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Fractions · Grade 4

Subtracting Fractions Worksheets With Like Denominators

Subtract the number of parts, not the size of each part. Work with proper fractions that share a denominator; each difference is nonnegative and may be zero.

12 problemsAnswer key includedFree printableA4 & US Letter
Generate & printSee the worked example

The pieces get fewer, but their size stays the same

Amelia divides a paper strip into eight equal sections. Five sections are shaded. She covers two of the shaded sections and wants to describe the shading she can still see. There are three shaded sections left, and each is still one eighth of the original strip.

Three green parts remain. Two yellow parts marked × are removed.

5/8 − 2/8 = 3/8

The numerator tells how many parts are being counted. The denominator tells how many equal parts make one whole. Removing two eighths changes the count from five to three. It does not cut the original strip into a different number of sections.

Keep the same whole in view

Both fractions must describe pieces of the same-sized whole. An eighth of a large sheet is not the same size as an eighth of a small sheet. Use one strip for the first example, or draw identical strips with equal-sized sections.

  1. Check that the denominators match.
  2. Subtract the numerators: 5 − 2 = 3.
  3. Keep 8 as the denominator because the parts are still eighths.
  4. Decide whether the resulting fraction can be simplified.
If the child subtracts both denominators: ask what one piece is called before and after removing the shading. It is an eighth both times. Writing a denominator of 0 would no longer describe the eight equal parts of the strip.

Why might the answer key show a different denominator?

For 6/8 − 2/8, the subtraction gives 4/8. Four eighths cover the same amount as one half, so the simplified answer is 1/2. The denominator changes during simplification because the amount is being renamed, not because the denominators were subtracted.

A child who writes 4/8 has found the correct amount. If the instruction asks for simplest form, help them take the extra step: divide both 4 and 8 by the same factor, 4. Do not call the subtraction itself wrong.

When all the shaded parts are removed

In 3/8 − 3/8, no shaded parts remain. The difference is 0/8, which equals 0. The answer key may show simply 0. This set includes nonnegative differences of proper fractions with matching denominators; mixed numbers and unlike denominators belong to other skills.

Make a practice set

Choose what to print. Selecting both shows the answer key on screen and prints the questions followed by the answers.

Print materials

After the practice

Ask the child to check a difference by adding back the fraction that was removed. For example, 3/8 + 2/8 should return 5/8. When a written answer differs from the key, check equivalence before treating it as a mistake.

More about fractions · Grade 4 worksheets

Grade 4 selected skill connection: 4.NF.B.3a. See the Common Core grade guidance. This worksheet does not cover every requirement in the standard.