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5th grade · Math · Unit 10 of 12

Multiply & Divide Fractions

Fractions times and shared

What your child practices

Multiplying a fraction by a whole number or a fraction, dividing a unit fraction by a whole number (and the other way round), and seeing a fraction as sharing.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 5.3.5.14; 5.3.5.15; 5.3.5.16 · multiplying fractions and whole numbers, and dividing by unit fractions

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. To multiply fractions, multiply the tops and multiply the bottoms.
  2. A fraction is a division: 3/4 means 3 ÷ 4.
  3. Dividing by a unit fraction asks how many of it fit.

Example: What is 2/3 × 3/5? Tops: 2 × 3 = 6. Bottoms: 3 × 5 = 15. 6/15 = 2/5. Answer: 2/5

Multiply & Divide Fractions in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 10 of 12 in 5th grade Math, after Coordinate Grid and before Unlike Denominators.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Without multiplying: is 3/2 × 24 more or less than 24?

    • More than 24
    • Equal to 24
    • Less than 24

  2. Question 2

    What is 1/5 × 20?

    1/5 × 20 = ?

    • 20
    • 1
    • 4
    • 7
    • 5

  3. Question 3

    3 pizzas are shared equally by 8 friends. How much does each friend get?

    • 2 2/3 each
    • 3/8 each
    • 1/8 each
    • 3/11 each

  4. Question 4

    What is 1/6 × 1/2?

    1/6 × 1/2 = ?

    • 1/4
    • 1/3
    • 1/12
    • 1/8

  5. Question 5

    What is 1/2 ÷ 4?

    1/2 ÷ 4 = ?

    • 1/6
    • 1/8
    • 1/2
    • 2

  6. Question 6

    What is 6 ÷ 1/6?

    • 36
    • 34
    • 6
    • 12

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