During walkabout today, a young learner in a workstation was creating fraction bars to demonstrate a whole.  I stopped to ask some clarifying questions:

• Child:  Mrs. Van, did you know fractions are part of our everyday life?
• Me:  In what ways do we use fractions everyday?
• Child:  Well, I know you like pie, right?  You use fractions when you cut into the pies you make to share with others.
• Me:  I LOVE pie (and it shows) and you’re exactly right!

Our conversation went forward with several other examples, but the most exciting part of the lesson today is understanding how fractions work in our real world.  Helping our children to visualize them is key to comprehending their daily use.  My learner friend shared something special she does at home to “practice fraction action:”  she keeps a diary where she records and draws the fractions she notices in her world.  For example, when grocery shopping, she bought 1 1/2 pounds (1.5 in decimals of course) of ground beef for “Taco Tuesday” at their house.  She shares her diary with her dad each week to talk about her observations…what a clever idea indeed!  Here’s hoping we all find a little “fraction action” in our lives too!  🙂