Are you dreading teaching fractions this year?  Between the pandemic gaps, and rampant math anxiety – I get it!  I feel for teachers and students alike who are intimidated to tackle fractions when other arithmetic basics are already challenging!  But these tips will help even your most struggling learners feel confident and achieve success!

Start with the Basics of Fractions

– When teaching fractions, help students grasp the meaning of the Numerator and Denominator.  I think this is the “make it or break it” concept for fractions – kids who master this have a much better chance to grasp the meaning in this unit.

In the younger grades, make the abstract concrete by using their body as a fraction – touch their head and say “Numerator” – Touch their legs and say “Denominator” We chant when they touch their heads “How many pieces we’re talking about” Touch their legs “How many pieces in a whole”

I used this as the basis for my entire fraction unit.  Most times when a child got confused I would have them touch their head or legs and then it made more sense.

Encourage constant use of correct terminology – do not accept “top number for Numerator or the bottom number for Denominator, – the more they grasp the vocabulary, the less intimidating it will be.

Make Fractions REAL When Teaching Fractions

– With real-life examples, chocolate bars, and manipulatives.

 My FAVORITE is to talk about a candy bar!!

Aren’t we all motivated by a little chocolate? A common misconception about fractions is when it has a larger denominator – students jump to the conclusion that it is a large fraction – make this REAL by talking about candy bars.  Remind what the denominator is – “How many pieces in a whole” I usually ask – if you had 1 piece of a candy bar, would you rather it be cut into 2 equal pieces (1/2), or 100 equal pieces?  (1/100) How big would those pieces be?  Kids quickly understand that the more pieces in a whole (denominator) the tinier the pieces are. 

Include lots of manipulative work – the temptation is to skimp on this because working with manipulatives can be time-consuming – but it is SO necessary to the development of understanding.  Whether it be fraction strips or fraction pieces (pie shaped) let them “See” the fractions they are using. The more students can visualize what the fractions look like the more number sense they develop with fractions. 

I always gave my third graders one session of free play with fraction strips.  After modeling this, I had the students work in pairs to create 10 equality statements with fractions strips.  For example, 2/3 > 2/4.  This experience helps their understanding of how big these fractions really are.

Teach strategies to grasp the size of fractions

My favorites to start with are: 

• Same Numerator Strategy – When the numerators are the same, the fraction with the smaller denominator is bigger (bigger pieces)
• Same Denominator Strategy – When the denominators are the same (same size pieces) the fraction with the larger numerator is larger (more pieces).
• Compare to Benchmark Strategy – Compare to ½.  This is easy to do because if the numerator is more than ½ of the denominator it is bigger than ½.

Practice, practice, practice – BUT make it fun! 

Number sense is developed when students have LOTS of experiences with numbers. Here are my favorite ways to give my students the practice they need without the dread.

• Boom Cards – Digital Task Cards These are great because students have fun online practice WITH immediate feedback, so they don’t practice wrong answers.  Here are some great decks for Fractions

               3^rd  & 4^th grade – Comparing Fractions Boom Cards

               2^nd – 3^rd – Expressing Fractions in Words

               3^rd-4^th – Understanding Fractions

• Classroom Game – To Practice the “Compare to Benchmark” strategy.  Put three signs in different parts of the room.  <1/2   =1/2, >1/2.   Give students a fraction and have them stand under the correct sign.  Call on a student to explain WHY they are standing where they are.

•  Fraction War.  This game will keep them so engaged they won’t realize how much practice they are getting with that skill! The game includes posters for each strategy

Even your struggling math students can grasp fractions by following the above tips! 

Want more help developing number sense in math?

What are you going to try to help your students master fractions?