There were four-twelfths of the cake eaten by the 4th grade girls, while the boys ate three-twelfths of the cake. What fraction of the cake was eaten.

Step 1: Model the problem by drawing a circle. This represents the cake. Draw lines on the circle to show that there are twelve slices. 

Step 2: Shade the part of the circle to show how much the girls. (Shade 4 out of 12) 

Step 3: Shade the part of the circle to show how much cake the boys ate. (Shade 3 out of 12)

Step 4: Count how many slices are shaded. (7 out of 12) 

Quick note: Fractions are written with a numerator and a denominator. The numerator is the part that tells how many we are counting and the denominator tells how many parts there are in total.

Step 5: Write the fraction to represent the total amount of cake that was eaten. Write 7 for the numerator and 12 for the denominator. 

So, 7⁄12 of the cake was eaten.