Mixing up the parts and not understanding what they mean or what we do to them is probably the main reason many children have trouble doing fractions. They are typically not taught in a way that kids can grasp, and if they see a few wrong answers to math problems - FEAR sets in.
Parents undrestand enough to get by in everyday life (1/2 off sale - 3/4 inches wrench - 1/4 tank of gas - 1/3 cup of flour), but you may have a difficult time explaining fractions to your child so that they understand it. In fact, most of us also struggled with fractions as kids and learned ways to just get by! So it makes sense that we find it difficult to explain it to our kids.
Another common error we all make is that when we understand something, we usually make leaps and assumptions that end up skipping critical steps in the "learning process". How many times do you get blank stares when you think you've been extremely clear? Kids really want to understand! Have you ever played Pictionary, and you KNOW you've drawn a pretty good picture but no one is even close to getting it? Everyone is Frustrated!
If there are older silbings who struggled with fractions, the younger children see this and automatically assume they won't understand it either. They will perceive fractions to be too hard before they even have the chance to try.
Let’s start at the beginning. What is a Fraction?
It’s just breaking something whole into smaller equal parts.
When we start working with young students, we talk about the concept of half. What is half? What exactly does it mean? We take for granted the meaning of these words and assume that kids understand them. But how would you explain the meaning of the word "half" to a 5-year-old without using the word “half” itself?
We know that most kids have had to share at some point in their lives. They know how much half a cookie is. They know that when you share something with one other person, the 2 pieces should be the same size (equal). Knowing that they understand this concept, we can build on it. If "half" is 2 parts that are the same size, then "thirds" is 3 parts the same size, and so on. Even though it sounds simple, this forms the basic construct for fractions.
more explainations are continuing in the next blog...
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