Sharing equally means everyone gets the same. Deal the objects out one at a time: one for each friend, then go round again, until none are left. Then count what one friend has. To make groups, fill one group, then the next, and count the groups. A share is fair when every plate has the same number. If one plate has fewer, count on to see how many more it needs.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Maths you can move
Build 8 + 5
Tap two gold counters to fill the ten-frame.
8 in the frame + 5 waiting. The total stays the same.
Words to know
- share equally
- give out so everyone gets the same number
- fair
- every share is the same
- group
- a set of things kept together, like a bag of 2
Worked examples
Share 6 apples equally between 2 friends. How many each?
- 1.Deal them out: one for the first friend, one for the second, and go round again.
- 2.After 3 rounds no apples are left. Each friend has 1, 2, 3.
- 3.Check: 3 + 3 = 6.
= 3
Put 8 apples into bags of 2. How many bags?
- 1.Fill a bag with 2 apples, then another, until no apples are left.
- 2.Count the bags: 1, 2, 3, 4.
- 3.Check: 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 8.
= 4
Plates have 4, 4 and 2 apples. How many more does the short plate need to be fair?
- 1.Fair means every plate has the same: the others have 4.
- 2.Count on from 2 to 4: 3, 4. That is 2 jumps.
= 2
For parents
Method: Deal out one at a time, then count one share.
What to say: Is it fair? How do you know everyone has the same? Are there any left to give out?
Common mistakes:
- Gives how many there are altogether instead of how many are in one share.
- Mixes up the number of groups with how many are in each group.
- Takes the number of sharers (or the group size) away from the total instead of sharing.
- Stops dealing out before everything is shared, so the answer is one too small.
- Gives how many a fair plate has, instead of how many more the short plate needs.
- Counts what is already on the short plate instead of how many more it needs.
- Thinks a fair share means every plate gets as many as the biggest pile.