Picture This: Fractions, the real F word

Fractions - another one of those things that send shivers down the spines of adults who never EVER have to see them again, right?

Well, sure. Unless you use a measuring tape. Or cook or bake - especially if you decide to double or *gasp* halve a recipe.

I think we can all agree that fractions HAVE a place in the real world. So why in the world do we allow our students to hate them so much?

Fractions are seen earlier and earlier in elementary math these days and for good reason: we don't need to hide concepts from kids. Every single child understands what half a sandwich looks like (and can probably tell you if their brother just got the "bigger half"...which can't be a thing, but I digress...)

What do you, as a parent or tutor or homework helper, need to know about fractions in elementary school? I'm going to explore a few different strategies for fraction work in a series of videos. Starting with pictures.

If you're out there trying to help a kid in your life with fractions, please encourage them to draw a picture. They may whine (when don't they?) but you'll get to see how they're imagining the problem and hopefully steer them in the right direction.

Comments

Division - the subject that brings us all together

Ah...division. The 4th and final fundamental operation of elementary math. But I bet when I said that more than a few people were sent back to the days of long division being brutal. I think just about everyone can agree, long division was a HIGH hurdle of elementary school. While division is the partner to multiplication (more on that later), for whatever reason it's also Cinderella's ugly stepsister that nobody wants to acknowledge is really there. Division is incredibly applicable though - need to give each of your kids an equal number of cookies from what's left in the package so nobody fights? Or do you need to figure out how many more glasses of wine you can get from what's left in the bottle... Either way, division is real life. Luckily, instead of pushing students to just memorize more number facts (which is useful - to a point) we teach multiple ways for students to arrive at their answers, giving them some number dexterity. Your student probably has a...

Trust the Process: Fractions - the Real F Word

I know it's not exactly the most comforting advice to adults who have been through a lot of change, but 1 thing I know for sure is that no school, no teacher, no administrator, no aide wants any child to be poorly educated. Instead those teachers, administrators, aides, and school officials all know that there is a building process from Kindergarten (or 4K) through senior year of high school. There is a progression that they've spent (countless) hours working to align so that every topic is covered, every concept is given time to develop, and every student has access to the material when they're ready. The long and short of it is that there is a well thought out process - please trust it. While it may be frustrating for you at times, remember that you have all the "keys to the castle" as an adult who's be...

It's about the learning not the grade.

I hope you (and the children/students in your life) had the chance to watch the Perseverance land on Mars recently. Or see the Dragon launch last year. Every single one of the astronauts, engineers, and technicians had years of schooling to prepare for THAT MOMENT. Every doctor or nurse has been trained through lectures, tests, and field experiences. Something that strikes me every year around this time, as our seniors are making college decisions and our juniors are taking the ACT and beginning the application process, is that not one person in any interview I've ever had has asked me about my grades or GPA. We have tied up so much time and energy into thinking that only the best survive, but we KNOW that can't be true. All that does is overstress our teens and lead them to believe that successful people never struggle. That is a damaging belief - especially when internalized by students who are struggling. Here's my take on grades:

Demystifying Elementary Math (from a Secondary Perspective)

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