Fractions: All the Parts

2014
Presented by
Jo Matthews
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Orchestrating productive
mathematical discussions

Anticipating likely student responses to
challenging mathematical tasks

Anticipating in advance teachers can have a question
ready to ask or an activity that the students could do that
might help them recognise why certain approaches do
not work.

1 of 5 practices (Smith & Stein, 2008)

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Learning Outcomes
Identify the misconceptions students make
in the learning of fractions.
Models for teaching fractions.
Linking fractions and problem solving
Using the equipment and strategy
framework to teach fractions.
How fractions link to add/sub strategies.

Pg. 21
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Models of fractions
Make up a chart showing how this
fraction can be represented:
Three Quarters
Think about the ways in which your
models might be sorted into groups.
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Continuous Models - Regions
Models where the object can be divided in
any way that is chosen.
e.g. of this line and this square are green.
1 0
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Discrete Models - Sets
Discrete: Made up of individual
objects.
e.g. of this set is blue



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Whole to Part-Part to Whole
Most fractions problem are about giving
students the whole and asking them to find
parts.
We also need to give them part to whole
problems, like:
of a number is 6.
What is the number?
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Scenario One
Anna says is not possible as a fraction.


Consider..

Is possible as a fraction?

What action, if any, do you take?

3
7
3
7
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Key Idea:

A fraction can be more than one whole.
The denominator tells the number of equal parts into which
a whole is divided. The numerator specifies the number of
these parts being counted.
4
Pg. 10 - 11
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What can you do
Use materials and diagrams to illustrate.





Question students to develop understanding:
Show me 2 thirds, 3, thirds, 4 thirds
How many thirds in one whole? two wholes?
How many wholes can we make with 7 thirds?
Lets try

4
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Stage 2 - Counting All

Common vocabulary for unit fractions
Find halves, and quarters of shapes and
sets. Extend to eighths and sixteenths
Teacher record.
Use equal sharing with materials to find
these halves and quarters up to 20

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Stage 3
Counting All by Imaging
Identify halves, quarters, thirds and
fifths and the symbol for these. Extend
to eighths and sixteenths.
Find simple fractions of shapes and
lengths (Continuous and regions models)
Finding a fraction of a number
i.e. of 12 by beginning to share
equally and move towards predicting the
answer by imaging or skip counting.
(Discrete and Sets)
Pg. 8
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Scenario Two
You observe the following equation in Bruces work:





Consider:
Is he correct?
After checking that Bruce understands what the > symbol
means, what action, if any, do you take?
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Key Idea:

The more pieces a whole is divided into, the
smaller each piece will be.


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What can you do?
Demonstrate the relative size of fractions with materials or
diagrams.



Question students about the relative size of each fractional
piece:

If we had 2 pizzas and we cut one pizza into six
pieces and the other into 4 pieces, which pieces
would be bigger?

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3+3+3+3 = 12 so of 12 is 3.
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Stage 4
Advanced Counting
Identify the symbols for halves, quarters,
thirds, fifths and tenths including fractions
greater than 1. ie 5/2
Ordering unit and non unit fractions with
like denominators.
Solving continuous fraction problems where
the answer is greater than one
Fractions of sets using additive strategies.
e.g. skip counting or repeated addition.
3+3+3+3=12 so 1/4 of 12 is 3.

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Stage 5 - Early Additive
Identify symbols for any fraction
Order unit fractions for halves, quarters, thirds, fifths and
tenths.
Compare the size of fractions especially numbers greater
than 1.
Use their mult/div strategies to find a fraction of a whole
number 1/3 of 27 from 273 =9 and how many times a unit
fraction goes into a whole number.
And solve divisions that have fraction answers. 5 3 = ?
Introduce identification of decimals and rounding to nearest
tenth and hundredth.
Introduce simple ratio problems.

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Scenario Three
You observe the following equation in Emmas
work:

+ =


Is Emma correct?


3
2
2
1
5
3
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but wait.
You question Emma about her understanding and she
explains:

I ate 1 out of the 2 sandwiches in my lunchbox, Kate ate 2
out of the 3 sandwiches in her lunchbox, so together we ate 3
out of the 5 sandwiches we had.

What, if any, is the key understanding Emma needs to
develop in order to solve this problem?

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Emma needs to know that the relates to a different
whole than the

If it is clarified that both lunchboxes together
represent one whole, then the correct recording is:
+ =

Emma also needs to know that she has written an
incorrect equation to show the addition of fractions.

5
1
5
3
5
2
3
2
2
1
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Key Idea 3:

When working with fractions, the whole
needs to be clearly identified.
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Stage 6
Advanced Additive
Ordering and rounding of decimals.
Ordering non-unit fractions for halves, quarters,
thirds, fifths and tenths.
Equivalent fractions for halves, quarters, thirds,
fifths and tenths.
Fraction, decimals and percentages conversions
for halves, quarters, thirds, fifths and tenths.
Use mental strategies to solve problems
Including Place Value and Compensating
from tidy numbers or fractions


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Use the Deci Pipes to first develop the
concept of decimals at Stage 5.
Use at Stage 6 for adding and
subtracting of decimals.
Double number line to develop links
between fractions, decimals and
percentage.
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Stage 7
Advanced Multiplicative
Order fractions, decimals and
percentages.
Fraction, decimals and percentages
conversions.
Ratio and Proportions conversions
Use mental strategies to solve problems
with decimals, fractions, ratios, rates and
proportions.
Place Value,
Compensating from tidy numbers,
Reversibility,
Finding common factors,
Using proportional adjustment,
Adding fractions with different denominators

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One quarter of One third?
This is of one whole strip.


If it is cut into quarters, four
equivalent pieces, what will each new
piece be called?
12
1

x =
12
1
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Scenario Four
You observe the following equation in Bills work:


Consider..
Is Bill correct?
What is the possible reasoning behind his answer?
What, if any, is the key understanding he needs to develop
in order to solve this problem
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No he is not correct. The correct equation is



Possible reasoning behind his answer:
of 2 is 1
He is dividing by 2.
He is multiplying by .
He reasons that division makes smaller
therefore the answer must be smaller than
2 .

5
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To divide the number A by the number B is to find out how many
lots of B are in A.

so
Division is the opposite of multiplication. The relationship between
multiplication and division can be used to help simplify the solution to
problems involving the division of fractions.

For example:
There are 4 lots of 2 in 8
There are 5 lots of 1/2 in 2 1/2


5
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What can you do?
Use meaningful representations for the problem. For
example:
I am making hats. If each hat takes a metre of
material, how many hats can I make from 2 metres?

Use materials or diagrams to show there are 5 lots of
in 2 :

5
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Stage 8
Advanced Proportional
What happens when a decimal is
multiplied or divided by a power of 10.
Use mental strategies to solve problems
with decimals, fractions, ratios, rates and
proportions.
Use area to multiply and divide fractions
Identify decimals which are recurring or
terminating
Adding and subtracting unlike units.

Pg. 16 - 17
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The Big Ideas
Use problem solving and link
strategy teaching to Fractions.
Use lots of equipment and
visualizations.
Allow explorations, investigations
and discussions.
Dont rush to teaching rules!
Pg. 23
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