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Terry's Teaching Tidbits

Creations from a 5th Grade Teacher

Multiply Fractions with Visual Models

Multiply Fractions with Visual Models

One of the more challenging skills in teaching fractions is using visual models to show mathematical thinking.  In 5th grade, this is an element in both decimal and fraction operations.  I like to introduce these operations with the visual models before moving to the standard algorithm of any skill.  Let me show you how I use visual models to multiply fractions.

Multiplying Fractions with Whole Numbers

When I introduce multiplying fractions, I start out with multiplying fractions by whole numbers.  It’s important to review basic fractions and ensure that students know how to represent these.  Then, when multiplying a fraction by a whole number, they will repeat the fraction model as many times as the whole number.

My students receive an information page with the steps to create a model for multiplying fractions by whole numbers.  After a mini-lesson and interactive examples on a smartboard, they’re given an outline of the visual models and practice problems to try on their own.  They fill in the models to match the problem and find their answers.

Next, I challenge my students to create models on their own.  They’re given additional problems and the space to draw their models.  The difficult part of this is organizing them neatly, so using a ruler is important a great opportunity for them to use appropriate mathematical tools.

Multiply Fractions with Visual Models

Multiplying Fractions with Fractions

The next mini-lesson I introduce is multiplying fractions by fractions.  This was slightly more difficult for my students because the models are more conceptually confusing.  They need to create the fraction model for one fraction and then split that fraction up in the opposite direction to shade in the other fraction across.

 

I tell them that when you multiply fractions, you are taking a fraction OF another fraction; ultimately the product will be worth less than the original fraction.
The first fraction is shaded in columns, and the second fraction is shaded in rows.  I like my kids to use two primary colors (one for each fraction) so that they can easily see the area where they overlap.  In the example below, when you find 3/8 of 2/5, you end up creating a whole that has forty pieces.  Six of these pieces overlap to represent the area (the orange area).

 

Modeling Fraction Multiplication on a Smartboard
Once they are given the models for practice, they are then given a page in which they have to create their own models.

 

Once I teach the visual models, I then teach my students the “quick and easy” way of simply multiplying across using the standard algorithm for multiplying fractions.

 

Watch the YouTube video above to see how I teach this skill.  You can find this resource here.

 

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