Ribbons and Beads: Taking Parts at the Craft Fair

Split an amount into equal parts, then take some of the parts.

Parts of a group

Split each amount into equal groups. Then take some of the groups.

Maya has 42 beads. She uses 5/6 of them on a necklace.

Split the 42 beads into equal groups.
Each group has beads.
Maya uses 5 of the groups, so 5/6 × 42 = beads.

The bar shows 18 stickers split into equal groups. The shaded groups are gold stickers.

Each group has stickers.
What fraction of the stickers are gold?
How many stickers are gold? stickers

A small spool holds 12 feet of yarn. A big spool holds 5/4 as much yarn as the small spool, which is 5/4 × 12 feet.

Split 12 feet into equal parts. Each part is feet.
The big spool holds 5 of those parts: 5/4 × 12 = feet.

A pack has 24 beads. Match each friend to the number of beads they use. One number is not used.

Parts of a length

Cut each ribbon into equal pieces in your head or on paper. Write fractions or mixed numbers.

Lily has 5 yards of ribbon. She uses 3/4 of it for bows. Here are two ways to think about 3/4 × 5.

Way 1: Split the 5 yards into 4 equal parts. Each part is yards. Lily uses 3 parts, which is yards.
Way 2: Take 3 fourths of a yard from each of the 5 yards. That makes fourths of a yard in all.

Theo has 3/5 yard of green ribbon. He cuts it into 3 equal pieces and uses 2 of the pieces on a gift.

Each piece is yard.
Theo uses 2/3 × 3/5 = yard.

The bar shows 1 yard. Rosa has the shaded part, which is 1/2 yard of lace. She cuts her lace into 4 equal pieces and uses 3 of the pieces on a pillow.

Each piece is 1/4 of 1/2 yard, which is yard.
Rosa uses 3/4 × 1/2 = yard.

Each card shows how much of a 1-yard ribbon a student uses. Find each product. Then sort the cards.

Models and stories

Think about what each number in a fraction product means.

Dev says that to find 2/3 × 6, you split 6 into 2 equal parts and take 3 of the parts. What mistake did Dev make?

A. He should add 2/3 and 6 instead of multiplying.B. He mixed up the numbers. The 3 tells how many equal parts to make, and the 2 tells how many parts to take.C. He should split 2/3 into 6 equal parts.D. He made no mistake. His way finds 2/3 × 6.

10.

A roll of tape is 9 feet long. Paolo splits the roll into 4 equal pieces and uses 3 of the pieces on a poster. Write a multiplication equation for the tape he uses, and solve it.

× 9 = feet

11.

Write a craft fair story for 3/4 × 2/3. Draw or describe a model. Then solve it.