Numeracy
This week, we have been focussing on fractions. Students have explored the concept of the fractions as a part of a whole and as an operator. We brought our study of fractions to life by pondering the following story:
Lucky Jeff has 20 lolly snakes. Unfortunately (for some) he shares them a bit unfairly. He gives Boris 1/20 of the snakes, Svetlana 1/4 of the snakes, Helga 3/20 of the snakes and Sven 1/2 of the snakes. Each fraction is to be taken from the total number of snakes. How many lolly snakes does each person get and how many snakes does Jeff have left for himself? (You can use counters to work it out.)
or the Challenge version:
Lucky Jeff has 19 lolly snakes. Unfortunately (for some) he shares them a bit unfairly. He gives Boris 1/20 of the snakes, Svetlana 1/4 of the snakes, Helga 3/20 of the snakes and Sven 1/2 of the snakes. Each fraction is to be taken from the total number of snakes. How many lolly snakes does each person get and how many snakes does Jeff have left for himself? I don’t think counters are going to help much this time (but decimals might be your friend). Pretend that Jeff has an amazing machine that can cut lolly snakes into any fraction/decimal.
Our creative students then composed their own problems.
Talking about fractions is a great way to incorporate maths into everyday life. Please do so at every opportunity!
The 5/6 Team