Taking Math Beyond the Classroom with Real World Fraction Projects

Have you ever had a student ask... "When am I ever going to use this?" Early in my teaching career this question would drive me crazy! It usually was asked by a student who was capable of doing whatever we were learning, but simply didn't feel like actually doing the work.  

This question now makes me realize I have not fully been doing my job as a math teacher... There should never be a time when a student does not understand the purpose or application behind what they are learning! 

When students understand when they would actually use the content they are learning, their motivation is immediately boosted. Not only do students become more motivated to learn the content, but they are also challenged to apply the content which typically requires more critical thinking.  

This is why there has been such a big push for "real world connections" in recent years. As math teachers, we must take our math instruction from classroom use to real world use and fractions is the perfect place to start!

After visiting the Ron Clark Academy a few years ago, I was totally inspired to use classroom transformations as a way to engage my students even further. As our fraction unit comes to a close, I wanted to share a bit about all of the fun!

Adding and Subtracting Fractions

We hosted a cooking show to share our delicious dessert recipe with the world! Students got to "bake" and apply their understanding of adding and subtracting fractions to some real-life cooking situations!

I gave them directions to make their own chef hat as an optional homework assignment but didn’t tell them what it was for. This built some great excitement overnight!

At the end of the day after students left school, I simply threw some plastic tablecloths on the tables, brought in cooking utensils, and pulled up some bakery music on my computer and we were good to go for the next day! Students worked in small groups and took turns making their “sprinkle chow” recipe with their groups.

Even though the floor was covered in powdered sugar at the end of the day, it was worth it!

Multiplying Fractions

The math cafe was under construction while we used our skills multiplying fractions to build model dog houses! I added caution tape to every place I could think of around the classroom, put out some safety cones, and added all sorts of construction-like centerpieces to the tables!

I threw on a pair of safety googles and a reflective safety vest to really get into the construction spirit! Next time I do this I will be sure to find hard hats (well, plastic ones) for my students! I found an hour long video on YouTube of a construction site (what non-teacher would ever use this?!).

Later that week, we used the directions in the project to build model dog houses! It definitely tested students' abilities to follow detailed directions! They loved the construction project and we had some awesome little construction paper dog houses! I wish I had taken pictures of their dog houses because some of them really turned out great!

Dividing Fractions

Despite the cold weather, we ran our own lemonade stands in the classroom to help us practice dividing fractions! I reused the plastic table cloths from the cooking show project, let students design lemonade stand signs, and brought in yummy treats for them to have at their lemonade stand! Maybe next year we will actually make our own lemonade :)

I played some Jack Johnson in the background as kids worked because it just made me think of warm weather. I was impressed that several students actually knew who Jack Johnson was! This was the easiest classroom makeover and the kids had lots of fun! I never struggle to keep students engaged with these mini-projects and they seriously work so hard!

These days are rewarding for me to see how much they have learned as they apply their fraction knowledge to these real-world situations! 

All Fraction Operations

We still have our picnic-themed fraction review project that we will do sometime this week, and then it's off to our next unit! I don't transform my classroom for every project we do, because honestly my students are engaged with the real-world scenarios of the projects anyway! But, I do believe the classroom transformations bring an element of surprise and joy to my students' faces that is just too addicting to resist :)

Looking for 4th Grade Projects?

After many requests for 4th grade fraction projects, I have finally started creating some! Honestly, I think the 4th grade adding and subtracting fractions project is my favorite! It’s an ice cream theme and students get to make their own ice cream in class at the end of the project if you choose to do this part of the project! It’s totally optional, but who wouldn’t want ice cream in the middle of the day?! Currently I’ve also got a 4th grade multiplying fractions project that has a camping theme and a 4th grade fraction review project that covers all 4th grade Common Core fraction standards! The review project is a sports theme! You can check these out below! Don’t worry, I’m working on more for my 4th grade teacher friends!

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