Help kids master fractions with the fun, fast-paced, math comparison game Fraction Wars. After a review, students are split into pairs to practice quickly comparing fractions with different numerators and denominators.
Students will be able to compare fractions with different numerators and denominators.
The adjustment to the whole group lesson is a modification to differentiate for children who are English learners.
EL adjustments
Introduction
(15 minutes)
Call students together as a group and ask them if they have ever played the card game War before. For students who have never seen this game previously, quickly demonstrate the game by dividing a deck of cards in half between two students. Have the two students pull the top card off their half of the decks and declare the winner of the hand to be the student with the higher numbered card.
Explain that today students are going to be playing this game with fractions. They will be playing Fraction Wars.
In order to play this game, students will need to make fraction playing cards. Brainstorm as a group some fractions students might want to include in their decks. (Possibilities include: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 3/8, etc.) List some common fractions up on the board, such as 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, for students as they create their fraction cards.
Pass out index cards or squares of scrap paper along with pens/pencils to students, so that they can make their cards.
Beginning
Display a written list of the steps to play the game War.
Have students read and retell the process to a partner.
Intermediate
Give students access to home language resources if they are literate in their home language (L1) to help them look up unfamiliar terms.
Have students make fraction cards with a partner and read their fraction as they go (e.g., "I wrote one-fifth.").