mysticmomma Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 What grade should start fractions? My 2nd grade dd is in Singapore 2b and we just did some reviewing. She did great except for fractions. I looked back through the book and there were very few pages on fractions. I've heard good things about math mammoth for fractions but how deep should I go at this level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Different curriculums handle fractions differently. I've sene them introduced as early as kindergarten(!) splitting up sets of things. I've seen them not brought along until 5th grade after multi-digit division is mastered (I don't like this one). IMO - and I'm not an expert by any means - I like to see basic fractions introduced early - 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 - using manipulatives, but save fraction math for after multiplication is pretty solid. Maybe 3rd-4th grade math? I'm not sure where Singapore does it, but if she has multiplication down, then you can easily start playing with fractions. Another opinion - there is nothing better for teaching fractions than a one gallon clear pitcher and various measuring cups. When kids *see* that two half cups make a full cup and so on, that seems to really cement the fraction math later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Singapore will hit fractions again in 3B and really hard in 4A and 5A. I would recommend picking up a set of the Rainbow Fraction Tiles for your DD to play around with, but not worry about it too much at this stage. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4KookieKids Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 IMO - and I'm not an expert by any means - I like to see basic fractions introduced early - 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 - using manipulatives, but save fraction math for after multiplication is pretty solid. I agree with this. I think the age you do it matters less than having a conceptual idea of what a fraction is (which would come from the manipulatives) and having really strong multiplication skils. With those two tools, I've seen children successfully learn fractions as young as first grade, but more commonly not until late elementary school in the US. I'm no expert either, but I am in math education (I teach math teachers). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 My 7 year old learned them at 5 while I was teaching them to my then 3rd grader. Kahn Academy has some great videos for teaching them, was a good refresher for me lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Every year starting in Kindergarten. Getting more complex each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhappyjoyjoy Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 This past week I watched a Right Start Webinar on fractions. It has motivated me to add in right start fraction games for all the kids even though I'm not currently using RS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Those rainbow tiles are so cool. Can anybody buy from them? And do you know if they ship overseas? My 5 year old did basic stuff at school last year. I'm pretty sure they didn't teach him to add them but he can as long as it doesn't require any more conversions than 1/4 to 1/2. Eta. I found them here. They cost over twice as much and I would still have to pay a lot of postage. I complain about postage from oversea but I have been charged almost as much for postage within New Zealand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Fractions are taught every year from kindergarten here in public schools. They use circles mainly to represent fractions. They also use pictures of pizza. Those rainbow tiles are so cool. Can anybody buy from them? And do you know if they ship overseas? We made our own rainbow tiles with scrap construction paper. There are templates on the internet but it is easy to DIY without templates. There is also virtual manipulatives identical to the rainbow tiles in concept on the internet and a ipad app. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticmomma Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 She has been exposed to fractions. There has been no addition, subtraction LCD or any of that. She can tell you how much of an object is shaded and is very familiar with the pizza pie. She can order them least to greatest. I like those tiles. We will probably make our own. I was surprised how little there was in 2b. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMV Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 As others have mentioned I think it is important to introduce the concept of fractions early. Our kids get this early from a practical standpoint when they start cooking. We usually let them do this (admittedly in limited fashion with lots of good parental supervision) somewhere around age three. I will also say that we aren't letting them help with cooking/baking so we can give them extra math practice but because we're a family that cooks together and enjoys that. The fact that it can be a good vehicle for math is an added bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebacabunch Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Learning fractions in an incremental thing. What a second grader learns about fractions is much different than a 4th grader. Level 4 and level 5 really hit fractions hard with Singapore. In level 2 it is mostly exploring fractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticmomma Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Thanks ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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