Week 1 of the Fractions Unit

EDET637:  Differenting Instruction Through Technology with Dr. Lee Graham

Aleta May’s Week 10 Update to  Week 1 of my UbD Fractions Unit:

During this week, I have a paper/pencil pre-assessment on paper.  The post assessment will replicate the pre-assessment with different problems.  As an initial incentive, students used fraction games found on Coolmath.com; it has initially been used as a draw in motivator and fluency for my lowest students.There are other games I want to use.  Ideally, I could get MathBlaster to work on our iPads soon.

Student self assessment is through watching their progress in games, and using the visual fraction strategy called Radial Fractions.  McMullen, C. Ph.D. (2010).  Radial Fractions math workbook (addition and subtraction):  A fun & creative visual strategy to practice adding and subtracting fractions.  CreateSpace.  This can be found on amazon.com

The students use this visual that looks like the spokes of a bicycle wheel to add or subtract.

My step-by-step plan is now (after noting their progress) in the visual strategy as follows:

This week they added or subtracted without reducing, using the wheel; since students were sometimes getting adding and subtracting mixed up.

Next week, they will subtract more than they did the first week; and they will begin reducing within this visual strategy.

This is looking more and more like a 3 week (instead of a 2 week unit plan).

I’ll be able to really focus more deeply on all the “embellishments”. . . as there will be less school-wide assessment focus!

Here is a new link I found that will include the more challenging fractions (such as reducing) fractions online (PacMan games):

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm

Presently, students are using a visual strategy that even though it is paper based, it is a brightly colored bicycle wheel.