Morning Math – Fraction Division (May 24th) Second Example

Dear Alexander Morning Math Families:


For this example, if I laid out two of the fraction pie pieces of ½, then say, “I want to share two halves of a pizza it with six friends – what do I do?” the children respond, “cut each half in three equal pieces.”

So we took out six little green “skittles” (shaped to resemble people, with little round heads) then found the three fraction pie pieces that together equal each of the halves.

We shared the pieces equally with each of the six skittles, and found that each skittle (person) got 1/6 of a whole pie.

So I invited the students to LOOK at the materials as they worked with them, and consider how to write statements that are OBSERVATIONS of what they see, then to copy my diagram.

When a child learns to DRAW the picture of the materials, we see that some “process” the example more deeply than if they did not.

They actually traced the fraction pieces, OR simply drew the picture as a copy of my own, and labeled the diagram.

I also wrote the number sentence that was true:  2/2 ÷ 6 = 1/6.