Fraction Bars Teacher's Guide Introduction

Introduction

Fraction Bars is a total program of manipulatives, activities, games, activity sheets, performance tests, and computer games for teaching all fraction concepts. Since it was first introduced in the late nineteen sixties, Fraction Bars has continued to gain wide national acceptance as a successful method for teaching all fraction concepts and operations.The Grades 3-4 Fraction Bars Teacher's Guide contains lessons and activity sheets that are designed for grades 3 to 4.

The third grade students in the following photo are playing 5-Bars Equality, where they compare shaded amounts of bars to determine equivalent fractions. In this game, a bar with no shading has been selected, and the student in the foreground has placed a marker on the mat for zero-thirds.

The Fraction Bars program uses manipulatives, diagrams, and oral language to develop the concepts of fractions. The philosophy of presenting activities with concrete models before introducing fractions and their terminology is consistent with recommendations in the Standards:

"Representing numbers with various physical materials should be a major part of mathematics instruction in the elementary school grades. … As students gain understanding of numbers and how to represent them, they have a foundation for understanding relationships among numbers."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NCTM Standards 2000, page 33

How to Use the Grades 3-4 Guide

Lessons for Each Grade Level
Grade 3: Lessons 1 through 11 and Grade 4: Lessons 1 through 24

Teaching the Lessons
Each of the two-page lessons are on facing pages. A lesson requires about one hour, but for smaller blocks of time, the games and activities within a lesson can be used individually. There are two types of statements in each lesson: those in black type are instructions for the teacher; and those in blue type and set off by a red bullet are instructions and questions from teachers to students. Some of the lessons contain games, and the rules for the games are described within the lessons.

Class Format
The games and activities within the lessons are designed for an activity approach to learning in small groups, ideally two to four students per group. The games are played in small groups, but often the teacher will introduce a game by having the class play as one large group.

Teaching Through Games
One method of promoting the use of the games is to form a large grid with the names of the games and the students for keeping a record of games played. A portion of such a grid that was once used is shown here. The initials show which students have played each other and the games they played. The potential of games for teaching specific concepts and creating student motivation cannot be over-emphasized. As one fourth grade teacher said, "My students learned about fractions and their operations from the games, and the worksheets (activity sheets) were just a way of showing what they had learned."

Classroom Management
The Fraction Bars, Fraction Playing Cards and markers can be placed in small re-sealable sacks, one for each group. One member of each group can be designated as the "materials person" to pick up and return sacks to a central location.

Masters
At the end of the guide, following the 24 lessons, there is a set of Masters. These can be copied for each student. Their purpose is to reinforce the instruction and activities during the lessons.

Interactive Fraction Games
There are 16 interactive games on fractionbars.com, with half of the games in Set 1 and the other half in Set 2. Appropriate website games are referenced at the ends of many of the lessons.

Fraction Bars Grades 3-4 Teacher Resource Package (under separate cover)

Grade 3 contains the following items in the given order:

22 Reproducible Activity Sheets that reinforced concepts and skills presented in Lessons 1 through 11 of the Fraction Bars Grades 3-4 Teacher's Guide.

Answer sheets for the Activity Sheets.

Two reproducible Performance Tests that assess concepts and skills presented in the lessons.

Answer sheets for the Performance Test.

Grade 4 contains the following items in the given order:

48 Reproducible Activity Sheets that reinforced concepts and skills presented in Lessons 1 through 24 of the Fraction Bars Grades 3-4 Teacher's Guide.

Answer sheets for the Activity Sheets.

Four reproducible Performance Tests that assess concepts and skills presented in the lessons.

Answer sheets for the Performance Test.

Lessons for Each Grade Level
Grade 3: Lessons 1 through 11 and Grade 4: Lessons 1 through 24

Teaching the Lessons
Each of the two-page lessons are on facing pages. A lesson requires about one hour, but for smaller blocks of time, the games and activities within a lesson can be used individually. There are two types of statements in each lesson: those in black type are instructions for the teacher; and those in blue type and set off by a red bullet are instructions and questions from teachers to students. Some of the lessons contain games, and the rules for the games are described within the lessons.

Class Format
The games and activities within the lessons are designed for an activity approach to learning in small groups, ideally two to four students per group. The games are played in small groups, but often the teacher will introduce a game by having the class play as one large group.

Teaching Through Games
One method of promoting the use of the games is to form a large grid with the names of the games and the students for keeping a record of games played. A portion of such a grid that was once used is shown here. The initials show which students have played each other and the games they played. The potential of games for teaching specific concepts and creating student motivation cannot be over-emphasized. As one fourth grade teacher said, "My students learned about fractions and their operations from the games, and the worksheets (activity sheets) were just a way of showing what they had learned."

Classroom Management
The Fraction Bars, Fraction Playing Cards and markers can be placed in small re-sealable sacks, one for each group. One member of each group can be designated as the "materials person" to pick up and return sacks to a central location.

Masters
At the end of the guide, following the 24 lessons, there is a set of Masters. These can be copied for each student. Their purpose is to reinforce the instruction and activities during the lessons.

Interactive Fraction Games
There are 16 interactive games on fractionbars.com, with half of the games in Set 1 and the other half in Set 2. Appropriate website games are referenced at the ends of many of the lessons.

Fraction Bars Grades 3-4 Teacher Resource Package (under separate cover)