Entry # 2 Number & Operations-Fractions (3.NF)

Personal Objective: This week I chose to explore teaching fractions at the 3rd grade level .
My goal in picking this area was to obtain and formulate fun, engaging and tactile ways students can relate to and learn the basic concepts of understanding fractions. 

Common Core Standard:

3rd Grade: 3.NF

1. Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.

Activities/Worksheets:

To better illustrate the concept of fractions I sifted through my four year old sons' vast collection  of LEGO bricks. Displaying bricks of different size and color help to provide a real life example of how fractions work. Students could be given a chance to manipulate LEGO bricks while exploring different fractions and their relationships to one another in an engaging manner.

Worksheets where students can reinforce the knowledge they have acquired regarding identifying fractions can be made fun, creative and low stress.     

 

Resources:

Reflection: As I started to think about how I might teach the basic concepts of fractions at the 3rd grade level, my eye caught a box of my four year old sons LEGO bricks from across the room. I began sifting through the box and picking out brick lengths that I could use to appropriately represent different fractions. I have always been someone who has benefited from visual and tactile learning. I think using something tactile like LEGO bricks to incorporate into a lesson plan would bring familiarity to many 3rd graders and promote engagement. In order to make this work, certain bricks would need to be designated so that the students could manipulate them and explore fractions after the lesson has been taught. I also felt that the worksheet I found where students are instructed to color in the presented fraction would be a fun exercise that would help reinforce what they have learned creatively. Providing a lesson plan that not only meets the standard but promotes engagement, will aide in ensuring the subject matter is thoroughly understand and relevant to students.