Fractions

Overview

 

Curator: Aimee Muscoe

 

Name & Link to Tech Tool: http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=26975

 

Brief Description of Tech Tool: This tool is a game that can be played by two students. (The NCTM website also has a similar game for individual play). While using this tool students think about the relationship of fractions to a whole, find equivalent fractions, and compare fractions.

 

Evaluation

Description of Learning Activity: This tool can be played as a review of different fraction concepts. Students must be able to compare fractions and find equivalent fractions. There is a game board with seven number lines divided into different fractional parts. Students each have a game piece start at 0 on each number line and they must get all of their pieces to 1. Students take turns moving a piece or pieces a designated fractional amount.

 

1. Learning Activity Types:

LA-Practice- Students can practice comparing fractions and finding equivalent fractions

 

2. What mathematics is being learned?

• NCTM Standards

  • NCTM-N&0-understand numbers - understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems

• Proficiency Strands

  • PS-adaptive reasoning- Students must think logically about the relationships of fractions (to compare or make equivalent fractions)Additional comments on what is being learned

 

3. How is the mathematics represented?

This tech tool represents the math as a virtual manipulative. Fractions are shown on number lines and players each have game pieces that can slide along the number lines to represent different fractions. Because the math is shown as a number line some students may be confused without a picture or manipulative to show what the fraction looks like. The sliding game pieces allow students to easily compare different fractions on different number lines.

 

4. What role does technology play?

This tool allows students to visually compare fractions which can allow them to find equivalent fractions or compare fractions. This tool has a very limited use which could be a disadvantage. Some students may need a workspace in order to calculate equivalent fractions or to break a fraction into smaller pieces and this is not provided in the tool.

• Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning

  • Representing Ideas & Thinking - Students can represent fractions in a variety of ways and think about how fractions are related to one another

 

5. How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning?

Students work in pairs to play this game. They must think strategically about fractions in order to win the game so it would be great for practice or review of fractions.

 

6. What do teachers and learners need to know?

This tool is very straightforward and easy to use. Students must understand how fractions can be represented on a number line.