Enhance your child's math ability with Cuisenaire rods for fractions, super-ones, and algebra!
Prepare your child early for algebra with fun fractions. Did you know that understanding fractions is a basic foundation to solving algebra problems? One of the best ways to develop your child’s math and fraction-solving abilities is with Cuisenaire® rods. I prefer the set of small, wooden rods. The set comes with 155 rods of different sizes and colors as well as an Activity Guide. This is a great way to make sense of numbers, fractions and spatial relationships for children of all ages.
Cuisenaire® rods give a visual, hands-on understanding of why 2/6 = 1/3, for example.
The Activity Guide gives parents great ideas on ways to use the rods to show different mathematical realities and turns the abstract into the logical for children.
Cuisenaire® rods are recommended for elementary school ages, but can be used before and after that. Each rod size coordinates to a specific color and number. Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing can also be learned with them. They are available at http://catalog.teachingsupplystore.com/connecting_cuisenairereg_rods_small_group_set_wood-p-48101.html.
Parents can and should give their children the jump on understanding algebra with a solid knowledge of how and why fractions work. I like to make sure my children know fractions by third grade, where possible.
I also make sure my children know their times-tables by heart by third grade. This not only helps with multiplication math, but also with fractions, where knowing factors quickly helps making equivalent fractions, a very necessary skill. And it will boost a child’s ability to understand algebra later.
One thing I like to do is make multiplication flash cards with colored numbers. (Colored numbers also help with addition flash cards). I assign a specific color to each number, and it always is shown in its color. It engages both sides of the mind and makes the repetition-memorization easier. It is vitally important for a child to have addition and multiplication facts memorized without a calculator. Calculators are tools to be used long after the child is fluent in math-speak, so to say.
My personal number color code is 0 = hot pink, 1 = dark gray, 2 = light blue, 3 = red, 4 = dark blue, 5 = dark green, 6 = orange, 7 = deep yellow, 8 = purple, and 9 = black. See example below.
Then we printed off some flash cards from CoolMath4Kids at http://www.coolmath4kids.com/times-tables/math-flash-cards-multiplication.html. I like them because the numbers are just outlines that you can color-in. I had my kids help me color each number by our code, which became a fun family learning activity.
We used our flash cards every day until each child knew all the multiplication tables by heart. It was well worth the effort!
What are Super-ones? Super-ones are the idea that any number divided by itself equals one. In fraction form this means that 3/3 = 1; 75/75 = 1; x/x = 1; (i+7y)/(i+7y) = 1; ф/ф = 1; √4/√4 = 1; basically anything over itself equals one.
This is very helpful in converting any fraction into an equivalent fraction. It is the WHY of it. An equivalent fraction is one that is the exact same size of the pie, just cut into smaller pieces.
This is very helpful in converting any fraction into an equivalent fraction. It is the WHY of it. An equivalent fraction is one that is the exact same size of the pie, just cut into smaller pieces.
For example, to convert 2/3 into an equivalent fraction, just multiply it by a super-one. So 2/3 x 2/2 = 4/6. Both fractions, 2/3 and 4/6 are the same size, because we just multiplied by 1 (since 2/2 = 1). Can you see the beauty of this?
We could choose any super-one we need. 2/3 x 3/3 = 6/9, and 2/3 is the same size as 6/9 because we just multiplied by 1 (3/3). How about 2/3 x 4/4 = 8/12? Again, 2/3 is the same size as 8/12 because we multiplied by 1 (4/4). Therefore, 2/3 = 4/6 = 6/9 = 8/12; all these fractions are the same size of the pie.
The idea of using super-ones works in reverse, too. Any larger fraction can be reduced down to its lowest form by dividing by a super-one; but the super-one has to be made of factors that fit both the numerator (top) and denominator (bottom).
For example, let’s reduce 15/20 to its lowest form. A factor that goes into both the top and bottom is 5, so divide 15/20 by the super-one: 5/5. See that 15/20 divided by 5/5 = 3/4. Both 15/20 and 3/4 are the same size, because we just divided by 1 (5/5).
Such an understanding of super-ones makes solving fractions and later algebra problems so much easier! It is the WHY behind the methods taught. Cuisenaire rods also help children visualize that 2/3 = 6/9, or that 3/4 = 15/20, but the super-one is the reason that equivalent fractions really are the same size.
http://thegodfreymethod.com
