How important is it that our students understand fractions? According to a study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University, it’s super important.
The research team found that fifth graders’ understanding of fractions and division predicted high school students’ knowledge of algebra and overall math achievement, even after statistically controlling for parents’ education and income and for the children’s own age, gender, I.Q., reading comprehension, working memory, and knowledge of whole number addition, subtraction and multiplication.
In other words, they found that it was the single most reliable predictor of success with higher math. Unfortunately, we don’t always do a good job teaching fractions for understanding. It’s a topic that is often “taught” using tricks and memorized procedures. So how can we do better?
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First and foremost, we have to provide students with lots of concrete and pictorial experiences so they can create mental pictures to draw upon when they encounter a fraction. When a student can visualize both one-eighth and one-fourth, it makes comparing fractions a whole lot easier. When the only image students can conjure up is symbols, they often apply faulty whole-number thinking and decide that one-eighth is greater than one-fourth because eight is greater than four.
Oftentimes, the use of manipulatives drops off in 3rd grade. There are a couple of reasons why that happens.
First, there is the misconception that manipulatives are for younger students. That stems from misunderstanding the concrete, representational, abstract (CRA) sequence of instruction. The use of concrete materials is not based on age at all. Students should have concrete experiences whenever they are introduced to new concepts, regardless of age. When students are introduced to foundational fraction concepts, like equivalent fractions in 3rd grade, the bulk of their instruction should be supported with a variety of fraction models—fraction tiles, number lines, fraction circles, etc. When they begin computing with fractions in 4th and 5th grade, they should again be supported with models. It’s even in the standards!
Another reason that upper elementary teachers often give for not using manipulatives is that they face a time constraint teaching their curriculum before state-mandated testing. I get it. But the argument is actually counterproductive. When we skip manipulatives and other visuals during instruction, we often find that students don’t retain what they’re taught. So then we end up spending precious time remediating skills because we rushed to teach them in the first place. When we slow down and give students the concrete experiences they need, it saves time in the long run.
I promised you a free resource, and here it is! Grab this set of visual fraction cards that students can use for multiple games. One game they can play, for example, is Equivalent Fractions Memory. It’s important to have students verbalize their reasoning when playing games like this. As you can see from the cards, players could recognize that the two fractions are equivalent without even considering what the two fractions are! So we want the expectation to be that the player would say, one-fourth is equivalent to two-eighths. If they play this game enough and state the fractions each time, it would be pretty hard to think that one-eighth is greater than one-fourth.
You can download the equivalent fraction cards here. The are part of a larger resource with lots more activities. Check it out here.
Check out this post for an exploration of equivalent fractions. There is a link to download the activity.
Thank you for your freebie! Fractions are coming up soon, and I’ll be adding this to my plans!
Christy
Teaching In Oz
You’re welcome, Christy!
I bought the same clipart but did not do anything with it yet. We are also doing fractions right now, so this is perfect! Thanks for sharing.
That clipart is adorable, right Suzy? Glad the timing worked out for you. 🙂
Great freebie… Thanks! I love the illustration of the little guy holding the pizza.
Thanks, Jami! I’m in awe of clip artists and their talent. 🙂
Perfect timing! My next unit after vacation is fractions, I’m so excited to add this to our math workstations…thanks so much! =)
Vacation?! Ours isn’t until mid-March. Jealous!:)
Thanks for the freebie! We are working our way through fractions right now and anything hands-on works so well for my kiddos! Love…love…love your creations and ideas!
You’re welcome! Glad it will work out for your kiddos. 🙂
Love it!
Patti 🙂
A Series of 3rd Grade Events
Thanks, Patti!! 🙂
Thank you! We start equi. fractions right after break!
Well, that was good timing, right? Hope you are enjoying your break, Elaine! 🙂
Thanks for the great freebie- look forward to using it next year:-)
What a great game! I love the nuts and bolts on the robot’s pizzas!
Couldn’t have seen this at a better time! Plan on starting fractions with my students next week!
Fractions are one of the most challenging aspects of math to understand and teach. I love the tiered model you generated. It allows students to go through the chain of events to grasp the concept of fractions fully. State testing is coming up, and I am becoming stressed about not getting everything in; however, I have been trying to tell myself it will all be fine to keep teaching with manipulatives. Your post reiterated my thinking. I cannot wait to use the resources!
You are exactly right! We often try to rush our instruction and our preparation for state testing. Going slowly and encouraging understanding will work every time! Good luck!