Fly on the Wall Fractions Blog Hop

I am blog hopping with a group to help squash some misconceptions about fractions. 

For me personally as an elementary teacher, when I taught fractions, I tended to say, "You can not have an improper fraction" "You ALWAYS have to simplify it". That just isn't true. I just wanted them to simplify. What I didn't realize I was doing was teaching them  to think improper fractions are "bad". 

Well, now that I am teaching upper grades, I have realized that is just wrong to teach, and I wasn't the only one because my sixth graders would come to me and when we used improper fractions they would say, "Improper fractions are bad, you can't have that, you have to change it." 

Well, not exactly! Improper fractions are actually helpful for mathematics purposes. 

Students should know how to change improper fractions to mixed numbers and mixed numbers to improper fractions. 

This is how we teach that: 

When is it helpful to use improper fractions? 

For my students adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions!!! They are given a mixed number and they change it to an improper fraction to complete the equation! 

In real life though, I don't say, I ate 9/4 of a pizza. I would say, "I ate 2 1/4 pieces of pizza." In that scenario a mixed number would make sense. 

I think my lesson learned here was to NOT teach students that improper fractions are "bad". They are NOT, they are useful actually. 

Next stop:  love2learn2day 

Throwback Thursday- Fractions, Decimals and Percents Game

I'm linking with Angela over at The Teacher's Desk 6 for Throwback Thursday. 

I went back to a center I created with water bottle lids. I love it and my kids loved it too. Its easy to make and its easy to replace lost pieces as well.

originally posted 7/24/2012

Many months ago, I saw this on Pinterest.

activitymom.blogspot.com

At the time I was thinking of ways to help my own son who was in Kindergarten learn his sight words. So, I started saving bottle caps.

I needed a way to save a lot and as luck would have it, my school was doing some testing and we gave our kids water bottles. I sent a mass email and asked the teachers to have their students save their lids for me and I ended up with hundreds of them.

 I didn't need that many, but being the teacher that I am, I can't throw them away. I am sure they will come in handy at some point. 

I did write my son's sight words on some and he played with them a few times. It was helpful.

So, here I am just sitting and surfing the web, stalking blogs and game sites and it hits me. I can use those for a matching game.

So, here's what I came up with: 

Put a Lid on It!

Students will match the fraction, decimal and percent

My plan is to use this as a center. This is a big goal for me this year in Middle School, more hands on centers/stations.

Download the activity here.

ENJOY!

Incorporating the Olympics- Middle School Math Freebie

Not sure why I never posted this before, but its great for a Friday Freebie!



While watching the Olympics this summer, I was working on school stuff. I kept thinking, there is so much math involved in the Olympics, what I can do to include it in my lessons?
First, I found Sparkle Box from someones blog. Was it you? If so, THANK YOU.

I found my Olympic Data from this awesome website. London 2012

Since we start teaching fractions, I started with that concept and ran with it. I will be honest, it is a larger project than I intended for it to be. My team has decided to do each page as a weekly center and then being it all together afterward and analyze the data with graphs. I will let you know how that goes.

Click on the picture to download. I hope you can use it somehow.

Easy Math Stations from a Boring Worksheet

Saw this on I Speak Math and holy moly, she wasn't kidding, it was so easy to make!!!
 These were her stations.

I had this boring worksheet to the left.

I cut the questions apart, copied them on brightly colored paper, created an answer key and seriously, within 20 minutes I had a cooperative group/stations activity.

I didn't have the stand up holders yet. So I slid them into protective sleeves and they were ready. I love bright colors!

Today I used it and the students absolutely loved not having a worksheet to do and they didn't have to listen to my voice the whole class period droning on and on...

I swear these pictures are not staged. Do you see how intently they appear to be working? Well, THEY ARE!!!! I was so proud of them.

To end class, I asked them to tell me what they liked and didn't like about this activity. It was their exit ticket. I gave them the option to add their name or not. I told them I needed the reason why they liked or didn't like the activity. I loved reading the responses.

I have over a hundred, but let me share a few with you:

• like the groups, didn't like the problems
• I liked that I understood all the problems I didn't like that no one listened when I was right (I have a grouping issue here)
• I liked to not do a worksheet what I didn't like was we didn't do a lot of easy questions
• I liked the questions I didn't like that it was hard
• I liked everything about this except my partners (I had several comments like this, good to know for next time)
• I like that we didn't have worksheets. I didn't like that we couldn't use pictures (we have moved to symbolic, maybe next time they can still use them if they need to, why not?)
• I like how it was like a game but we learned. I don't like how (name) was acting and trying to boss (lol, too many chiefs in that group)
• I didn't like the page because it was too hard for me. I did like that you put us in a table (they normally sit in twos)
• I like + I hate -  (lol subtracting fractions is hard, I know)
• I liked everything, dislike nothing
• I like groups, but too many boys (lol, I agree!)

My favorite: me gusto todao el travago del dia de hoy
I have two students who are brand new to America, they speak ZERO English. I speak ZERO Spanish, unless queso and guacamole count. But of course, I could read this and knew he liked what we did in class!!!! I may need to frame that one!

I have so many. The consensus is they like groups, but the problems are hard. Yes, I know that. That is the point. They needed practice. Plus, they did the back side of it for homework. They did tell me they disliked that part. yea, I figured that. 

I also had a few that really struggled and they told me so on the post it. They wrote their name too. Thank goodness. So, tomorrow I plan to pull them aside and work with them in a small group.

Today was a really good teaching day. I am having more and more of those this year and it is such a good thing for me. I can't believe I actually look forward to teaching 6th graders. Math can be fun, my students are proof.

Thanks to Julie for helping me make something boring and hard, more fun for them. Still hard, but I think they learned a lot from it as well.

Center Activity: Fractions and Decimals on a Number Line

Made another center for our first unit on converting fractions.

Students will match the fraction with the decimal, meaning they will have to calculate.

Then they will put it on the number line.

After I laminate the sentence strips, I will add the Velcro dots. I have four sets and matched the sentence strip color and the cards for organization purposes.

Download the activity cards here.

Download the recording sheet here.

Fractions & Favorite Back to School Activity

To avoid two posts in one day, I am combining Friday Freebie and My Favorite Back to School Activity


Fun in First is having a link party for your Favorite Back to School Activity.

Mine is a revamped one I did last year. I can't wait to do the "upgraded" version with my students.

Math About Me Silhouette

I want my students to represent numbers in various ways. We include equations, numbers words, fractions, decimals, etc...

I share mine with the students so they can learn personal facts about me and they will create one as well so I can learn about them. This year I plan to create a bulletin board outside my classroom with them.


                                                     

I am working on our math centers and updating some things we did last year. Here's one set for Adding and Subtracting Fractions with like and unlike denominators.

Addition and Fraction center activity

Hope this is useful to you!

Happy Friday everyone!

 I am off to Las Vegas until next Wednesday, so see ya next week!

Fractions, Decimals and Percents Game

Many months ago, I saw this on Pinterest.

activitymom.blogspot.com

At the time I was thinking of ways to help my own son who was in Kindergarten learn his sight words. So, I started saving bottle caps.

I needed a way to save a lot and as luck would have it, my school was doing some testing and we gave our kids water bottles. I sent a mass email and asked the teachers to have their students save their lids for me and I ended up with hundreds of them.

 I didn't need that many, but being the teacher that I am, I can't throw them away. I am sure they will come in handy at some point. 

I did write my son's sight words on some and he played with them a few times. It was helpful.

So, here I am just sitting and surfing the web, stalking blogs and game sites and it hits me. I can use those for a matching game.

So, here's what I came up with: 

Put a Lid on It!

Students will match the fraction, decimal and percent

My plan is to use this as a center. This is a big goal for me this year in Middle School, more hands on centers/stations.

Download the activity here.

ENJOY!