Throughout MAED 152, I learned different techniques about how to teach fractions to middle schoolers. There are many different ways to teach how to add, multiple, subtract, and divide fractions. The focus of this course was the use of manipulatives to teach fractions. Manipulatives are a tool that teachers forget to utilize while they’re teaching.
The artifact that is include is the lesson plan that I created for the end of the year project. Everyone in the course had create and teach a lesson that used manipulatives to teach fractions. In my lesson, I combined two previous learned materials. Students needed to know how to add fractions as well as whole numbers in order to add mixed numbers.
For my warm-up, I decided to focus on the two previous learned materials that way the students have that in the forefront of their mind. From there, I taught students two different ways to add mixed numbers by separating the whole numbers from the mixed numbers. After I explained that to students, I used manipulatives to demonstrate adding mixed numbers.
This course taught me that using manipulatives while teaching help students to get a better understanding of the math that they are being taught. There’s a difference in being taught a formula or a strategy versus being shown exactly what is happening behind the math that is being taught.