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If you had to start fractions from scratch in 6th grade...


kentuckymom
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So, this is my first year homeschooling my son, who is almost 12 and in 6th grade. Most things are going well, but we've really been struggling with math, even after changing programs and trying to make adjustments.

 

I had a friend who is a long time homeschooler and kind of a math expert work with him yesterday to determine his areas of strength and weakness.

 

Among other things, she said that his understanding of fractions is very weak and recommended teaching fractions from the very beginning.

 

So, if you had to start fractions over (or do them for the first time) with a 6th grader, what would you do?

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Life of Fred has been a great fit for my dyscalc. DD in regards to fractions. She knew what to do with them, but not why. The stories and examples in LOF helped her to straighten out the meaning behind her actions. (And because of the fun presentation, she never complained about "going backwards" or doing additional math practice)

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  • 2 weeks later...

For very very beginning fractions- cooking. Not just following a recipe but doubling and trip paling, halting recipe etc. then cutting up the finished product to share equally amongst differing amounts. After that then do more abstract pencil to paper suggestions mentioned above. In the child's mind they can then relate the wrtiien problem to their cooking

Edited by Melissa in Australia
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No one has suggested this, but it worked well for DD - Right Brain Fractions. It starts at the very beginning and goes through dividing fractions, I think. It ties the lessons in with stories about Nom and Num (Denominator and Numerator). Its intended for classroom teaching, but I found it very useable. There are many worksheets and paper manipulative to copy. We also diud lots of food fractions, cutting up pizza and such, so much that my 5 year old picked up some of it. This morning I said one piece of pizza wasn't enough for all of us, and he said "It is if we cut it into fifths!"

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