Slice Fractions is a free and ad-free math recreation designed for elementary college students and obtainable on PlayMath.org. As a substitute of memorizing guidelines or filling out worksheets, youngsters information a woolly mammoth by way of 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 components of an entire. There are not any timers, no directions, and no strain. College students be taught by tinkering, making an attempt, and discussing methods with classmates, making math really feel like an journey as an alternative 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 could be modern, participating, and purposeful. She is aware of that fractions are some of the difficult ideas for elementary college students, who usually wrestle to visualise what numbers like ⅓ or ¼ really imply.
Kristen was excited to evaluation Slice Fractions as a result of it provides college students a strategy to “see” fractions, evaluate them, and construct actual understanding by way of play. Her classroom expertise reveals 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 website.
For which grade ranges do you suppose Slice Fractions is greatest suited? Why?
Slice Fractions is effectively suited to elementary grades, particularly 2nd by way of sixth. Utilizing Slice Fractions in 2nd grade would assist put an image in college students’ heads as to what’s occurring 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 strive 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 components of an entire and splitting shapes into equal components.
- 4th Grade: Evaluating and ordering fractions with completely different numerators and denominators.
How did you employ Slice Fractions in your classroom?
Ordering fractions could be powerful for college kids. College students can’t visualize that ⅓ is larger than ¼. Since there’s a 4 within the denominator of 1 fraction, college students often 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 cherished about our time enjoying video games on PlayMath.org is that my class started investigating and speaking about what different math subjects PlayMath.org may gamify. They shared concepts about the best way to gamify decimal studying. That is thrilling stuff!
An amazing function—and profit—of the Slice Fractions recreation is that my college students wanted time to tinker and mess around with all components 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 by way of the degrees and chatted about how they acquired 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 feel that’s a woolly mammoth.”
- “What ought to we identify him?”
Perhaps these feedback don’t sound academic to you, however right here’s the factor: My class loved the sport a lot they requested after we may play once more. It turned a whole-class occasion, with everybody collaborating and discussing options. My college students had been challenged by the physics side however gained a deeper conceptual understanding of fractions.
How simple was it to make use of Slice Fractions and implement it in your classroom?
Slice Fractions was simple 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 may be distributed to units through 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 the best way to get the woolly mammoth on the trail.
Boo was intriguing to play too as a result of it concerned quite a lot of trial and error with the proper sequence. Who knew portray pumpkins might be so intense?!
What makes PlayMath.org particular or distinctive in comparison with different websites you’ve utilized in your classroom?
PlayMath.org is critical for a lot of causes, together with:
- The video games and actions will not be timed. Time ought to by no means be an element in case you are problem-solving in math.
- The web site is totally free and doesn’t have any annoying advertisements.
- The video games wouldn’t 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 instructing simpler?
Academics wrestle to search out further methods for college kids to follow their math. Worksheets are often 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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