World of Tan 20 - Fractions

Children you might like to:

Look at how chairs and other shapes can be safely stacked.
Explain to someone what you know about fractions.
Work out what fraction of the week you are NOT at school!
Think of and write about the times you use fractions - e.g when sharing some sweets with friends.

Parents you might like to:

Share what you know about fractions.
Explore fractions in differing contexts - days of the week, parts of a year.
Explain why in the game of Scrabble there are only two tiles with a Z or a Q or a J on them.
Explain why and how you use fractions in your work.
Show how some meals can be shared out out in the ratio of 2 : 1 or 3 to 1. e.g. chips, peas and fish fingers (say)

teachers you might like to:

Explore ways of using the tangram to show the sixteenths - family of fractions.
Play the chocolate bar problem where the object is to get as large amount of the chocolate as possible: in a empty room are 6 identical bars of chocolate 3 bars on one table, 2 on another and 1 on the third table. Children enter the room one at a time and decide which table they will stand by to get the most chocolate when all is shared out. When all the children are in the room the chocolate bars are split into equal parts according to how many are at each table e.g. if 6 children are at table 2 each child gets 1/3 of a bar. etc.. Now see who gets most! -an opportunity for much discussion and comparison of fractions!
Explore the representation of differing fractions using the children - what fraction of the class are girls (say)
Explore different ways of representing the same fraction.
Develop the notion of ratio when mixing squash, in the ratio of 2 to 1/ 3 to 1 etc... when diluting the concentrate with water.