Teaching the Common Core Math Standards With Hands-On Activities, Grades 3-5 (10 page)

Background

If a quantity is divided into the same number,
of equal parts, each part is
of the total. For example, if a quantity is divided into 4 equal parts, each part is
of the original.

Activity: Making Fraction Bars

Students will make fraction bars, showing what part each fraction bar is of 1 whole. Because this Domain is limited to fractions with denominators of 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8, students will make fraction bars representing 1,
and

Materials

Scissors; rulers; unlined
-by-11-inch paper for each student.

Procedure

1.
Explain to your students that they are to cut six 1-inch-by-10-inch strips of paper from their unlined paper. (Demonstrate what students should do.) A practical way to do this is to cut off a 1-inch-by-
-inch strip from the top of the paper, leaving an
-inch-by-10-inch piece of paper. Next, students should cut a
-inch-by-10-inch strip off one of the sides of the paper, leaving a 6-inch-by-10-inch piece of paper. Students should discard the strips of paper they cut off. (
Note:
Depending on the abilities of your students, you may prefer to use a paper cutter and hand out precut 6-inch-by-10-inch sheets and then allow students to cut the paper into the necessary strips.)

2.
Instruct your students to place their paper so that it measures 10 inches along the top and 6 inches along the side. They should mark points at 1-inch intervals along each side, and then draw lines connecting each pair of points. Next they should cut along each line, resulting in six 1-inch-by-10-inch strips.

3.
Tell your students to label one strip
1 whole
.

4.
Instruct them to take another strip. They should fold it in half, open the strip, and then write
on each part of the strip.