May

Research Question:
In what ways can "play" be incorporated into the Grade 5 Curriculum to best support student engagement, learning, and growth?

The Fraction Studio Stations were designed to bring playful learning into our math curriculum. Each station invited students to explore and apply their understanding of fractions, decimals, and mixed numbers in ways that were both purposeful and engaging. In Station 1: Fraction Food Lab, students became chefs, scaling recipes to serve more people by multiplying fractions and rewriting real recipes. In Station 2: Fraction Warehouse, they acted as warehouse managers, calculating total shipment weights using fractional amounts and converting their answers into decimals. In Station 3: Design a Park, students used spatial reasoning to plan a community park, with each section representing a fractional part of the whole—connecting visual models with fractional and decimal understanding. These stations gave students agency, allowing them to make decisions, take creative risks, and work collaboratively—all while engaging deeply with math content. The structure of each station, along with the use of tools, visuals, and open-ended challenges, created space for wonder, exploration, and ownership.