keys to fractions? or something else?

[EmilyGF]

DD11, who is very much like me, doesn't have a great grasp of fractions for whatever reason. 

 

I'd like to have her do some fraction drill somewhat independently, maybe spending 5-10 minutes per day on it. She needs to figure out her own math by working through it on her own (no direct teaching from me). 

 

Would Keys to Fractions fit the bill? Suggestions?

 

Emily

 

 

[mama25angels]

Yes!

[SilverMoon]

Sounds like it could work. Khan Academy would have videos she could watch.

[OneStepAtATime]

Have you ever worked with her using manipulatives and real world math?  Maybe she needs to see it from a more concrete perspective while learning how to tie that to the more abstract fractions usually found in math curriculum.  As a child I was moved way too quickly into abstract fractions with virtually NO exposure to fractions from a concrete perspective.

 

I agree, though, that the Key to series could help.  I would suggest that you consider Key to Fractions paired with Key to Decimals and Key to Percents.  They are all related and it helped me, DS and DD to see them together.  I started with Book 1 of KfF.  Once that was complete then we moved on to Book 2 of KtF and Book 1 of KtD.  Then once those were done we did Book 3 of KtF, Book 2 of KtD and Book 1 of KtP.  And so on.  Running the others behind KtF helped solidify and keep fresh the more basic concepts in fractions.  

 

In school no one helped me truly connect the dots.  I honestly did not see Fractions, Decimals and Percents as related at all.  But they are.  I wish someone had helped me solidify all three of these things and to see how they are basically all just dealing with breaking up parts of a whole.  I understand them so much better now that I see that connection.

[frogger]

Key to Fractions would be great for that.

[EmilyGF]

Have you ever worked with her using manipulatives and real world math?  Maybe she needs to see it from a more concrete perspective while learning how to tie that to the more abstract fractions usually found in math curriculum.  

Abstraction is this girl's strong point. Because of her learning style, it was hard to find a curriculum that she clicked with and we did a bunch of moving around before finding the right fit. I think we probably just missed a crucial set of lessons while we were finding the right curriculum.

 

Emily

[Christy Walters]

I would love to know what you and your daughter think about the videos on fractions (and decimals, if she also struggles with those) on my website:

http://www.aplusses.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=page_3

 

This doesn't give you worksheets and practice problems, but I explain how to do most of the operations with fractions in a half hour.  One of the things I do with these videos is explain WHY the rules work.  I think that, once the students understand why the rules work, they are more likely to apply the rules correctly and in the correct situation.

 

I hope this helps, and please feel free to send me a private message if you have comments or questions.

Christy Walters

 

 

[KrissiK]

I used Key to Fractions when my son just wasn’t getting fractions. We use CLE math, so every lesson has a little of everything and Key to Fractions really just isolated and taught what he wasn’t getting. So, when he wasn’t getting some new concept CLE taught, we’d stop, do that workbook in KtF and then move back on with CLE. It worked really well.