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=Teaching About Fraction Concepts=

** Step 1: Pre-assessment **

Use this assessment of basic fraction concepts or something like it to find out what students know and what they still need to learn: [|Basic Fraction Concepts.doc]

** Step 2: Specify the concepts and procedures **

__ Concepts: __
 * 1)  Representing two or more fractions using equal-sized wholes (various models: bar, circle/pizza, area/brownie)
 * 2)  Comparing fractions with different denominators; using approximation to anchor values to judge whether a sum or difference of fractions is reasonable (e.g. 3/5 is greater than 1/2 or 11/12 is almost 1)
 * 3)  Representing fractions on number lines
 * 4)  Converting among mixed numbers and improper fractions
 * 5)  Working with simple proportions, including comparing fractions (parts of a set) when the sets are different size (like in the M&M’s problems)

__ Procedures: __
 * 1)  Scaling up or down to find equivalent fractions
 * 2)  Problem solving with multistep problems or problems with several lines of “story.”

__ Basic skills: __
 * 1)  Skip counting or knowing multiplication facts to find multiples (for finding common denominators)
 * 2)  Knowing division facts (fact families) or divisibility rules to find factors (for simplifying fractions)

** Step 3: Brainstorm activities **

Activities should focus on real life problems that require the use of fractions. Students should measure with rulers and measuring tapes to promote the transfer to the number line and with measuring cups to get a 3-dimensional sense of the size of fractions (that 1/2 is larger than 1/3). An illustration: [|measuring around the room.doc]

** Step 4: Structure the activities to promote thinking, reasoning, visualization, problem solving and seeing connections **
 * Overview of the key goals of all mathematics learning: Components of mathematical proficiency
 * [|Standards for Mathematical Practice.doc], from the Common Core State Standards

** Step 5: Structure the lesson to provide opportunities for student thinking, writing, discussing; guided practice with feedback; clear modeling of procedures and thought processes **

Some activities from the NCTM Illuminations website: Fraction Models - show models of fractions, mixed numbers, decimals and percents Equivalent Fractions - nice representations of circle and bar fractions showing equivalent fractions Fraction Game (also called Fraction Tracks) - moving along number lines using equivalent fractions