Fractions, or parts of a whole, have often been difficult for students to understand. This is often the result of rhymes such as “Mine is not to reason why, just invert and multiply”. But when we teach fractions this way, math become a set of mysterious rules and procedures that need to be memorized. But if we can show students why operations on fractions work the way they do, we take out the mystery of math. Then math begins to make sense.

In this video, I share strategies to teach multiplying fractions, dividing fractions, simplifying fractions, and finding equivalent fractions using graph paper and the power of the number ‘1’ so that fractions actually makes sense.

CCSS: 4.NF.1; 4.NF.2; 4.NF.3; 4.NF.4; 5.NF.1; 5.NF.2; 5.NF.3; 5.NF.4; 5.NF.5; 5.NF.6; 5.NF.7

Other fraction lessons:

Teaching Fractions Using Money
PomPom Fractions: A Commom Core lesson for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students
Multiplication of Fractions: What Does it Mean?