CurriculumGrade 4Mathematics

Line Plots with Fractions

Aligned to 4.MD.B.4 — Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

What this lesson teaches

A line plot shows measurements as X marks above a number line. When measurements are fractions, the number line is labeled in fractions of a unit. You can read the plot to compare amounts or find totals.

Worked example

Pencils measure 1/4, 2/4, 2/4, and 3/4 inch. Above 2/4 there are two X marks, and above 1/4 and 3/4 there is one X each. To find how much longer the longest is than the shortest: 3/4 - 1/4 = 2/4 inch.

Practice questions

  1. Three ribbons are 1/8, 3/8, and 3/8 inch. Draw a line plot with X marks.
  2. Using those ribbons, how much longer is the longest than the shortest?
  3. Four leaves are 2/4, 2/4, 1/4, and 3/4 inch long. What is the total length of all four?

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

Diagramas de puntos con fracciones

Un diagrama de puntos muestra medidas como marcas X arriba de una recta numerica. Cuando las medidas son fracciones, la recta se rotula en fracciones de una unidad. Puedes leer el diagrama para comparar cantidades o hallar totales.

Ejemplo: Unos lapices miden 1/4, 2/4, 2/4 y 3/4 de pulgada. Arriba de 2/4 hay dos marcas X, y arriba de 1/4 y 3/4 hay una X en cada uno. Para hallar cuanto mas largo es el mas largo que el mas corto: 3/4 - 1/4 = 2/4 de pulgada.

More Measurement & Data lessons

Measurement, Conversion, and Line Plots4.MD.A.1Word Problems with Time, Money, and Measures4.MD.A.2Area and Perimeter of Rectangles4.MD.A.3What Is an Angle?4.MD.C.5Measuring Angles with a Protractor4.MD.C.6Adding and Subtracting Angles4.MD.C.7

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