the three rows of eight to find the total.

B

1. 4/5 If your child picks 4/10, the top was divided by 2 but the bottom was not. Divide both numbers by the same number, 2, and then check again.

C

1. 1/2 If your child picks 1/6, they divided the top by 6 but the bottom by 2. Divide both numbers by 6.

2. 2/3 If your child picks 8/12, the fraction has not been simplified yet. Look for a number that divides into both 8 and 12, such as 4.

3. 1/3 If your child picks 1/4, the top was divided by 4 but the bottom was divided by 3. Divide both numbers by 4.

4. 5/6 If your child picks 5/12, the top was divided by 2 but the bottom was not. Divide both numbers by 2.

D

1. 3/4 If your child picks 1/4, they made the top number 1. That changes the amount. Nine twelfths is three quarters, so divide both numbers by 3.

E

1. 1, 5, 7, 11 If your child includes 9, ask which number divides into both 9 and 12. It is 3, so 9/12 can be simplified.

Words to use

Say“Find one number that divides into both the top and the bottom, then divide both by it.”
Instead of“Tell them the top number must always be 1.”

After the sheet

Lay 12 buttons in four rows of three. Cover 9 with coins and count the rows covered to see 9/12 is 3/4.

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

9 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

  1. Simplest form with the HCF(with a plan)
  2. Simplifying after adding(with a plan)
  3. Adding fractions with pictures(with a plan)
  4. Adding related unit fractions(with a plan)
  5. Making fractions match(with a plan)
  6. Related fractions at work(with a plan)
  7. Matching the bottom numbers(with a plan)
  8. Bridging a whole with fractions(with a plan)
  9. Fractions with different bottoms(with a plan)

Every Year 6 maths worksheet

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