An Introduction to teaching fractions.

Many children find fractions a difficult concept to grasp so I always ensure that I start from a point that the children are already familiar with and understand well. Most children have done a test of some sort and got a mark or grade at the end, right? So that is where I start with fractions. Read on to find out how this strategy can work for your children. (Incidentally, this lesson plan could also be used for you to explain how to do equivalent fractions.)

Understanding the arrangement of a fraction is the first hurdle to overcome. Lots of children wont realise that they have been using fractions ever since they completed their first test. So I ask the children to do a maths test (a very simple test i.e. 2+2!) This test will not be like any other test as they must get at least one question wrong, preferably more, but they must get some correct as well! Write the questions on the board in two columns of five or two columns of ten - you will need them for later. 
For differentiation purposes you could have twenty questions on the board and ask the children confident in maths to do the twenty questions and the children who struggle to do ten questions. 

Once they have completed the tests and they have marked them, you can collect the scores and write them on the board for all to see. This will be a source of amusement to all the children as the low scores come in!

You will have a collection of scores on the board - something like the scores opposite. (If you don’t get given the 5/10 and 10/20 score, add it anyway.)

Now you can start talking about the scores and start encouraging the children to use fraction language. 

Questions to ask:
How do we say 4/10? (Pointing to it.)
Does anyone know another way of saying 4/10

Introduce them to the idea that you can have less than one (a fraction). Say that they did one test and got four tenths of the test correct so they only got a part of the whole test correct. Another word that we can use instead of part is fraction. “I only got a fraction of the test correct”

Ask the children to explain what the word fraction means to them. You are looking for the answer to be “less than one whole” (as in one whole test) It’s fine to guide them to this conclusion.

Next you can start looking at halves. Circle the scores on the board that relates to a half, then circle half of the twenty questions. 

You can say that you have circled part / a fraction of the test, can they see how much of the test this is? If they can’t see it, draw an apple/pizza/orange (or use a real one!) and cut it in half, undoubtedly you will now get the answer “half”. You can do the same exercise for the children who did ten questions - circle five questions and ask for the fraction that they got correct - “half”. 

The next and final stage of the introduction is to relate the 5/10 and 10/20 fractions to 1/2. You can do this by having another test with only two questions, get one question right and one question wrong. (Children will find it highly amusing if you do the test and get one answer wrong - the children could even give you the questions - making them really difficult for you!) Ask the children for your score. Some will say “one out of two” or “half” you may also get “one twoth”. This isn’t correct, obviously, but it will show that they are starting to get the right idea. You could say that it sounds correct, it’s just not the language that we use. Write 1/2 5/10 and 10/20 on the board and ask the children what they know about these fractions. You are looking for them all to agree that they are all equal to “half”.

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