Fractions are a piece of cake..... no one in my class got this.... :(
Gloss Data
This was the diagnostic question:
What can we say about fractions in this picture?
Picture is from Marrion Small
Aim:
The aim was to get a feel for where my class was sitting in terms of fractions. Then also to be able to revisit the picture during and after the fractions unit.
First Prompt: What can we say about fractions in this picture?
Group response: a pause for about 20 sec, then someone pointed at something random and said with firm authority, "that is a fraction!" This profundity was repeated in chorus as the students suddenly pointed and excitedly exclaimed - "that is a fraction!" I asked one group, "what fraction?" .....and got a very blank look.
Second Prompt (feeling like we were going no where fast): What do you know about fractions?
Group response: a pause for about 20 sec, then someone pointed at something random and said with firm authority, "that is a fraction!" This profundity was repeated in chorus as the students suddenly pointed and excitedly exclaimed - "that is a fraction!" I asked one group, "what fraction?" .....and got a very blank look.
Second Prompt (feeling like we were going no where fast): What do you know about fractions?
The kids were able to name some fractions. Interestingly they started with eights, tenths - when one mentioned quarters and redirected to the picture and asked where on the picture can I see quarters? The only symbol they could describe was the 1/2 symbol.
I redirected the kids back to the picture when someone mentioned quarters (had been waiting for it) and asked if anyone could say a sentence about quarters. This was the result of the discussion.
I then asked them to work in groups and write some sentences that contained a fraction. There was only one group who was really able to produce anything worth reproducing (and this was driven by one student):
This is what we came together and talked about as a result of the sentences. Most of it driven by my leading questions:
Reflection:
- Made me think about the types of problems that I was going to have to use and how much "teaching" I was going to have to do to enable them to really get something out of the problem.
- This was going to be different to the subtraction. In subtraction they could experiment and work things out - the teaching followed the problem. Because their knowledge is so low I need a new pattern: teach>problem - at least to start with.
- There were 2 kids in the class who were leagues above and I am going to have to cater for them.