Fractions; The Other Half (part 2)

This week in class we continued our discussion on fractions. With last week's intro to fractions, we continued to develop multiple perspectives of how we see fractions.



Racing With Fractions!

One of the opening activities reinforced the idea that others may look at a fraction and see it differently.  Several volunteers were asked to go up to the front of the classroom and play a game of Red Light/ Green Light, which set the stage for the introductory activity. After a few minutes of students being sent back to the beginning of the race, we were asked to go back to our seats. A slide similar to this picture was shown to us.
Although the actual race results were not similar to the results we were shown, we began to think of the race in fractions. Henna finished one quarter of the race while Christian finished three quarters of the race. We were told to think of these fractions as the amount of race that the student finished. We were then asked to place them in order of race finished. With the understanding of fractions I gained from last week's class, I wasn't surprised to see the different ways that my peers had answered the question. I tried to visualize the fractions and place the racers along a line. I noticed other students were doing the same, while some were converting the fractions into percentages and listing the racers according to their percentage. This activity was fun and engaging as it got students out of their seats for some friendly competition and allowed us to approach the question using our own methods.

Dividing Fractions - Old vs. New


When I was learning the concept of dividing fractions, I was told to use a specific formula. I would start by flipping the second fraction. I would then change the division sign to a multiplication sign and multiply across the formula. The answer I got was right, but I completely avoided the concept of division and was confused as to why I got the right answer. The way I learned how to divide fractions in class is clear and makes more sense to me. Instead of flipping the second fraction and replacing the division sign with a multiplication sign, I just divided through. I get the same answer, which is the right answer, and I use less steps to get there. With this new understanding, I can divide fractions without getting lost. I will certainly not continue to teach the "cross-multiplication" approach and ensure that every student is exposed to this way of approaching division with fractions.


Mr. Tan's Tangram


One activity that I was familiar with was Mr. Tan's Tangram. Each student was given a set of seven shapes and was told the story of Mr Tan. With the mixture of shapes, we were told that it was possible to make a square. I personally struggled to find a way to make a square, even though I had come really close on a few tries. After being shown the solution, I saw that I was really close to finding the answer. I liked this activity as I got to explore the way shapes fit together and come up with different layouts, even though I could not find the answer. This activity was brought up in the fractions lesson because it deals with ratios and fractions. The large triangles are equivalent to one quarter of the square each. Each of the smaller shapes can be placed within on of these triangles and be given a fraction corresponding to it value within the whole square. This activity is a great hands-on activity and allows students to learn by themselves not only how to make a square with the tangram shapes, but also grapple with the topic of fractions and how each of these shapes work within the whole square.

Fractions In Everyday Life

Students are taught about fractions within a short period of time. There is not a lot of focus within this topic of math, even though it is extremely important. I was taught to use a formula, as I discussed earlier, so I could quickly arrive at an answer without actually understanding the process. Fractions play an important role in the world and in many day to day activities. Whether you are baking, paying taxes, or building a house, fractions encompass our lives in many different forms. Without learning how fractions work, we miss out on an opportunity to learn and knowing how to perform day-to-day tasks.

Teaching Fractions

The way I will teach students fractions will be a lot different from the way I was taught. Much like the way I am learning about fractions now, I will use games and classroom activities to engage students with the material and concepts. Tug Team Fractions is a fun game that students can play to learn about comparing fractions. I would use this game along with the Race Activity we worked on at the beginning of class to teach students how fractions relate to one another and how you can compare them. As I continue this course, I am relearning essential math skills and learning how I could approach teaching these concepts through a fun and engaging way.