To shade a fraction, divide the shape into as many equal parts as the denominator says and shade as many as the numerator says. In 5/8 there are 8 parts and you shade 5. These worksheets also practice the reverse, writing the fraction a drawing shows, with pizzas, bars, grids and sets. To see a fraction drawn first, use the visual fractions tool; the guide to drawing fractions explains when each shape works best.
Printing the worksheets takes no sign-up: pick one from the list above and download it. There are 25 worksheets in 4 levels, and the answer keys come on a separate sheet.
Worked example: shade 3/5 of a bar with 10 parts
The instruction says "shade 3/5" and the bar is already divided into 10 equal parts. How many parts do you shade?
- Read the denominator. The 5 says the whole is split into 5 equal groups.
- Group the parts. With 10 parts, each group has 10 ÷ 5 = 2 parts.
- Read the numerator. The 3 says you take 3 of those groups.
- Shade. 3 groups of 2 parts make 6 parts.
Result: 6 parts out of 10, written 6/10 = 3/5.
Check: 3/5 = 0.6 and 6/10 = 0.6, so the two fractions have the same value.
In this example the bar has more parts than the denominator shows, so you group the parts before shading.
The same fraction in four shapes
A fraction does not depend on the shape. What matters is that the whole is divided into equal parts. Here is the fraction 3/4 in the four shapes used on the worksheets.
| Shape | Total parts | Shaded | How to count the total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circle (pizza) | 4 sectors | 3 | Count the sectors |
| Bar (chocolate) | 4 pieces | 3 | Count the pieces |
| Grid | 12 squares | 9 | Rows × columns |
| Set (fruit) | 8 objects | 6 | Count all the objects |
Although the number of shaded parts is 3, 9 or 6, in all four shapes three out of every four parts are shaded: 9/12 and 6/8 both simplify to 3/4.
How to use the worksheets by level
Some worksheets ask students to shade the fraction and others to write it from the drawing; each has 8 or 12 problems. There are four levels:
- Level 1 (10 worksheets): one shape per worksheet, with pizzas, chocolate bars, grids and sets, for both shading and reading, plus one mixed worksheet of each kind.
- Level 2 (8 worksheets): shading and reading on pizzas, bars and grids, plus one mixed worksheet of each kind.
- Level 3 (5 worksheets): mixed worksheets for shading and for reading, and worksheets on bars and on sets.
- Level 4 (2 worksheets): one mixed worksheet for shading and one for reading.
One possible sequence: shade on pizzas and bars, read on the same shapes, move on to grids and sets, and finish with the mixed-shape worksheets.
Common mistakes when shading and reading
In a grid of 3 rows by 4 columns there are 12 squares, not 3 or 4. In a set, count the unshaded objects too, because the total includes every one of them.
Practice before printing
- A bar of 6 equal parts has 5 shaded. What fraction does it show?
- A set of 10 counters has 4 red ones. What fraction is red? Simplify it.
- A grid of 4 rows by 5 columns has 9 shaded squares. What fraction does it show?
- Shade 7/12 of a grid of 3 rows by 4 columns. How many squares do you shade?
Show the answers
- 5/6
- 4/10 = 2/5
- 9/20, because there are 4 × 5 = 20 squares in total
- 7 squares, out of the 12 in the grid
Fractions greater than 1 and fractions on circles
A fraction greater than 1, such as 5/3, needs more than one shape. Each bar or circle is divided into 3 parts: the first shape is shaded completely and in the second you shade 2, so 5/3 also reads as 1 2/3. You can check it with the visual fractions tool.
On a circle, divide the shape into as many equal sectors as the denominator says. Each sector measures 360° divided by that number: with 3/8, each sector measures 45° and you shade 3, which add up to 135°. Without a protractor, start with halves and quarters and keep splitting; the guide to drawing fractions compares the circle with the bar and the number line.
When a student gets stuck
Before shading, check that the parts are equal: a pizza cut into uneven slices does not show a fraction. If a worksheet is hard, go back to circles of 2 and 4 parts and add parts gradually.
To go further, move on to the number line worksheets or to the fraction of a number worksheets, where 3/4 of 12 = 9. To check answers with automatic feedback, use fraction practice, and to see what is covered in each grade, the 3rd grade fractions worksheets (ages 8-9). For more practice, see all the printable fraction worksheets.