Why do our students struggle to understand fractions? A big part of the problem is that fractions are incredibly abstract. If I were to ask you, Which is greater, 1/8 or 1/4? you would likely have an image in your head corresponding to those fractions. Unfortunately,...
Worksheets have long been a staple in mathematics classrooms. But should they be? Read on to explore how teaching math without worksheets can lead to more engaging and meaningful lessons and actually reduce your prep time. This post contains affiliate links, which...
Recently, I published a series of posts describing the various strategies students can use for comparing fractions. While creating a common denominator is one of the strategies, it is often not necessary. For example, consider this pair of fractions: Do you really...
“Learning to compare and order fractions is important to developing an understanding of fractions.” Marilyn Burns (About Teaching Mathematics, 2015, p 430) “Helping students develop their ‘fraction sense’ is extremely important before...
“Understanding why a fraction is close to 0, 1/2, or 1 is a good beginning for fraction number sense. It begins to focus on the size of fractions in an important yet simple manner.” (Van de Walle/ Lovin, 2006) In this series of blog posts, I am exploring 5...
