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We are going to be finishing up our Fraction unit! My kids have been having a blast with this one! You can read about the beginning of our unit here.
After we got back from spring break, we got into the knitty gritty of fractions! We sped through number lines! The kids loved them!
I took the approach of giving students number line problems before I actually taught them about fractions on a number line. Students used what they knew to problem solve. They LOVE this kind of learning. My math coach introduced this way of teaching to me, and I don't know if I can ever go back. You basically flip your instruction. Give the kids a task, don't teach them and then teach them what they need to know. It's great for assessment and differentiation. Plus, it saves a lot of time!
Here are some student work samples from the problems they were given. The kids did two problem prompts a day with a partner. They problem solved together .... that means discussion about meaningful math topics! Then, as a class we went over what they found. This is where I address any misconceptions. I also did some direct teaching here if it was needed.
You can really see the progression in learning through their problem solving books. It's really cool!
Lately, we've been working on equivalent fractions, and my personal favorite... comparing fractions! ;-P
When I introduced equivalent fractions, I took a similar approach. The kids came to the carpet with their white boards, and I just had the question and four fractions are the top. I asked the kids to try to solve the first one. (we did go over what equivalent meant).
They were cute when trying to solve for an equivalent fraction.
They looked at me like I had lost my head. I had them work on 2/3 for about 2-3 minutes. Some students go it, and some were just plain lost. I modeled the first one. Then, as we went onto each fraction I helped them along less and less.
After our lovely whiteboard lesson, we played some equivalent bingo! The cards I used to call out for kids to find their bingo can be found here.
Now, we are playing games to work on equivalent fractions, and comparing fractions. We are using fraction strips to get better. I am pulling groups of 5 to complete activity sheets, and provide support to students who really need it.
We've been up to a lot more lately, and I'm backed up on blog posts for you... but, we'll get there!! ;)
Have a fantastic week!!
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