In 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, fractions dominate much of our instructional time, and it is important that we work to help our students gain a firm grasp on the concepts of fractions. Going deep now will help them down the road as they use fractions in more complicated mathematical situations.
A reminder of the progression of fractions in elementary school by Graham Fletcher allows us to remember how important our models are:
Sometimes I'm afraid that teachers steer clear of fraction exploration because they are uncomfortable with them themselves. Imagine all of the learning that could occur if we went out of our own comfort zone with our students?
I have shared Fraction resources before in this blog. I have also shared an exploration or two. Here are some more resources that might help your students (and you) to make more sense of fractions.
When and when not to give the answer: This Marilyn Burns' post offers an opportunity for your students to build their own understanding of fractions.
Fractions, Decimals, & Percentages: A number talk which begins with fraction addition.
Exploring Fractions: An article from nrich.maths.org which offers links to rich tasks that develop a deep understanding of fractions.
Illustrative Mathematics also has some resources that will help you better understand the horizontal progression of fraction skills.
Maybe you find one or two ideas above to help you stretch during your fractions unit--that's great! Don't try to change everything all at once. As always, let me know if there is something I can do to help!
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