Where to start?
I always use a number line to get my class thinking about what a fraction is. I draw a HUGE number line on the white board that spans from 0 to 1. I ask my students questions and we have a meaningful discussion like:
1. What numbers go between 0 and 1?
2. Where would 1/2 go on the number line?
3. How many numbers fit between 0 and 1?
Based on how those questions go, I can ask more in-depth questions like:
4. Can you think of a number that goes between 0 and 1/2?
5. Where would a number like 1/10 go?
6. How much is 1/4? (Hint: Remind them to think about how much one-fourth of a dollar is. Usually kids realize it's 25 cents so they know it's less than 1/2)
The next thing I do is pass out construction paper with a circle shape traced on it. I have my students cut out their own pie to use. Instead of giving them pre-made fraction tiles, I have found kids are more successful when they have to manipulate and create the manipulative themselves.
I have kids use rulers to divide their pies into fourths. Next, we divide our fourths in half so we have 8 pieces of the pie total. We cut out the pieces and leave them on our desks. I have them use these
throughout the lesson and they LOVE it!
I'll ask questions like,
- Can you show me 1/8 of the pie? If you have eaten only 1/8, how much is still left?
- What does 3/8 look like? If you add 1/8 onto it, what do you have next?
(Some of your high students may explain that 4/8 = 1/2, which can lead into a nice and organic discussion about equivalent fractions).
I have kids then turn to a partner and ask their partner questions:
- Can you show me 6/8 of the pie?
- If you have 8/8 pie and then take away 3/8, how much is left?
The third thing I do is have kids make a number line on their desks using blue painter's tape. With a Sharpie pen, we mark up 0, 1, and 2 on the number line. Using individual post-it notes, I have kids place where 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 are on the number line. If kids are ready, I might ask them about a mixed number like one and 1/2. But usually, I wait a couple of days for that.
We keep the painter's tape on our desks ALL WEEK! I let kids do gallery walks, partner work, etc, and walk around working with a partner to plot more fractions on their number lines.
At the end of the week, I reference my huge number line on the board. I have kids come up, one by one, with a post-it note. On the post-it is the name of one fraction, such as 9/10. I have the rest of the class watch as their classmate plots the number on the board. If they agree with where he/she puts it on the number line, we give the student a thumbs-up. I do this until every student has come up! I usually do denominators of 2, 4, 8, or 10 to keep it fairly simple. But since you know your class the best, do what you think they need!
:) Thanks for reading my post. Happy fractions to you!
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