Fractions Are Your Friends!!

I had a teacher in high school who would exclaim this expression to us on a regular basis. Mrs. Walton was loud and carried a wooden spoon around to slam on the desk of any snoozing student. She was a wonderful old school teacher who only increased my love for math. Her best friend taught next door to her and they would talk to each other through the walls. She was wonderful and effective with just a whiteboard to write on in her room...sometimes today we can be too blinded/distracted by the latest brightest gadget in education.

I've spent the past two weeks teaching fractions. I should just be reviewing fractions, but I have been teaching them...how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions. I didn't pull out any bells and whistles for these lessons. Yes, we worked in groups one day and did a color by number one day, which the kids loved. But, for the most part, I've been using my fancy whiteboard, an Activboard to teach these lessons. I wish I could say I knocked it out of the park and that all of my 7th graders can add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions. But, I'm sorry to say Mrs. Walton, fractions have not been my friend this week. I decided after the quiz I gave on Friday that by this point, 7th graders either know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, or they don't. I can explain it until I am blue in the face, but some just don't get it...or don't try to get it. I'm not sure which it is yet. I'm going to spend one more day on fractions and then move on...Any suggestions on how to get kids to understand fractions better? Any cool activities/teaching methods your teachers used to teach you?

Other than a lack of understanding on some of my students part (a lot of them do get it thankfully), this week has been good. My students have worked hard and are still well behaved. We'll see if this honeymoon phase continues next week...it usually only lasts about two weeks.

I meant to take pictures of my classroom this week, but forgot to take the camera with me. So, look for those next week.

We get into fractions a little more on Monday and then move onto decimals. After we spend a day on decimals, I'm going to be introducing negative numbers to them. Pray for me...

Happy Saturday!