Exploring fractions through shape

Phase 1: Identifying the attribute

This is an activity from Peter Sullivan given to us during the PMSS learning day. While still initially confusing due to the nature of the prompt and putting them into ‘the zone of confusion’, it was interesting to note that most methods were trying to use perimeter to determine percentage, while I noticed one boy who had cut his into triangles. He proudly went to the front and showed the class his single clue – drawing 1 triangle. We said ‘see what you can do with that clue’ and the method spread through the room. We fish bowled a small amount of time later to talk about the attributes of fractions and how finding a common denominator could be a useful method. We compared this to the results someone had when they used perimeter which created a super debate. Students made use of attribute blocks to remake the pictures using equivalent fraction blocks.

Prompts from Peter Sullivan