Fractions are SWEET! (and a mini-freebie!)

This week we started studying fractions, and whoo-hoo are my babies loving it!  I'm so proud of them! We started with the basics of 1/2 and 1/4 fractions.  To help them physically see fractions in everyday objects, I treated each student to a graham cracker.  I gave the students a piece of construction paper that was creased in half and labeled on each side and challenged them to figure out how to put the exact same amount of graham cracker on each side.  I loved that some students broke their crackers the "short way" while some others broke theirs the "long way"!  We were able to discuss that both were correct forms of halves and that was because they both showed one piece out of two equal pieces.

Next, each student was given a piece of construction paper that was divided into fourths.  I asked the students to figure out how to divide their crackers so they had four equal pieces.  By now, we were really rolling!  Some of my budding mathematicians even made the connections that 2/4 was the same as 1/2! 

The next day, we reviewed what we knew about halves and fourths and then discussed thirds, fifths and sixths.  I explained to the students that any number could be the denominator as long as all the pieces were equal, but these are some of the most common fractions.  These would also be the fractions we would use in our Ice Cream Fraction Craftivity!

To make it fair and still ensure all students were understanding what different fractions were, I wrote the numbers 2-6 on scrap pieces of paper and put them in a bucket.  The students drew out a number and that became their denominator for their Ice Cream Fraction Craftivity.  

We then decided on the flavors of ice cream they could choose:

Pink - Strawberry

Green - Mint Chocolate Chip

Orange - Orange

Purple - Berry

Brown - Chocolate

White - Vanilla

Then I put them to work to make their fractions out of ice cream scoops (each scoop was an equal piece of the whole ice cream cone).  The kiddos were very thoughtful in their ice cream flavor selection and were mindful of what they wanted their fraction cones to look like. (I wonder if if they would be this thoughtful about all their classwork if I tied the lessons to desserts...)  After carefully cutting and assembling, each student wrote what his or her ice cream cone was made up of in terms of fractions.

Aren't these just so sweet??  (Haha, see what I did there? Sweet art work...sweet treat!)  We had so much fun working on these today and I know my little ones are understanding fractions quite well after our hands-on activities.

Want to make your own Ice Cream Fraction Craftivity?  Click here or the image below for your own copy of the recording sheet!
(font by Learning Tree/Kimberly Santana)

-Liz

Spring Things

I'm hesitant to say this.

I don't want to jinx anything.

But... it's finally starting to feel like spring again around here!  The snow has melted!  The sun is out!  I didn't even need a jacket outside!

Naturally, it was the perfect time to do some spring activities in first grade.

First up was our math lesson about symmetry.  We found things around the classroom that had a line of symmetry.  We thought of things on the playground that could have symmetry.  We discussed why certain objects may look alike, but are not symmetrical.  But seriously, what better way to teach students about symmetry during the spring that to make butterflies?!  

I traced the pattern on construction paper for them (to avoid the "accidentally traced on the edges instead of the fold and now I have two pieces" scenario).  The students cut out the butterflies and then in small groups I called them to use my Paint Dots to decorate only one half of the butterfly (because if we want it to be the exact same on the other side we can't decorate both or they'd look kinda different, Ms. Fowler!).  I've done this before with regular paint and brushes, but this was a little more controlled.  My only suggestion is to MOVE QUICKLY and be ready to squeeze a little extra paint out so that it will transfer to the other side when you fold the butterfly in half.  

I let the students fold over their butterfly and press down all over so the paint would transfer, but for a few I had to "touch up" because the paint was too light.  Usually I don't like to intervene with student art, but I did want them to understand that if an object is symmetrical, it needs to be the exact same on both sides.  I think these turned out pretty cute :)

Another activity we did was simple and fun and is actually two games in one!  On plastic Easter Eggs, I  wrote addition problems in permanent marker, with the addends on one half of the egg and the sum on the other half.  For the first activity, I split the eggs up and gave each student one half.  They had to find the student who had the missing part of their math problem and match up their egg halves to make the equation true.  Because I purposely had more than one egg with the same answer, the students could not rely solely on matching the egg colors.  Once they found a correct match, the students held their egg in the air and waited until everyone was matched and we could mix it up again.  

The second activity was in the form of Quiz-Quiz-Trade.  I gave each student a full egg and had them turn the halves so the answer was not visible when they read the addition problem.  We play Quiz-Quiz-Trade all the time using cards, so the students LOVED using eggs to jazz things up a bit!  

The students mixed (and they know to do this silently) and partnered up with the closest student near them.  Student A showed the addition problem to Student B.  Student B answered it correctly (way to go! says Student A) and then Student B shows Student A the addition problem on her egg.  Student A answers correctly (you're awesome! says Student B) and they trade eggs, only to partner up with another student.  I have found this is a good activity for 5 to 10 minutes or self-control tends to be forgotten :)

Do you have any creative spring math or reading activities?  I'd love to hear about them!

Heading out to enjoy the fresh air,

Liz