1
Whole and half
Learner’s Book 1: Unit 11, pp. 156–159
GoalSay that a half is one of 2 equal parts of a whole, and that 2 halves make a whole.
New words
whole · all of something, not cuthalf · one of 2 equal parts of a wholeequal · exactly the same size
Explanation
A whole is all of something, like one whole apple. Fold or cut it so the 2 parts match exactly. Then each part is called a half. We can write a half with numbers like this: 1/2. Two halves put together make the whole again. We meet halves every day: half a pear, half a bottle of milk, half a loaf of bread. We also say half past when the long hand of a clock points to 6.
Worked examples
Cut an apple into 2 equal parts. Each part is 1/2 of the apple, like the circle in the picture above.
Two halves make one whole. 1/2 and 1/2 together make a whole apple.
Half past 9 is when the long hand points to 6 and the short hand is between 9 and 10.
Class activity
Paper folding: fold a paper square so the edges meet exactly, then cut along the fold. Put the two parts on top of each other. Do they match? Each part is a half. Try with a paper circle and a paper rectangle too.
Practice
1
What fraction of this bar is coloured?
1/2 (a half)
2
A cake is cut in half. How many equal parts are there?
2
3
Two halves of a pizza are put back together. What do they make?
One whole pizza.
4
At half past 7, which number does the long hand point to?
6