Math 212 Fraction Bar Lab
Burton and Fung
Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Please work in pairs throughout this lab. Groups of three are too many. If there are an odd number of students working, please have someone choose to work by themselves.

Part 1: §5.2 Math Activity (Conceptual Approach hardbound text), page 281

Materials
You may do all of this activity using the Virtual Fraction Bars, but for the initial sorting, it will be easier if you use your Cardstock Fraction Bars to see how the cardstock and virtual sets match up. Your cardstock kit does not have tenths bars, the VMK does. You may use the tenths bars or not, it is your choice.

Virtual Fraction Bars: Go to the Bennett, Burton & Nelson Student Center Virtual Manipulative Kit (VMK) main page by clicking here.

Scroll down and select the Fraction Bar manipulatives. A new tab or window titled VMK should open. The page may take a few minutes, initially, to load. If the VMK does not open to the Fraction Bars, use the "Virtual Manipulatives" drop down menu to select Fraction Bars.

If you don't have your text with you, use the drop down Resources menu to select Activities. A new window should open with all of the Math Activities listed by sections. You can select the 5.2 Activity which will open as a pdf file. You can print this file for reference (see below for printing directions).

Help
Note: There is an extensive VMK Help Menu that explains how each button works. If you get stuck, use the drop down Resources menu to look at the Help file!

SOLUTION SAMPLE: Question 1a, first part
Here is the solution for all of the fraction bar fractions that are equal to 1/2.
To do this, I selected the size of the bar from the "type of bars" menu, then I selected the bar icon and clicked on the VMK open space. I selected the arrow button and repositioned bars as needed. I then clicked on the Shade icon and clicked to shade the bars. I used the A icon to type in text (select A, click on open space, type in text); once for labeling each bar and then again for the final 1/2 = 2/4 = 3/6 = 4/8 = 4/10 = 6/12 equation.

Part 1 Assignment Questions (#1 - #4a only)
All questions that say Print are due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, January 9. Be sure to include both partners' names on the pages you have printed to turn in. See the end of this section for VMK printing instructions.

Questions 1a. and b. Do these questions using either the Virtual or your Cardstock Fraction Bars. Write notes for yourself, no printing required.

Question 2. Do this question using either the Virtual or your Cardstock Fraction Bars. Write notes for yourself. Print a VMK page with three examples from your solution.

Question 3. Do this question using either the Virtual or your Cardstock Fraction Bars. Write notes for yourself, no printing required.

Question 4a. Do these questions using the Virtual Fraction Bars. Write notes for yourself. Print a VMK page with three examples from your solution. You can either line the bars up to show the "split" or handdraw in the dashed splitting lines after printing.

End part 1 (you do not need to 4b or 5).

VMK and Computer Lab Printing
Using the VMK File drop down menu, you can print your work on the printers in this lab (HL 108 or Lab HL 108). Black and white printing costs 1 print credit/page, color printing costs 5 print credits/page. There is NO reason to print in color. The divisions on the fraction bars show clearly without color. Save your print credits!

Part 2: Fractionbars.com Fun

fractionbars.com and decimalsquares.com are two extensive teacher resource websites designed and maintained by Albert Bennett (one of your textbook authors). Both sites have fun interactive games for kids on them, but the decimalsquares.com have been updated more recently and are brighter and a bit more exciting. Dr. Bennett with advice from Dr. Klay Kruczek (WOU Math) is currently updating the fractionbar.com interactive games for kids to make them as equally bright and exciting as the decimalsquares.com games.

We would all appreciate it if you would log on to a temporary fractionbars.com game site and try the new fraction bars games.

Directions
Log into the temporary fractionbars game site by clicking here. With your partner, play each game:

  1. Beat the Clock
  2. Hitting Asteroids
  3. Fraction Darts
  4. Rope Tug
  5. Concentration

For each game, please tell us:

  1. How did the game work for you?
  2. What math concepts were the easies in the game?
  3. What math concepts were the hardest in the game?
  4. What suggestions do you have for improving the game?
With your partner, write or type your responses to the above and turn them in at the beginning of class on Wednesday, January 9.

Weblinks of interest:

http://www.fractionbars.com/

http://www.decimalsquares.com/