Activities to Teach Students to Complete Addition and Subtraction Sentences With Fractions
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Math can be a challenging subject for students as it often involves complex calculations and formulas. When it comes to fractions, things can even become more daunting. As a teacher, it’s crucial to make sure students have a solid grasp of basic arithmetic with fractions, including adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. One aspect of this is teaching students to complete addition and subtraction sentences with fractions. Below are some fun activities that you can use to teach this critical skill.
1. Fraction War:
Fraction war is an excellent game to teach students the basic concepts of addition, subtraction and comparison of fractions. Split the class into pairs, and provide each student with a deck of fraction cards – one for each suit in a standard deck of cards. Each player flips two cards over, and they have to add or subtract the fractions on the cards depending on the card played (for instance, addition for a diamond and subtraction for a spade). After calculating the result, the student with the highest fraction wins the round. The goal of the game is to win as many rounds as possible.
2. Fraction Bingo:
Fraction Bingo is another fun game that helps students to complete addition and subtraction sentences with fractions. To play the game, write different fractions on the bingo cards, and then read out addition or subtraction sentences. If a student knows the answer and has it on their card, they can cross it off. The first student to get a line of crossed-out fractions wins the game.
3. Fraction Dominoes:
This activity involves creating a set of dominoes with fractions written on them. The dominos have to be designed so that when the end fractions are summed or subtracted, the two central dominos’ answer is equal to the result they wish students to apply. Students need to match the two end fractions’ sums or differences to the values at the end of the dominoes. This not only develops the students’ addition and subtraction abilities, but it also helps them to make connections between fractions.
4. Fraction Toss:
Fraction Toss is a kinesthetic activity where students work in pairs, and one student tosses a ball to the other student. The tossing student will be asked to call out a fraction during each catch, while the receiving student will respond by calling out the sum or difference that the fraction would add or subtract from the other fraction. This activity is precious as it builds teamwork skills and getting students to interact with one another.
5. Fraction Puzzle:
Lastly, a fraction puzzle activity where students are given a set of fractions to add or subtract, and with each answer, they are given a puzzle piece. The goal is to piece the puzzles together as quickly as possible once they all have been solved correctly. This activity helps students to apply analogue puzzles to fractions sums, making the skill less foreign and more tangible.
In conclusion, teaching addition and subtraction sentences with fractions can be challenging. However, with the help of these fun activities, the process can become more manageable and accessible. These activities can be used to get students involved, work together, and develop the skills they need to succeed in their math studies. With constant practice and reinforcement, students will master these concepts in no time!