I am super embarrassed to admit this (and frustrated as well)

[dorothy]

But I am having a hell of a time teaching fractions. Aside from baking, I do not think that I have done anything fraction related in 25 years! I can do the basic adding, subtracting, equivalent fractions, and converting to a common denominator but then I don't remember anything more. I am actually considering getting a tutor for both of us!! We are using Singapore Math and I just do not get their explanations on this. I just ordered R&S because it sounds like they give more detailed instrucitons/explanations, but really, I am the problem. How have I managed without fractions for 25 years? Can anyone give me any advice?

[Sue G in PA]

Perhaps I can help if I know which fraction concepts are a challenge!

[Linda...inOwasso]

I can sure relate (if that helps at all). I'm college-educated and by the end of most days my brain hurts from trying to learn Latin alongside my 7yo, trying to pronounce names from history I've never heard before and just trying to come up with a reasonable answer to all the questions my curious children ask!

I've heard that the "Key to.... fractions" series is a good one, but we're not to the point of needing them yet. I wish you luck and hope someone chimes in with help! :)

[Wendy in ME]

We covered fractions with R&S 6 this year and it was extremely thorough. We started to get into it in R&S4 with my 9yo ds but we switched to RS before we finished. I do really like the way it is explained though. I hope it works for you.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

They are fairly short (40 pages each). They start out with multiplying and dividing fractions, and then do add/sub. They spend a fair amount of time on factoring, LCD, etc. I had my youngest do Book 1 (he's in SM 4) and my oldest is doing Books 2-4 before continuing on in 5A.

He really likes them and he's pretty confident in fractions now.

hth
k

[Stirsmommy]

We did Keys to fractions. It was a great refresher for me as well. Good luck with them. I don't think I have used them either except for cooking.

[Myrtle]

But I am having a hell of a time teaching fractions. Aside from baking, I do not think that I have done anything fraction related in 25 years! I can do the basic adding, subtracting, equivalent fractions, and converting to a common denominator but then I don't remember anything more. I am actually considering getting a tutor for both of us!! We are using Singapore Math and I just do not get their explanations on this. I just ordered R&S because it sounds like they give more detailed instrucitons/explanations, but really, I am the problem. How have I managed without fractions for 25 years? Can anyone give me any advice?


Do you want the advice for you? Or do you want to know how to explain it to your kid?

The Singapore math CD's do a great job on the topic of fractions. They have an animated lesson and the kids get to experiment with it all visually. It's kind of like working with physical manipulatives.

If you want the grown-up explanation of why it works I'll give you the whole spiel about the distributive law only applying to sums which have common factors:

An example with fractions with like denominators is this:

3/7 + 2/7 which can be expressed as,

3 x 1/7 + 2 x 1/7 and now you see that they each have a common factor of 1/7

So now you can apply the distributive law,

1/7 x (3 + 2)
1/7 x (5) = 5/7

But if you have fractions with unlike denominators they don't have a common factor.

2/3 + 2/5

So you mulitply each by whatever it takes to give them both a common factor..


(2/3 x 5/5) + (2/5 x 3/3) which gives us

10/15 + 6/15 and now each has a common factor of 1/5. So now using the distributive law...

1/15( 10 + 6) means that you have 1/15 (16) or 16/15.


Here's the kiddy version:

You get cut up a circles into thirds, you cut up another circle into fifths. Then you take two of those thirds and "add" them to three of the fifths and say "Well now what do you have?" And there is no response because when you add two apples to three oranges you have two apples and three oranges.

So you cut each third into five equal parts and you cut each fifth into three equal parts and now you have a whole bunch of fifteenths that you can count up.

The real trick is knowing what to cut the pieces into to begin with.

[dragons in the flower bed]

But I am having a hell of a time teaching fractions. How have I managed without fractions for 25 years? Can anyone give me any advice?

This happened to me, too. I really don't remember things I don't constantly use. I'm not sure why I haven't needed fractions since . . . I don't even know when.

I used Cosmeo, which lets you enter a problem and then explains to you how to solve it step by step, as well as Key to Fractions.

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

This is really funny...I have the same thoughts daily!