Fraction Strips and Models Maker

About this tool

Fraction strips are strips of paper cut into equal parts. Lined up one above the other, they show things that are hard to see in numbers alone: that 1/2 is the same length as 2/4 and 3/6, that 1/3 is longer than 1/5, and that 3/4 plus 1/4 fills a whole strip exactly.

This maker prints the classic chart with a whole, halves, thirds and so on, in any combination you choose. Leave the pieces labeled, or print them blank for students to label. You can also switch on alignment lines that run down the page, so students can see which pieces match.

The worksheet types turn the same idea into practice. Students shade a given fraction, name a shaded one, find an equivalent fraction, compare two fractions drawn to the same length, or add and subtract fractions with bar models. Every answer is calculated exactly, so the key can be trusted.

How to use it

1. Choose Fraction strip chart for a classroom reference or a hands-on cutting activity. Pick which strips to include.
2. For practice, choose a worksheet type and a difficulty. Easier add and subtract sheets use like denominators. Harder ones use unlike denominators such as 1/3 and 1/4.
3. Press New worksheet for a fresh set, then Print or save as PDF.
4. On screen, click or tap pieces to shade them. Students can use this on a tablet before printing anything.
5. Use Show answer key to see the shaded answers. Subtraction and addition keys show the common denominator step.

Why strips help with equivalent fractions

When students shade 1/2 on a strip and then look at the strip split into eighths, they can count that 4 of the 8 pieces line up. That is 4/8, and it covers exactly the same length. The picture makes it clear that the amount did not change. Only the size of the pieces did.

The same lined-up view shows why unlike denominators need a common denominator. Thirds and fourths do not line up with each other, but both line up with twelfths.