Slice Fractions is a free and ad-free math recreation designed for elementary college students and out there on PlayMath.org. As an alternative of memorizing guidelines or filling out worksheets, youngsters information a woolly mammoth via icy puzzles, slicing obstacles and popping bubbles to discover fractions in motion. The sport is constructed for grades 2–6 and helps college students visualize how fractions work by partitioning shapes, evaluating sizes, and understanding elements of an entire. There aren’t any timers, no directions, and no stress. College students be taught by tinkering, attempting, and discussing methods with classmates, making math really feel like an journey as a substitute of a chore.
Kristen Acosta, a veteran math educator from West Covina, California, has spent almost three a long time serving to college students and academics uncover that math may be progressive, participating, and purposeful. She is aware of that fractions are one of the crucial difficult ideas for elementary college students, who typically battle to visualise what numbers like ⅓ or ¼ truly imply.
Kristen was excited to overview Slice Fractions as a result of it provides college students a option to “see” fractions, evaluate them, and construct actual understanding via play. Her classroom expertise exhibits that when college students use Slice Fractions, they’re not simply practising math, they’re speaking, collaborating, and genuinely excited to be taught.
Right here’s what educator Kristen Acosta needed to say about Slice Fractions and the PlayMath.org web site.
For which grade ranges do you suppose Slice Fractions is greatest suited? Why?
Slice Fractions is nicely suited to elementary grades, particularly 2nd via sixth. Utilizing Slice Fractions in 2nd grade would assist put an image in college students’ heads as to what’s taking place with regard to fractions. The sport can be utilized for whole-group instruction, small-group instruction, enrichment, or intervention. College students can play with a accomplice or attempt it independently.
Does the sport align with any particular requirements or curriculum pointers?
Slice Fractions aligns with key fraction ideas in elementary math requirements:
- 2nd Grade: Partitioning circles and rectangles into equal shares, utilizing phrases like halves, thirds, and fourths.
- third Grade: Understanding fractions as elements of an entire and splitting shapes into equal elements.
- 4th Grade: Evaluating and ordering fractions with totally different numerators and denominators.
How did you employ Slice Fractions in your classroom?
Ordering fractions may be robust for college students. College students can’t visualize that ⅓ is larger than ¼. Since there’s a 4 within the denominator of 1 fraction, college students normally suppose it should be larger (in comparison with the three in ⅓). I’ve used clothesline math to assist with ordering fractions with a number of representations, however college students nonetheless have difficulties as a result of they don’t have an image created of their heads. One part of Slice Fractions has college students determining ⅓ versus ¼. College students can bodily see the distinction between ⅓ and ¼.
How did your college students react to the video games on PlayMath.org?
One factor I liked about our time enjoying video games on PlayMath.org is that my class started investigating and speaking about what different math matters PlayMath.org might gamify. They shared concepts about find out how to gamify decimal studying. That is thrilling stuff!
A fantastic characteristic—and profit—of the Slice Fractions recreation is that my college students wanted time to tinker and mess around with all elements of it. Finishing a degree became a full dialogue of what to do first. As soon as they figured it out, my college students progressed via the degrees and chatted about how they received to every degree and what to search for. Some memorable feedback included:
- “Dude, you need to pop the bubbles!”
- “Who’s the elephant?”
- “No, I believe that’s a woolly mammoth.”
- “What ought to we title him?”
Possibly these feedback don’t sound instructional to you, however right here’s the factor: My class loved the sport a lot they requested after we might play once more. It grew to become a whole-class occasion, with everybody taking part and discussing options. My college students had been challenged by the physics facet however gained a deeper conceptual understanding of fractions.
How straightforward was it to make use of Slice Fractions and implement it in your classroom?
Slice Fractions was straightforward to make use of within the classroom. It may be used for whole-group, accomplice work, particular person, enrichment, intervention, or small-group/rotations/math facilities. PlayMath.org is also distributed to units by way of Google Classroom.
What did you want most about Slice Fractions and every other video games at PlayMath.org?
Slice Fractions is thought-provoking in that college students have to make use of logic and reasoning to find out find out how to get the woolly mammoth on the trail.
Boo was intriguing to play too as a result of it concerned loads of trial and error with the proper sequence. Who knew portray pumpkins could possibly be so intense?!
What makes PlayMath.org particular or distinctive in comparison with different websites you’ve utilized in your classroom?
PlayMath.org is important for a lot of causes, together with:
- The video games and actions are usually not timed. Time ought to by no means be an element if you’re problem-solving in math.
- The web site is totally free and doesn’t have any annoying advertisements.
- The video games would not have any concrete written instructions. College students want to make use of instinct to tinker with what’s in entrance of them. They get an infinite variety of tries in addition to a fast assist video.
How will PlayMath.org prevent time or make educating simpler?
Academics battle to seek out further methods for college students to observe their math. Worksheets are normally their go-to. College students must be engrossed of their studying, however worksheets are boring and boring. Gamifying math piques their curiosity whereas practising and conceptualizing the maths they’re studying within the classroom. PlayMath.org provides college students the assist of studying in a extra visible approach in comparison with a conventional classroom.
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