What Is a Half?
Recognise, find, and name a half as one of two equal parts of an object, shape, or quantity
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“A half is one of two equal parts. If the parts are not the same size, they are not halves. We can fold a shape into two equal pieces or share a set into two equal groups.”
Bring to the table
- 2 paper rectangles or napkins for folding
- 8 large counters or blocks
- One unequal split example (fold or draw one part clearly larger)
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Sandwich cut into two matching pieces → each piece is a half. 8 blocks shared as 4 and 4 → half of 8 is 4. A big piece and a tiny piece are not halves.
Optional challenge. Find half of 6 and half of 10 with objects, and explain how you know the groups are equal.
What to notice. Save a photo of the folded half and the two groups of 4, or a parent note: “half of 8 = 4; unequal split rejected.”
Share and support
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
A half is one of two equal parts. If the parts are not the same size, they are not halves. We can fold a shape into two equal pieces or share a set into two equal groups.
Spend about 10 minutes folding equal halves, rejecting an unequal split, and sharing 8 objects into two equal groups.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
Which Pictures Represent One Half?
Before you open · source notes
Sort pictures that do and do not show one half of a shape. Emphasise equal parts, not every fraction name.
Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.
Before you openAsk why a shaded picture is or is not one half. Unequal parts are not halves even if two pieces are shown.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-11 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.
Illustrative Mathematics. “Which Pictures Represent One Half?.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — link only
Check understanding
- Fold a shape into two equal parts and identify each as 'a half'
- Find half of 8 objects by sharing into 2 equal groups
- Identify whether a shape has been divided into halves or not (equal vs unequal parts)
“If your child is helping share a sandwich equally between two people, can they cut it so both pieces are the same size — and tell you each piece is called a half?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Fractions
- Age range
- Ages 5–8
Standards