Mixed Numbers

Last Thursday, the children were presented with a problem. They were given 7 (paper) brownies and asked how they might share them with 4 people. My favorite part of the task is the different ways children solved it. We ended up with "3" answers.

1. 7/4

2. 1 + 1/2 + 1/4

3. 1 3/4

As you may have guessed, these answers are actually the same - they are all equivalent to 1 3/4. This will help guide us into our exploration of equivalent fractions later in the week.

Today, we explored mixed numbers. A mixed number is a whole (or many wholes) and then a fraction more. 2 1/2, 3 4/5, 1 7/10 are all mixed numbers. The children will continue to problem solve different ways to share brownies with different numbers of people. They are sure to end up with more mixed numbers.

You can use this language when you find fractions at home!