3 Dot Nf Dot 3 More Ideas From Vdw

Ideas Inspired by Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics

Different Fillers (K-3, p.269) Using circular pie pieces, prepare a worksheet with two or at most three outlines of different fractions. Do not limit yourself to unit fractions. For example, you might draw an outline for 2/3, 1/2, and 3/4. The students' task is to use their own fraction pieces to find as many single-fraction names for the region as possible. After completing the three examples, have students write about the ideas or patterns they may have noticed in finding the names. Follow the activity with a class discussion.

Dot Paper Equivalencies (K-3, p.269) Create a worksheet using a portion of a rectangular dot grid paper. (These can be found in the Blackline Masters.) On the grid, draw a rectangle and designate it as one whole. Lightly shade a fractional part of the region within the whole. The task is to use different parts of the whole determined by the grid to find names for the part. Students should draw a picture of the unit fractional part that they use for each fraction name. The larger the size of the whole, the more names the activity will generate.

Group the Counters, Find the Names (K-3, p.270) Have students set out a specific number of counters in two colors - for example, 24 counters, 16 of them red and 8 yellow. The 24 make up the whole. The task is to group the counters into different fractional parts of the whole and use the parts to create fraction names for the red and the yellow counters. You might want to suggest arrays or allow students to arrange them in any way they wish. Students should record their different groupings and explain how they found the fraction names.

Missing-Number Equivalencies (K-3, p.271) Give students an equation expressing an equivalence between two fractions but with one of the numbers missing. Here are four different examples:

2/3 = 6/?
8/12 = ?/3
9/12 = 3/?

The missing number can be either a numerator or a denominator. Furthermore, the missing number can either be larger or smaller than the corresponding part of the equivalent fraction. (All four of these possibilities are represented in the examples.) The task is to find the missing number and to explain your solution.