Pizza, Pattern Blocks and Candy Bars

A Fun Way to Learn About Fractions

So how much pizza do I get?

All the children are going to share the pizza. We will cut enough pieces so each child can have one, and the pieces should all be the same size.

What is a fraction?
A fraction describes a part of a whole when the whole is cut up into equal parts. The word fraction means a portion of a whole. In math, we call each piece a fraction of the whole pizza.

How do I make a fraction?

Take an object like a circle or a rectangle.

Divide it into equal parts.

Let's color one of the parts gray.

Practice
Lets look at parts of a whole for practice.

How do I write a fraction?

When I divide a rectangle in two equal pieces, I cut it in half.

1/2 is blue and 1/2 is yellow one half is blue and one half is yellow

 When I divide a rectangle in three equal pieces, I cut it in thirds.

1/3 is blue, 1/3 is yellow and 1/3 is green one third is blue, one third is yellow and one third is green

 When I divide a rectangle in four equal pieces, I cut it in fourths.

1/4 is purple, 1/4 is blue, 1/4 is yellow and 1/4 is green one fourth is purple, one fourth is blue, one fourth is yellow and one fourth is green

Parts of a Fraction
There is the denominator which is the bottom number. The denominator tells how many equal parts are needed to make a whole.
The denominator is 3 because three parts make the whole. 1 2 3

There is the numerator which is the top number. The numerator tells how many parts are showing.
The numerator is 2 because two parts are shown as a different color.

2 3

Practice

What fraction of the square is pink? Go to this site and work on other problems like this. http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/fractions/prac1.html Lets look at naming fractions for practice. Try visualizing fractions for more practice. Lets look at fraction bars for another look.

Exploring Fractions With Pattern Blocks

The hexagon represents a whole. A triangle represents one sixth. You can show this by dragging out six triangles and one hexagon and laying down the triangles right next to the hexagon or even on top of it. Use pattern blocks to show this. What other fractions can you find with pattern blocks ?

Would you like to share some candy bars?

Look at these candy bars with a friend.

Talk to each other about why these candy bars are important when learning about fractions.

Reading About Fractions

In Gator Pie, two alligators find ways to cut a pie.

In Eating Fractions, pictures contain food cut up into various fractional parts.

 In fraction fun aspects of fractions are introduced in a lively fashion and real-world contexts.

In Give Me Half, a brother and sister must share all their food.