Show the two same-size shaded bars on the IWB (two fifths and three fifths) and give five seconds of quiet think-time before any hands go up. Take two or three hands-up answers, not open call-outs. Don't confirm the rule yet — you only want pupils noticing that same-size pieces mean you can just count the shaded ones.

Same bottom number means same-size pieces, so count the shaded parts, don't measure.

1/4 vs 3/4: start here, easy. 3 shaded beats 1, so 3/4 bigger.

2/5 vs 3/5: take a prediction which reaches further before pointing. Then count: 3/5 beats 2/5.

3/8 vs 7/8: pieces look tiny here, so pupils must trust the count, not the piece size. 7 shaded beats 3, 7/8 bigger and nearly fills the strip.

This round is for talking it through together. The interactive sequences all four pairs on-screen, so no manual reset is needed, call a pupil up to shade both fractions in each pair and have the class read the comparison line aloud before you move on.

Watch for the pupil who thinks a fraction with a bigger bottom number is automatically bigger, head it off by reminding them the bottom numbers are the same in every pair today, so only the shaded count matters. Revoice a strong answer: same fifths, so four shaded beats three shaded.

These are the practice questions — pupils take turns at the board, check each answer, and the class confirms before moving on. Keep the board work brisk rather than over-explaining.

For each challenge a pupil shades both fractions and presses Check, then the class reads the comparison line to say which is bigger. Add the callout same bottom number, so just count the shaded parts. The 3/10 versus 7/10 pair is the key one — the tenths pieces are tiny, so pupils must trust the shaded count rather than the size of one piece.