Fraction Forms - Texas Instruments TI-15 Teachers Manual

Fraction Forms

Overview
Students will compare the results of using division
to create fractions under the different mode
settings for fraction display and make
generalizations from the patterns they observe.
Introduction
1. Present students with a problem such as:
In a small cafe, there are 6 cups of sugar left in
the pantry to put into 4 sugar bowls. If you
want them all to contain the same amount of
sugar, how much sugar goes into each sugar
bowl?
2. Have students present their solutions to the
problem. Encourage them to find as many ways
to represent the solution as possible.
Examples:
By thinking of using a ¼ cup scoop to fill the
bowls, each bowl would receive 6 scoops, or
6 / cups of sugar.
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By thinking of separating each cup into half
cups, there would be 12 half cups, and each
bowl would receive 3 half cups, or
sugar.
If a 1-cup measuring cup was used first, each
bowl would receive 1 cup of sugar, then the
last two cups could be divided into eight
fourths to give 1
The last two cups could be divided into 4
halves to give 1
3. Have students identify the operation and record
the equation that they could use with the
calculator to represent the action in the situation
(6 cups ÷ 4 bowls = number of cups per bowl).
© 2000 T I
EXAS NSTRUMENTS
2
/ cups per bowl.
4
1
/ cups per bowl.
2
I
NCORPORATED
Math Concepts
• division
• multiplication
• common
factors
• equivalent
fractions

3 / cups of
2

TI-15: A Guide for Teachers
Grades 4 - 6
Materials
• TI-15
• pencil
• student
activity
(page 9)
Refer to page 45 for
detailed information
about mode settings on
the TI-15.
Division can be
represented by 6 P 4 or
6/4 (entered on the
calculator as 6 ž 4 ¥).
In this activity, the
fraction representation
is used.
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