Fractions - Making the whole - Presentation

In the "Making the Whole" presentation, part of a series on fluency and reasoning with fractions, learners are invited to deepen their understanding of fractions and how they combine to make a whole. The lesson starts with the fundamental question, "What is a fraction?" and prompts students to write a definition, setting the stage for an exploratory discussion on the topic. Students are then engaged in a series of activities starting with filling in missing information to represent one whole using fractions. These activities are designed to illustrate the relationship between different fractions and how they sum up to make a complete unit, reinforcing the concept of numerators and denominators and their roles in fractions.

The subsequent activities require students to apply their knowledge creatively. For example, they describe coloured portions of a starfish or the distribution of red and green apples using fractions, and then determine what combinations of these fractions make a whole. In another scenario, students analyze the catch from a fishing trip, identifying what fraction of the fish are yellow or blue and how these fractions represent the entire catch. They are encouraged to use part-whole models to visually represent their findings. The lesson also includes reasoning exercises where students determine if a pizza has been entirely consumed based on the fraction eaten, and they explore when a fraction is equal to a whole, noting that the numerator and denominator are the same. Independent work and group discussions further challenge students to think critically about fractions and their properties, such as whether a fraction is always less than one and what happens when a fraction equals a whole.