{"id":12675,"date":"2021-01-03T21:15:35","date_gmt":"2021-01-03T21:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theteacherstudio.com\/?p=12675"},"modified":"2021-01-03T21:15:35","modified_gmt":"2021-01-03T21:15:35","slug":"fractions-are-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theteacherstudio.com\/fractions-are-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Fractions are Numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teaching fractions is a challenge for many teachers, and so much of it is because WE didn’t have good fraction instruction!\u00a0 I hope this blog post can give you a few key points to ground your thinking about fractions and the best approaches to take when teaching about these important numbers!\"Fraction<\/a><\/p>\n

Fractions…more than pizza<\/h3>\n

So many textbooks focus on fractions of areas\/regions.\u00a0 Students are asked to divide shapes and shade shapes…but when we focus only on this part of fractions, we do students a huge disservice.\u00a0 When students see “fractions” as the act of dividing a shape, they miss the big idea–that fractions are the numbers that we can use to show numbers between whole numbers.<\/p>\n

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Fractions are numbers.<\/h3>\n

That’s right–fractions are numbers.\u00a0 Fractions are not shading exercises.\u00a0 Fractions are not writing “a number on top of another number”.\u00a0 Students have to be exposed to the fact that fractions help us be precise with amounts.\u00a0 We don’t always have one full inch.\u00a0 We don’t always have one complete pizza.\u00a0 It is critical that we give students a way to represent these “parts” so that we can identify ANY quantity.\u00a0 Try something.\u00a0 Ask your students, “What are fractions?”\u00a0 See what you get.<\/p>\n

\"Fraction<\/a><\/p>\n

Because fractions are, indeed, numbers–we can represent them in different ways.\u00a0 Sure, we can shade in pictures to show fractional amounts.l\u00a0 We can also have students draw their OWN representation of fractional amounts (FAR more powerful).\u00a0 We can also make sure students understand fractional notation so when they write 3\/4 they understand that there is a REASON for the notation.\u00a0 Finally, we can help students build on their understanding of number lines with WHOLE numbers but modeling how we can represent fractions on number lines as well.<\/p>\n

Fractions can be ordered and sequenced<\/h3>\n

\"Comparing<\/a><\/p>\n

Because fractions actually are “real numbers”, we can treat them as such.\u00a0 We can compare them.\u00a0 We can sequence them.\u00a0 With careful thinking and reasoning, we can help students visualize fractions and use their math reasoning.\u00a0 We do NOT need to teach students tricks and rote computation–at least not until we have built their conceptual understanding.<\/p>\n

We can perform “operations” on fractions<\/h3>\n

\"Adding<\/a><\/p>\n

So, if fractions are a part of this world of “real numbers”, then we can treat them as such.\u00a0 We can add them.\u00a0 We can subtract them.\u00a0 If students understand that 5 x 3 is five groups of three, then they can also learn that 5 x 2\/3 is five groups of two-thirds.\u00a0 When we provide only computation rules, we take away the thinking and the sense-making.<\/p>\n

I hope this gives you a little food for thought, and perhaps a centering idea.\u00a0 If we help students recognize that fractions are actually numbers that represent real amounts, we are helping build a foundation for understanding that will take them into their more advanced math work.<\/p>\n

More Fraction Fun!<\/h3>\n

I have so many blog posts that focus on fraction understanding.\u00a0 Just search the sidebar for more!\u00a0 To get you started, here are a few!<\/p>\n