Exploring fractions through abstract art

This series of activities was from the mindset mathematics series by Jo Boaler, Jen Munson and Cathy Williams. This was the second time I’ve ran this series and absolutely love it. The students are engaged, they are investigating and exploring fractions visually and they are so proud of their end products (and can tell you all about the maths involved!)

Phase 1: Identifying the attribute

What are fractions? Creating a common understanding.

Can everything be cut into fractions? Are there any uneven fractions? If a piece of paper was folded into 3 parts, but not even, is it still called a third?

What are denominators? How can this be useful during this task?

Can I add and subtraction fractions?