Unit 6- Fair Shares and Fractions on Number Lines

In this unit, students investigate the meaning of fractions and the ways fractions can be represented. They solve sharing problems (How can 2 people share 3 brownies equally?), represent fractions with area models and on number lines, compare fractions, and determine fraction equivalents (2/3 = 4/6).

Activities to Try at Home

Fractions Every Day Take advantage of any natural opportunities to use fractions as they arise. You and your child can share and compare strategies for solving problems such as these:

• If you cut a whole pizza into 6 equal slices and ate 3 of the slices, what fraction of the pizza did you eat?

• If you want to share 10 cookies among four people, how can you share them equally? How much does each person get?

• The gas tank in our car holds 12 gallons, but right now it is only one fourth full. How many gallons of gas do we need to buy to fill up the tank?

Making a Whole In class, your child will be figuring out ways to combine fractions to make a whole, such as 1/4 + 3/4 = 1. You might build on this while cooking. If a recipe calls for one cup (or one-half cup) of an ingredient, pretend that the measuring cup that holds that amount is missing or broken. Ask your child how else you could measure that amount. What other cups might be combined (for example, 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1, or 1/2 + 1/2 = 1)? You might check the prediction by pouring those amounts into the one-cup measure to see whether they fill the cup exactly.

Fraction Scavenger Hunt In class, your child has been exploring fractions and fair shares. To build on this work, you and your child might investigate where and when you use fractions in your home or at the grocery store. You might have a Scavenger Hunt to locate fractions on such things as measuring cups, tools, food packages, in newspapers, and so on.