Samantha’s Circles is a fraction tool that consists of a collection of rings that are stored on a cylindrical pedestal. Each ring represents a different fraction, and the notches on each ring divide it into equal partitions of the whole.
Big Idea
Fraction comparison; Fraction division; Adding and Subtracting fractions
Purpose
This tool can help students develop their fraction sense as they learn to compare and operate with fractions.
Sample Tasks and Explorations
- Use the fraction rings to compare the following fractions ⅓ and ⅕, ⅙ and ⅓, ½ and ¼
- Use the fraction rings to find the following: ½ + ¼ , ½ – ¼, , ½ ÷ ¼
- Explain how someone could use the rings to multiply two fractions, like ½ × ¼ . Explain how they could use the rings to divide two fractions, like ½ ÷ ¼ .