Definition
Fraction model
A picture or object arrangement that shows a fraction’s whole, equal units, and selected units.
What it means
First find the whole. Then check how it is split: regions need equal area, sets need equal groups, and number lines need equal intervals. The denominator tells how many equal units make the whole. The numerator tells how many of those units are being counted.
Remember it
Whole first, equal units next, then count the chosen units.
Example
To model 5/6, draw one strip and split it into six equal sections. Shade five sections. The whole strip is 1, each section is 1/6, and five shaded sections represent 5/6.
Watch for
Four pieces do not automatically make fourths; the pieces must be equal parts of the same whole.
Common mix-up
The denominator counts all equal units in the whole, not only the units that are shaded or selected.
Exact meaning
A fraction model is a diagram or object arrangement that fixes the whole and represents it with equal-area parts, equal-size groups, or equal intervals; the denominator counts the equal units in one whole and the numerator counts the selected units.