Many learners still struggled to appreciate, and understand the difference between, the concepts of fractions and ratio. This is not just a UK phenomenon, which is demonstrated here by the use of a resource developed by the Wisconsin Centre for Education, in association with the Freudenthal Institute of the University of Utrecht, with a group of Year 7 learners in Northern Ireland. The author chronicles student experiences, over a sequence of three lessons, where the teacher uses a strategy inspired by the principles of "Realistic Mathematics Education"--RME. The outcomes, observed in both the classroom and in student work, are used to signpost a case for a more considered approach to the conceptual development of fractions and ratio. (Contains 6 figures.)