Hitting the wall with fractions...help please!

[*AM*]

My 6th grade son who usually breezes through math is having a hard time with Saxon 7/6 this year and we have slowed down and back tracked to try to remedy this.  He is having a hard time with fractions...specifically adding fractions with unlike denominators.  I am blocked too trying to explain this to him in a way that he understands it.  I have tried and tried and am getting frustrated. 

Can anyone offer anything at all to help???  Maybe a video that may break it down for him better than I am?

Many thanks :)

[Arctic Bunny]

This video seems to explain common denominators very well. Now *I* understand the whys of it all!'

 

[Carol in Cal.]

Essays on what to come back to over and over in teaching fractions:

 

Intro (probably more basic than you need right now):  http://sandboxtosocrates.com/2015/11/02/starting-with-fractions-by-angela-berkeley/

 

The meat of your question:  http://sandboxtosocrates.com/2016/01/04/fractions-101-how-to-think-about-fractions-by-angela-berkeley/

 

 

[Alice]

The Khan Academy videos for fractions are pretty good. I had my son watch all of those after we had done them together. That helped as a review and to break it down step by step. 

[Farrar]

I'd back up and do some stuff with Cuisenaire rods if you have any:

http://www.educationunboxed.com/adding-and-subtracting-fractions-with-different-denominators/

 

If you'd like to hop resources for a bit, The Key to Fractions is a really good, pared down resource that helps some kids who have hit a wall suddenly get it. And it's not too expensive:

https://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?subject=Mathematics/10&category=Key+to+Fractions/2229

[Tess in the Burbs]

I recommend the Key to Fractions.  Both my kids missed fraction math material on their last standardized test. So both spent the summer going through the workbooks.  So glad we did!  It has helped both of them tremendously to firm up their fraction skills.  

[Critterfixer]

We have also found Key to Fractions to be helpful. The boys have been doing a page a day along with their math curriculum. The extra practice hasn't made them "like" fractions, but they are much more comfortable dealing with fractions as a result of daily practice.

[*AM*]

Thank you all so much!  We tried Khan Academy this morning and I loved it, but, he was looking at me :/  I know it will click, but, this is frustrating for him since he has never gotten so stuck in math before.

I will definitely check out the Key to Fractions. 

[Critterfixer]

One thing I have found useful with the boys is to draw many, many pictures to illustrate what is happening. That can be even more useful with fractions. What has been more difficult is getting these little boys to understand that drawing, puzzling, and pawing one's hair over certain topics (not just in math!) is part of learning. It's not only normal to have to chew on difficult things, it's actually important to do so. Wrestling with tough math concepts, tough grammar concepts, tough ideas and tough issues is part of growing as a student. 

Sometimes it can be encouraging to a student to have that presented to them as part of explaining why things are just tough now and again.

[lmrich]

Do you have any manipulatives?

 

Also can he reduce fractions with ease? Can he make equavalent fractions without the added stress of having to add them too? When my daughter was first learning this, she had to overlearn how to reduce fractions - I would feel a huge white board with fractions for her to reduce and then do it again. Then I would 1/4 = ?/8 and make a whole board of similar problems until she got it with ease. 

[FloridaLisa]

I would put the textbook aside for a couple of weeks and have him work exclusively with fractions until there's some fluency. It will keep coming up and even show up in later sciences. I've used cuisenaire rods and the book Everything's Coming Up Fractions with 6/7 of my kids so far and it has worked like a charm! Did exactly what I wanted it to do which is let them immerse in fractions, nail the concepts down and then move into higher math. 

 

We use Saxon as well and do the Fractions book before 65. But it would be excellent to use now. 

[RootAnn]

I had one kid who really struggled with the fraction addition/subtraction thing. (Well, among other things!)

 

There is one specific Key to Fractions book that is good for the fraction addition-with-unlike-denominators thing. Look for that book. It really breaks everything down & holds their hand - one page at a time.

[Janeway]

Every one of my children has needed Keys to Fractions to solidify that topic. It is easy to do and inexpensive too. Start with book one. It seems simple but really helps drive home making like denominators and reducing fractions, etc. You probably won't need book 4.

[summerhauss]

I'm sorry to hear that. I know your frustration trust me. Have you heard of the Life of Fred books? It's a fun, engaging way and unconventional way to learn math! You can Google search "Life of Fred books" and see what you think. I hope that works, it definitely saved my family! No more tears when it comes to math :)

[cmarango]

For another option, Rightstart has a Fractions book that has about 40 lessons. I put up a post about this a few weeks ago and included photos of 3 of the lessons...that may give you an idea of how the program works. We've also used the first book in the Keys to Fraction series, but it wasn't the best fit for us.

 

I hope you find something that works. I know how frustrating it is to try to explain a concept as best as you can, only to realize that we've confused our child even more or have made no difference whatsoever. :)

 

http://www.blueskiesacademy.com/2016/02/rightstart-math-fractions/

[mtomom]

If you can find a used or reasonably priced copy, he book Everything's Coming Up Fractions really helped here. It uses c-rods, which I already owned, to help kids visualize fractions.

[Lecka]

This may not be helpful, but I have heard that weakness in multiplication and division facts can make fractions hard. You might review them just in case.

[Incognito]

Cookies or pies.  If cookies, they need to be the chewy kind you can cut.  Have him make the fractions and compare them, see how to convert them, etc.  Eat them.  Understanding and fun.  

 

Whenever math gets confusing in our house I always change it over to cookies and the kids figure it out.  Now I am sure they wish I always actually had cookies on hand to make it a tangible lesson, but talking about cookies even seems to work. :)

[mamiof5]

Quick question for those who recommended Key to Fractions. I noticed they also have Key to Decimals and Percentages... Have anyone tried those as well? Are they much different between each other? Fractions/decimals/percentages seemed to be linked in many ways, is it worth getting the 3 different sets? Also looking into this since these topics are a struggle for us as well

[mlktwins]

Quick question for those who recommended Key to Fractions. I noticed they also have Key to Decimals and Percentages... Have anyone tried those as well? Are they much different between each other? Fractions/decimals/percentages seemed to be linked in many ways, is it worth getting the 3 different sets? Also looking into this since these topics are a struggle for us as well

We've only used Key to Decimals here so I can't compare to Fractions and Percentages, but my boys really enjoyed Key to Decimals (all 4 books). We went back to finish our decimals chapter in our regular math and they did great. Am looking to get the Key to Fractions books as well. My boys are in 5th grade if that helps you any.

[RootAnn]

I've used some of all three (Key to Decimals, Fractions & Percents). They stand alone. They aren't too expensive, but I'd start with the series or individual books, depending on what you need.

[mamiof5]

Thanks so much ladies! I have a 5th, 4th and 2nd grader.The 2 oldest have come a long way in these topics, but still stumble. Thinking about working on some of this during the summer :)

[rocassie]

My advice (take with a grain of salt because I don't have a 6th grader yet) is to play around with measuring cups and recipes or other types of real world maths.  I find sometimes when a child is able to apply math, the theoretical becomes understandable.  For my 3rd grader, we did a lot with measuring cups, water, and cookie recipes.  She doesn't get division yet, but has a pretty firm grasp on fractions just from playing (well really directed learning/play) around with our measuring cups.  

[OneStepAtATime]

Quick question for those who recommended Key to Fractions. I noticed they also have Key to Decimals and Percentages... Have anyone tried those as well? Are they much different between each other? Fractions/decimals/percentages seemed to be linked in many ways, is it worth getting the 3 different sets? Also looking into this since these topics are a struggle for us as well

All good and all about the same format. Easy to use. You might run through the first book of each of those then the second book in each series, etc. If you have time and the money to invest, that is. At least that was what was recommended to me. They are definitely related concepts.

[Critterfixer]

Second the cooking practice. Both of my boys are learning "Fundamentals of Baking" this spring. They are finding that knowing how to convert a mixed number to an improper fraction saves you a lot of washing cups and spoons. :tongue_smilie:

[Alessandra]

I am just going to throw in a few things NOT to get

 

Fraction circles

Fraction squares

Fraction tiles

 

They are manipulative a by Learning Resources. The itty bitty 1/12 and 1/10 pieces are a pain.

 

The fraction tower with prevents an decimals is ok.

 

Math Mammoth has some topic books on fractions.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Alessandra

[pumpkinbear]

We've run into this occasionally with MM, often enough that I have a system in place now. Basically, I move away from the text and reteach that particular lesson using manipulatives. Sometimes, as with multiplying and dividing fractions and long division, I've had to do some research to figure out exactly what manipulatives to use and how to present them, but there's always something. So I model it over and over with manipulatives, and then have the kid model it over and over with manipulatives, and then give them problems that they solve using the manipulatives, until it's easy-peasy for them. It becomes so easy-peasy that they get bored with it, because obviously, using manipulatives takes longer than using an algorithm or solving it mentally.

 

When the kid has the concept down using manipulatives, I give her a couple of days of drill problems with worksheets to make sure she's mastered it, then we pick back up with the math curriculum.

 

For adding fractions with unlike denominators, offhand I'd say that Cuisenaire rods work well, but he might need more sophisticated problems than you can model with the rods in order to understand the concept. When my kid struggled with simplifying fractions, I used Adobe InDesign to make her a customized fraction pie model for every problem. You can tell the program to make you a circle, and tell it how many pieces you want it divided into, so you can easily make a pie with 30 pieces or 15 pieces to help a kid visualize simplifying 8/30, for instance. 

 

Did my kid love coloring every single fraction and writing the multiplication facts for both numerator and denominator for every single fraction and then reducing it and coloring it again? No, she did not! Can she simplify fractions like a boss now, though? Why, yes she can!