Year 5 Fractions & Decimals: Free Resources Aligned to ACARA v9

Under the Australian Curriculum v9.0, Year 5 Mathematics places significant emphasis on fractions and decimals as part of the Number strand. By the end of Year 5, students are expected to confidently work across three key content descriptors:

• AC9M5N03 — Compare and order fractions with the same or related denominators, including locating them on a number line
• AC9M5N04 — Represent, connect and order decimals to thousandths
• AC9M5N05 — Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with the same or related denominators

This is a pivotal year for mathematical understanding. Fractions and decimals are often where students either build lasting confidence or develop misconceptions that follow them into secondary school. The resources below are designed to help you teach these concepts with clarity and variety.

Printable worksheets remain one of the most practical tools for independent practice and formative assessment. Here are some of the best free options:

• Fraction walls and number lines — Print a fraction wall poster for your classroom and give each student a number line template for their maths books. These are essential visual anchors when comparing fractions with related denominators (AC9M5N03).
• Decimal place value charts — Extend the familiar place value chart to tenths, hundredths and thousandths. Students can practise writing, reading and ordering decimals (AC9M5N04).
• Addition and subtraction of fractions — Start with same-denominator problems, then progress to related denominators (e.g. halves and quarters, thirds and sixths). Include visual models alongside abstract problems (AC9M5N05).

Browse all Year 5–6 Maths worksheets →

Digital interactives help students explore fractions and decimals visually, which is especially powerful for learners who struggle with the abstract notation.

• Virtual fraction walls — Let students drag and compare fraction strips side by side. Great for building intuition around equivalent fractions before moving to symbolic comparison.
• Decimal number line tools — Interactive number lines where students zoom between whole numbers to place decimals to thousandths. Builds the connection between fractions and their decimal equivalents.
• Fraction operation games — Gamified practice for adding and subtracting fractions. Look for tools that require students to find common denominators before solving.

Browse all Year 5–6 Maths interactives →

Short, focused videos work well for introducing concepts or revising them before a lesson. Look for Australian-made content where possible — the curriculum alignment is tighter and the language matches what students hear in class.

• Comparing fractions with related denominators — Videos that show visual models (area models, number lines) alongside the symbolic method.
• Decimal place value to thousandths — Animations showing how tenths, hundredths and thousandths relate to each other and to whole numbers.
• Real-world fraction problems — Contextual videos (cooking, measurement, sport) that show fractions in use.

Browse all Year 5–6 Maths videos →

Being aware of common errors helps you anticipate where students will get stuck and plan targeted teaching:

• "Bigger denominator = bigger fraction" — Students often think 1/8 is bigger than 1/4 because 8 is bigger than 4. Use fraction walls to show the inverse relationship between denominator size and fraction size.
• Treating numerator and denominator as separate numbers — When adding 1/3 + 1/4, students may write 2/7. Explicitly teach why you need a common denominator, not just the procedure.
• Decimal place value confusion — Students may think 0.45 is bigger than 0.5 because 45 > 5. Use expanded notation (0.45 = 4 tenths + 5 hundredths) and number lines to address this.
• Difficulty connecting fractions and decimals — Students may not see that 1/2 = 0.5 = 0.50 = 0.500. Practice converting between forms regularly.

Tip: Use "always, sometimes, never" tasks — e.g. "A fraction with a larger denominator is always smaller. Always, sometimes, or never?" These promote reasoning over rote learning.

Use these as formative check-ins aligned to the three content descriptors:

1. (AC9M5N03) Place these fractions on a number line from 0 to 1: 1/4, 2/3, 1/2, 5/6. Which is the largest? Which is closest to 1?
2. (AC9M5N04) Write these decimals in order from smallest to largest: 0.305, 0.35, 0.3, 0.053. Explain how you decided.
3. (AC9M5N05) At a pizza party, Sam ate 2/8 of a pizza and Mia ate 3/8. How much pizza did they eat altogether? Write your answer as a fraction and show it on a diagram.

These questions test both procedural fluency and conceptual understanding — exactly what NAPLAN and classroom assessments look for.

Once your students have a solid grounding in Year 5 fractions and decimals, they'll be ready to tackle:

• Year 6: Multiplication and division of fractions, percentages, and converting between fractions, decimals and percentages
• NAPLAN prep: Fractions and decimals appear heavily in the Year 5 numeracy test — see our post-NAPLAN planning guide

Browse all Year 5–6 Maths resources →