Chapter 5 — Sharing and Measuring

Chapter 5 of the Class 4 Mathematics NCERT textbook (Maths Mela), "Sharing and Measuring", introduces fractions through hands-on stories and activities — sharing a drawing sheet, dividing dhokla among growing groups of guests, and designing dosas with different toppings. Students discover halves, quarters, thirds, fifths, and beyond, and learn that the more people share a whole, the smaller each part becomes. Download the PDF and read a full summary and Q&A below.

• Halves and Quarters Through Paper and Stories — The chapter opens with Ikra and her sister Samina sharing a single drawing sheet. Ikra tricks Samina into thinking two quarters sounds bigger than one half, sparking a discussion about equal parts. Students fold and cut rectangular paper to discover many different ways to make halves (1/2) and quarters (1/4) and verify that one half equals two quarters.
• Fractions as Fair Sharing — The Dhokla Story — Sumedha's mother makes dhokla that must be shared each time a new guest rings the bell. As the group grows from 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 people, the dhokla is divided into halves, thirds, quarters, and fifths. Students observe and shade fraction circles to see that dividing among more people gives each person a smaller slice — a key insight about unit fractions.
• Adding Fractions Through the Flower Garden — Idha plants five types of flowers in equal sections of her garden. When Lily seeds run low, Rose takes two sections (2/5), then three (3/5), then four (4/5), and finally the whole garden (5/5). This garden model introduces the idea of adding unit fractions with the same denominator and reading combined fractions like two-fifths or three-fifths.
• Fractions of a Collection and Fraction Charts — The chapter extends fractions to sets of objects — finding 1/4 of 8 diyas, dividing 12 cookies among different numbers of children, and placing hairbands on 1/3 of a group of friends. A fraction chart showing strips from 1/2 to 1/10 lets students compare unit fractions, verify equivalences (e.g., two 1/6 pieces equal one 1/3), and explore paper-folding patterns like 1/3 = 2/6 = 4/12.

1. 01Half (1/2) means dividing an object into two equal parts; quarter (1/4) means dividing into four equal parts.
2. 02Two quarters of a paper equals one half — students verify this through paper folding.
3. 03As a dhokla is shared among more people (2, 3, 4, 5…), each person's share (unit fraction) gets smaller.
4. 04The chapter uses real-life contexts: drawing sheets, dhokla, dosa toppings, flower gardens, diyas, cookies, and ribbons.
5. 05Fractions of a collection are introduced: for example, 1/4 of 8 diyas = 2 diyas.
6. 06The flower garden activity shows how unit fractions add up: 1/5 + 1/5 = 2/5, and 5/5 = one whole garden.
7. 07A fraction chart (1/2 through 1/10) helps students compare fractions and find equivalences like 2/4 = 1/2.
8. 08Paper-folding experiments show the pattern 1/3 = 2/6, connecting physical folding to fraction symbols.