fractions

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2003 : March : 4

fractions
By sandyH

I always start by giving them fraction strips and finding as many ways to make 1/2 as possible. Once they see the relationship between 3/6, 4/8, 6/12 etc. they can extend this into finding larger fractions that are equivalent
to 1/2. (I start throwing that term in casually right away.) They love to use big #s and will say things like 500/1000 or 500000/1000000! Then we look at how to make equivalent fractions, I'm really just multiplying by the same # on top and bottom. (Hey! We learned that a fraction with the same # on top and bottom is really equal to 1 whole...and when I multiply anything by 1

whole it's worth the same as when I started, right?) So we're just mult. by 1 that's called something different. The fraction is still worth the same. We prove this by looking at fractions like 2/3 = 4/6. They can lay them right on top of each other to see that they're the same. We do several of these and then move straight into multiplying to find the fractions. I will challenge them to find as many equivalent fractions as poss. for a given fraction in 30 seconds. They always seem to get the idea.