Fractions--Again

Hershey Bar 

I have been teaching a GED class at a crisis pregnancy center.  One of our students was an honor student in high school who dropped out of school her senior year to care for her grandmother who is blind along with many more health issues.  This girl took the practice test and blew the socks off of every test except Math, which she failed.  While analyzing her test, I discovered that she had missed every fraction questions on the test.  When I questioned her, she said, "I don't get fractions--at all."  I told her to come prepared to work on fractions at the next class.  What am I going to do?

I am going to buy a large Hershey bar which she will break apart and discover how many pieces are in the whole.  Then we can add and subtract the segments to demonstrate that we are still working with a part of the whole. 

Whole oranges are also a great tool to use.  Try not to use anything that you have to cut because it is too difficult to cut each piece the same size.

I hope this helps.  Thanks for stopping by.

Fractions

One of the scariest things you can hit a kid with--as well as a large number of adults--is fractions.  Almost nobody likes fractions.  I once knew a carpenter who hated fractions, so when he told his helper a measurement, he said, "22 inches and 2 marks."  I have a friend who is an LVN and refused to try for her RN because she would have to use fractions in dispensing medication.

Take the fear out of fractions for your child by using objects familiar to him or her.  First teach your child the definition of 'fraction'. A fraction represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts.  

Order a pizza, allowing your child to determine the number of pieces.  When you open the pizza, insist that your child count the pieces before any are removed from the box.  Then teach that each piece is one of eight (or however many) pieces. Two pieces are two of eight pieces.  Separate the pieces as you teach.  After your child is comfortable with this concept, you can move into the concept of 4/8 is the same as 1/2.  Tread carefully here.  This is likely to start the tears flowing.  Be sure that your child can literally see that 4/8 looks just like 1/2.

A chocolate bar is a wonderful way to teach fractions.  Remember the first rule is 'no eating until the lesson is learned.'  Use the same methods as with the pizza.

 

An orange is a  useful teaching tool.  Peel the orange and separate into sections.  Have the child count the sections.  Again use the same methods as the pizza.  With an orange have the child 'put it back together' in his hand to see that each fraction is needed to make a whole.