Fraction Fun: Intro to Fractions with Simulation Games!

Mathematics Grades 3rd Grade 10:59 Video
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Lesson Description

Let's learn about fractions using fun simulation games! We'll explore halves, thirds, and fourths, and see how fractions make up a whole.

Video Resource

Fractions: Intro Simulation

Miacademy Learning Channel

Duration: 10:59
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Numerator
  • Denominator
  • Whole
  • Halves, Thirds, Fourths, and Eighths

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to identify the numerator and denominator in a fraction.
  • Students will be able to represent fractions (halves, thirds, fourths, and eighths) using visual models.
  • Students will be able to determine what fraction of a shape is shaded or colored.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students what they already know about fractions. Show a simple picture of a pizza cut into slices and ask how many slices there are, and if you ate one, how many did you eat? Introduce the terms numerator and denominator. Briefly explain that fractions are parts of a whole.
  • Video Viewing (10 mins)
    Watch the Miacademy Learning Channel video 'Fractions: Intro Simulation'. Encourage students to pay attention to how the simulation game represents fractions with circles and colors.
  • Guided Practice (15 mins)
    After watching the video, guide students through similar examples on the board. Draw circles and divide them into halves, thirds, and fourths. Have students shade a portion of each circle and then write the corresponding fraction. Example: Draw a circle, divide into four parts, shade 3 parts. Ask: 'What fraction of the circle is shaded?' (3/4)
  • Simulation Game Time (15 mins)
    Allow students to play the fraction simulation game (similar to the one in the video) online or using printable worksheets. This hands-on activity reinforces fraction concepts. Direct them to focus on understanding how the numerator and denominator change as they fill in the circle.
  • Wrap-up (5 mins)
    Review key concepts (numerator, denominator, whole). Ask students to share what they learned during the simulation game. Review what a whole is and how fractions make up a whole.

Interactive Exercises

  • Fraction Circles Worksheet
    Provide students with a worksheet containing blank circles divided into different numbers of parts (halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths). Instruct them to shade in a specific fraction of each circle. Then, they must write the fraction represented by the shaded portion below each circle.

Discussion Questions

  • What does the bottom number (denominator) of a fraction tell us?
  • What does the top number (numerator) of a fraction tell us?
  • How can you show one-half of a circle?
  • When does a fraction equal a whole?

Skills Developed

  • Fraction Identification
  • Visual Representation of Fractions
  • Understanding Numerator and Denominator
  • Problem-Solving

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What is the top number in a fraction called?

Correct Answer: Numerator

Question 2:

What is the bottom number in a fraction called?

Correct Answer: Denominator

Question 3:

If a pizza is cut into 4 slices, and you eat 1 slice, what fraction of the pizza did you eat?

Correct Answer: 1/4

Question 4:

Which fraction shows a whole?

Correct Answer: 4/4

Question 5:

If you have a circle divided into 3 equal parts, what is each part called?

Correct Answer: Third

Question 6:

Which picture shows 1/2 of a circle shaded?

Correct Answer: A circle divided into 2 parts with 1 shaded

Question 7:

If you have 2/2 of a cake, how much of the cake do you have?

Correct Answer: The whole cake

Question 8:

Which fraction is bigger, 1/4 or 3/4?

Correct Answer: 3/4

Question 9:

What does it mean when the numerator and denominator are the same number?

Correct Answer: It is a whole

Question 10:

Which picture shows one-third of a circle shaded?

Correct Answer: A circle divided into 3 equal parts, one shaded

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

The top number in a fraction is called the ___________.

Correct Answer: numerator

Question 2:

The bottom number in a fraction is called the ___________.

Correct Answer: denominator

Question 3:

When the numerator and denominator are the same, the fraction equals a ___________.

Correct Answer: whole

Question 4:

1/2 means one out of ___________ equal parts.

Correct Answer: two

Question 5:

If a circle is divided into four equal parts, each part is called a ___________.

Correct Answer: fourth

Question 6:

If you shade 2 parts of a circle divided into 3 equal parts, the fraction shaded is ___________.

Correct Answer: 2/3

Question 7:

3/3 is the same as ___________.

Correct Answer: 1

Question 8:

1/4 is __________ than 1/2.

Correct Answer: smaller

Question 9:

Two-fourths can also be called one ___________.

Correct Answer: half

Question 10:

In the fraction 2/4, the 4 tells us how many ___________ the whole is divided into.

Correct Answer: parts

Educational Standards

3.N.3.1:Read and write fractions with words and symbols using appropriate terminology (i.e., numerator and denominator). 3.N.3.2:Model fractions using length, set, and area for halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and eighths. 3.N.3.3:Apply understanding of unit fractions and use this understanding to compose and decompose fractions related to the same whole.

Teaching Materials

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