I can hear the sighs around the hallway now…ugh, How to Get Started with Fractions, anyways! The concept is difficult for even our gifted students to comprehend at times. And when you throw in a learning disability or other special needs things can get a little messy. However, the skill is one that is necessary and if we stop and think about it, fractions are literally woven into every part of daily lives. So…as they say in show business, the show, or in this case the lesson, must go on!
So how can we help our special education students with fractions?
There are a few tips that will make things go a little smoother when you want to know How to Get Started with Fractions.
Some of the tips are super simple, but they still have a large impact. Some of the tips require having the right resources ready to go, don’t worry, I can help you here!
The first tip is to find ways to make the fractions lesson hands on. You can teach halves by cutting cookies and sharing with friends. You can teach fourths by splitting a sandwich or sharing playdough. And my favorite way to teach eighths always involves pie…apple if I have my way (with some ice cream on top)!.
Next you should have visuals for your students.
I love to pull out my math manipulatives for these lessons and spend some time just splitting things apart. I allow my students to make different combinations and we talk about what each fraction is called. Worksheets that involve coloring the different fractions are also a great tool to have.
An easy way to reinforce fractions is to use models.
In this resource you will pre-cut some shapes and then have students glue the pieces back together to make a whole. This method teaches not only the parts of the fraction, but also focuses on how much is needed to make things whole.
Some functional ideas for teaching fractions include:
- Pizza
- Loaf of bread
- Graham crackers
- Popcicles
- Donuts
- Apples
Number Lines are an amazing way to teach fractions that many teachers forget about. Students will draw a line separating the whole number line into halves or fourths. Again, this allows students to visually see how much is involved in a piece and how much is involved in a whole. Students have to count out the total number line before beginning. So you get the added benefit of adding some counting skills on this one.
For my last tip you need to pull out those fraction manipulatives again and use manipulatives!
It is so important for students to be able to compare fractions and determine the largest versus the smallest. If you can visually show them what ⅓ looks like versus what ½ looks like then students will be able to see which fraction is bigger.
A How to Get Started with Fractions lesson can be overwhelming for the student. Let’s be honest, even for the teacher. But there are tips that you can do to help your students connect with the skill in a more meaningful way. And having these resources I created close by will mean that half of your planning is taken care of for you!
What is your favorite manipulative to teach fractions? I want to hear all of your great ideas. Teaching takes a village and we have to stick together to make a whole (did you catch the fraction pun there?)
Want more sped tips? Check out the Be The Exception podcast.
