Partition Shapes into Halves and Thirds

Today we'll learn how to split shapes into fair, equal pieces called halves and thirds.

Here's a whole chocolate bar. We want to share it fairly with a friend.

Look — we cut it right down the middle into two equal pieces.

Each piece here is called a half. Two halves make one whole.

We say one half for each piece. Both pieces are exactly the same size.

Now here's another whole bar. This time we want to share with two friends — three people in all.

Look — we cut it into three equal pieces.

Each piece here is called a third. Three thirds make one whole.

We say one third for each piece. All three pieces are the same size.

Remember the big rule: every share has to be exactly equal. If they aren't equal, they're not halves or thirds.

Halves are two equal shares. Thirds are three equal shares. Nice work!