Fractions are everywhere, from the gas station to recipes in a cookbook. But what do fractions represent, and why do they matter?
What are fractions, and why do they matter?
Why are fractions important? A conceptual understanding of fractions in elementary school is crucial. When students truly understand fractions, they are better equipped for advanced math and everyday life.
Understanding the basics
What are fractions? Fractions are numbers, each with magnitude (size) and a location on the number line. Research shows that the strongest success occurs when students understand fractions using the number line as a central representation tool.
Students must understand how a numerator and denominator work together to create asingle value (length). Once students gain a strong number sense surrounding fractions, they can apply their knowledge to interact with fractions in new contexts, such as comparing fractions, decomposing fractions, and performing advanced operations like fractions arithmetic.
Fractions in daily life
What fraction of the road trip have you completed? How much will be left if you spend half of your allowance? It’s important to show students how fractions appear in the real world. Talk through examples with your students using pictures of fractions in daily life, such as online advertisements, grocery store listings, toy instructions, and more.
Get your students involved and create a bulletin board to show off all the ways fractions are used in real life! Be sure to keep the ideas age-appropriate and relevant to be more meaningful for your students.
Math foundations and success
The importance of fractions cannot be overlooked. The National Math Advisory Panel examined factors associated with algebraic readiness and performance and concluded that “the teaching of fractions must be acknowledged as critically important and improved before an increase in student achievement in algebra can be expected” (2008).
Research reveals the importance of teaching fractions. Without fractions competency, students will significantly struggle in algebra and advanced math. In fact, knowledge of fractions at the end of grade 5 was identified as a strong and unique predictor of math success many years later in high school (even after controlling for other variables that typically impact math achievement, including knowledge of whole numbers, IQ, working memory, reading comprehension, and family income and educational levels).
Teaching fractions: Making math fun and easy
Teaching fractions can often feel intimidating and frustrating (for you and your students). But it doesn’t have to be that way! Build math foundations and take your fractions instruction to new heights with ExploreLearning Frax, the adaptive and engaging fractions solution for grades 3-5.
With Frax, fractions are fun! Students interact with space ferrets, bots, and other animals in the fractions galaxy as they complete game-based challenges to develop a foundational knowledge of fractions. Students stay motivated with frequent rewards and personalized features, like custom avatars, spaceship cabins, and the Happy Acres Space Farm!
Revolutionize fractions learning with Frax
Frax incorporates intuitive visual representations (like length models) to introduce the number line representation of a fraction. As students progress through carefully scaffolded tasks, they develop an essential understanding of fraction magnitude and number sense. Frax is easy to implement and includes offline support resources to reinforce what students practice online in the Frax galaxy.
Differentiating instruction for each student at any given moment is hard–and virtually impossible– in your day-to-day classroom schedule. Frax solves this by delivering fractions problems in individualized sequences with immediate, tailored feedback and adaptive support that continually deepens understanding and accelerates student progress. When students use Frax, they can engage with fractions instruction more seamlessly in the classroom.
But Frax increases more than fractions knowledge. With Frax, students are more engaged and excited about math! In a qualitative study, elementary teachers found that in addition to improved knowledge of fractions and test scores, Frax significantly increased students’ math engagement and enjoyment, class climate, and confidence in math abilities.