Texas TEKS4th GradeMath

4.3E— Adding and Subtracting Fractions on a Number Line

Number and operations · b.3: Number and operations. The student applies mathematical process standards to represent and generate fractions to solve problems. The student is expected to:

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The lesson, the visual models, and 5 practice problems with space to work.

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What this standard means: In this lesson, your child will learn how to add and subtract fractions that have the same denominator by using a number line. They will look at how a fraction number line is divided into equal parts, and how the denominator shows how many equal intervals make one whole. Your child will practice starting at a fraction point and moving forward to add or backward to subtract. They will notice that the numerator changes when they move, but the denominator stays the same because the size of each part does not change. By following examples on the number line, they will represent and solve fraction problems in a clear, visual way.

What the standard says, word for word · §111.6.b.3.E

represent and solve addition and subtraction of fractions with equal denominators using objects and pictorial models that build to the number line and properties of operations
Read it at the source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)
You are here · Grade 44.3E Adding and Subtracting Fractions on a Number Line
Leads to · Grade 5 →§111.7.b.3.H Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators

What’s inside

What you get, and who it’s for

Everything below is measured from the actual lesson and the actual file. Nothing here is an estimate.

Time to run
About 22 minutes. 7 min lesson, then 15 min of practice.
In the download
6 printable pages: the full lesson, the worked examples, the visual models, and 5 practice problems with space to work. An educator answer key is included at the end, so the student pages come first and it is still ready to hand out. The lesson’s worked examples do show their solutions, because that is how they teach.
Question set
The download carries all 5 questions. The page shows 5 of them as a sample.
Question format
Every question is numeric answer. Students show their work on the page.
Assumed before this

Students who are shaky on these will struggle with 4.3E. Worth a quick check first.

  • b.1.A(4th Grade) Students should already be able to identify the denominator and numerator in a fraction and understand that the denominator shows how many equal parts make one whole. They should also be able to locate simple unit fractions and other fractions with equal denominators on a number line.
Dates
Published September 11, 2026. Not revised since.

The sample intervention

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A real intervention, not a generic worksheet.

4.3E

Soccer Fraction Moves

Represent and solve addition and subtraction of fractions with equal denominators by making forward and backward moves on a number line.

Read the passages and examples below to learn about adding and subtracting fractions with equal denominators. Follow each number-line move and notice which number stays the same.

Soccer ball
A fraction number line from 0 to 1 has equal intervals. The denominator tells how many equal intervals make one whole. The numerator tells how many intervals to count from 0. For example, 3/6 is three sixth-size intervals from 0.
When fractions have equal denominators, their intervals have the same size. Add by moving forward, or subtract by moving backward. Combine or remove the amounts shown by the numerators, but keep the denominator because the interval size does not change. Changing the denominator would create a different number line with different intervals.
Worked exampleNumber-line foundation: Divide the distance from 0 to 1 into 6 equal intervals: 0 — 1/6 — 2/6 — 3/6 — 4/6 — 5/6 — 1. The point 3/6 is three intervals from 0. The denominator remains 6 because the number line is divided into sixths.
Fraction bars

1/6, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6

Worked exampleSoccer number-line model: For 3/10 + 4/10, start at 0, move forward 3 tenths, and then move forward 4 more tenths. The endpoint is 7/10, so 3/10 + 4/10 = 7/10, not 7/20. Twentieths would require 20 equal intervals. For 9/10 − 2/10, start at 9/10 and move backward 2 tenths. The endpoint is 7/10, so 9/10 − 2/10 = 7/10.
Tenths number line

Start at 0, move forward 3 tenths to 3/10, then 4 more tenths to land on 7/10.

Fifths number line

Fifths number line from 0 to 2. Moves can pass 1: five fifths make one whole.

Practice questions

  1. 1

    A soccer field is represented by a number line from 0 to 1 with four equal intervals. Starting at 0, move forward one interval. What fraction of the field is reached?

  2. 2

    A soccer field is represented by a number line from 0 to 1 with fifth-size intervals. Move forward 2/5, then move forward 2/5 more. What fraction of the field is reached?

  3. 3

    A soccer drill covers 2/8 of the field, then covers 3/8 more. What fraction of the field is covered in all?

  4. 4

    A soccer field is represented by a number line from 0 to 1 with tenth-size intervals. Start at 8/10 and move backward 5/10. What fraction of the field is reached?

  5. 5

    A soccer player runs 3/5 of a lap, then runs 4/5 more. How many laps in all? Write your answer as a fraction or mixed number.

Part of the question set is shown. Generate the whole intervention, freshly themed and with an answer key, for your own class in the product.

Watch for this

Common mistakes

Denominator Changes When the Numerators Change

A common mistake is to add or subtract the denominators, or to change the denominator because the number line move is different. On this skill, the denominator stays the same because each fraction uses the same size intervals, so students should combine only the numerators when moving forward or backward on the number line.

Vocabulary

Key terms

denominator
The denominator tells how many equal intervals make one whole.
numerator
The numerator tells how many intervals to count from 0.
equal denominators
Fractions with equal denominators have intervals that are the same size.
number line
A number line shows equal intervals from 0 to 1 and helps you count forward or backward.

In the classroom

How to use this intervention

Use this worksheet after a brief whole-class review of fraction number lines, then let students work independently for about 15 minutes to show what they know. If some students need more support, pull a small group to model the forward and backward moves on the number line before they begin.

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Questions educators ask

Educator FAQ

What grade is this worksheet for?

This worksheet is for Grade 4.

Which TEKS standard does this worksheet align to?

It aligns to TEKS §111.6.b.3.E.

Is an answer key included?

No answer key is included in the lesson context provided.