Fraction Strips

Have students carefully cut out the strips on the Making Fraction Strips page in the Student Activity Book.

The first step in the activity is to establish that an unfolded strip of paper represents one whole. Tell each student to write the number “1” or the word “whole” on the first strip, color it red, and set this aside.

Explain to students that they will fold each strip to show different fractions. To make a pink halves strip, have students fold a strip into two pieces that are exactly the same size. Make sure that they crease their strips carefully, making clean sharp folds. Once the folding is completed, ask students to unfold their strips and draw a line with a ruler showing their folds.

Have students label each part “1/2” and color the strip pink. See Figure 4.

Next, make a yellow fourths strip. Ask students how they can fold a strip into four equal pieces. Allow them a minute or two to discuss this with the group. Students can first fold their strips in half and then in half again. When they unfold their strips, they will have four equal pieces. After students have completed their folds, ask them to unfold their strips and use their rulers to draw a line showing each fold.

Students then label each piece with “1/4” and color it yellow as shown in Figure 5.

Next, make a blue eighths strip. Students fold a strip into eight equal pieces. Have them discuss a method for doing this with the group. The most efficient method is first to fold the strip in half, then fold the folded strip in half again, and finally fold this in half. When the strip is unfolded, it will be in eight equal sections. Ask similar questions to those used above for halves. Students should label their strips as in Figure 6 and color them blue, taking care not to cover the fractions.