Fun With Fractions

I LOVE teaching fractions in my classroom. There are just so many hands on things that can be done & that's right up my alley.  This past week we finished up our 3 week unit on fractions. Normally I have what I call "Fraction Fest" in my classroom. I have a bunch of fraction stations around the room that I created & create a schedule for the students to rotate through them. It's always a big hit with the students, but it's a lot of work for me.

This year, I decided to try something different. Even though this is my 19th year of teaching there are some days that I feel more overwhelmed than I did 19 years ago. The demands on a teacher just seem to keep increasing, yet the time to accomplish everything, and the funding to do it keep decreasing. So...when I thought about getting together my fraction stations and what I'd need to purchase, and creating my schedule for them to rotate through I got kind of grumpy.  I just didn't think I had the energy of the time this year.  Then I somehow came across a WONDERFUL free resource that saved the day!

Click on the picture to be taken to TPT

This hands on math booklet was super easy to prepare. Due to the way she has created it, you simply have to cut the stack in half then put one on top of the other & staple. There's no sorting of pages or timely folding necessary.  

The only thing I had to purchase was M&M's, which I actually used skittles instead due to peanut allergies in my classroom.

There are 9 different stations that the students will complete. Most of them they can just do at their desk if you wish.

 You will need:

• Play Dough - either store bought or homemade
• Plastic knives
• M & M's or skittles
• Legos (I borrowed some from a friend who has children younger than mine.) 
• Colored paper strips (The product comes with some, but I preferred using construction paper cut into strips. It was easier, faster, and didn't require colored ink.)

Knowing me...I would have taken the time to create an organized rotating schedule more than likely.  I originally did not have these stations planned for yesterday. My counselor was supposed to come & do her monthly lesson with my class. Therefore I had no plans & had even given away my computer lab time to a teacher who needed to do assessments. So when I got the call after waiting for the counselor for 10 minutes that she wouldn't be arriving, I got that dreaded feeling in my stomach about what I was going to do with them.  Then I remembered that I already had everything I needed to do the fraction stations except a schedule. I decided to just wing it. I set the Legos on one side of the room, Skittles on a table, construction paper strips on an empty desk, and play dough on my round table. 

I passed out the booklets to each student & went over the directions for the 9 stations. My only rule was that at the Legos & the Play Dough that no more than 4 kids could be there. Then I just set them loose. It was actually a blessing that my counselor cancelled.  I would have spent unnecessary time creating groups of varying abilities, figuring out the best order to rotate etc. had I had the time. Doing it on a whim saved me from all of that work & I just got to enjoy a full hour of my students being completely engaged. It was wonderful!

I highly recommend checking out this free resource. It saved my Friday afternoon, my sanity, and....the kids actually learned something too. :)