This activity was designed to help children
visualize fractions in a creative way.
This activity was successful as inferred from
one of the reports made by a future teacher.
She wrote,
While I was walking around listening to
the kids discussing fractions at each table
I was impressed by how well they
grasped the concept of the activity.
Originally, the kids were asked what a
fraction is and where they were used.
They had some trouble explaining it to
the group leaders and didn’t seem to be
interested at first. As the activity picked
up, the kids became more engaged and
proved to be more knowledgeable of
fractions than they were able to explain.
I think the visual increased their understanding
of equivalent fractions and the
importance of working with the same
whole. The fact that the activity was
hands on also increased the participation
of the kids. They were all able to be
working on something like trying to
cover the whole with a certain sized
fraction, and since they were constantly
involved they continued to learn. Overall,
I think the activity was a success
and had a real impact on the kids and
their understanding of simple equivalent
fractions.