Fractions Every Friday by Ellen Javernick


successful methods for teaching real-life math skills. The way to a man’s heart may be through his stom- ach. The way to a second grader’s brain certainly is through his or her stomach! Each Monday I hand out tickets to my students,


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and promise that they can join in a Friday cooking project if they demonstrate positive behavior and don’t lose their tickets during the week. It doesn’t take long for even my hard-core discipline challenges to begin working for the chance to cook. At first I integrated math almost as an afterthought,


but I soon realized the potential cooking could have for teaching math skills, and I began to plan accord- ingly. Although we use all the math strands when we cook, I focus mainly on fractions. When I pick projects, I consider safety, ease of


preparation and the availability of appliances—my own, since I have to bring them in. We use a blender, toaster oven, microwave, crockpot, and an electric griddle. Occasionally we bake in the oven in our cafeteria kitchen. I do any steps that potentially could be dangerous, or have an adult helper do them. Children should be exposed to a variety of foods so I pick recipes from all the sections


of my cookbook. We’ve cooked the alphabet from applesauce to zucchini bread. We’ve made healthy smoothies and not-so-healthy S’mores. Picky eaters aren’t a problem. Our first cooking project in the fall is green eggs and


ham. I read the book by the same name and we talk about the idea that you don’t know if you like something until you try it. I require that each child take a “be polite bite” of everything we cook. For our green eggs, I brought two dozen eggs. Each of my students got to crack one egg (1⁄24 of the total number of eggs or 1⁄12 of the eggs in a single car- ton). I was surprised to discover that only a few of my students had ever cracked an egg. Three–twenty-fourths of the students made a slimy mess!


Parts of a Whole


Children who struggle in math often have the misconception that a fraction represents a constant amount rather than a part of a whole. Without direct teaching they assume that if a quarter of a dollar is 25 cents, a quarter of an hour is 25 minutes, and a quarter cup of raisins is 25 raisins. Dividing fruits into fractional parts for fruit salad helps students understand that ¼ represents one of four parts. A quarter of a strawberry is not the same size as a quarter of a watermelon! Quarters aren’t always the same shape. Cinnamon toast can be cut into triangular, square, or rectangular quarters. One-half teaspoon of baking soda looks a lot different than one-half cup of flour. My little cooks discovered that it acts differently too!


©synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • May/June 2011 Connect • Page 1


You should tell other teachers we learned that 1/2 can be different, like 1/2 of a grape is a lot smaller than half a banana. —Katie


hat started as a way to reward my students’ good behavior has turned into one of my most


kate russell

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