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Real-World Fractions

 I started teaching Title Math for fifth grade this year. It's been an up and down type of thing. I've made a lot of mistakes and had some frustrations because it's not what I really want it to be and I'm not sure how to get it there. However, some days have been good and I like to think I'm helping in some way. Today was a win, or at least it was fun. 

We have been working all week on adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators. Fractions are pretty abstract and so I wanted us to have a real-world example of them. I halved a recipe for chocolate mug cakes. The students had to double the recipe and also simplify the fractions. For example, we don't have sixteenth-size teaspoons, so when the recipe called for 1/16 of a teaspoon, they had to double that to 2/16 and then simplify to 1/8 of a teaspoon. It was a bit of a struggle getting all of that (math!), and we really got hung up on 1 1/2 + 1 1/2 and thinking that was just two. I made them pull out the fraction tiles for that one. Eventually, we had the recipe ready. 

Then it was pure chaos. They had flour and chocolate powder everywhere. The vanilla got spilled onto the lid for the water. We had to have a discussion on the difference between which bowl had salt versus sugar, and the difference between teaspoons and tablespoons, as well as liquid versus sold measuring cups. They had a blast and loved the experience. Hopefully, somewhere in there they learned something. I loved it.

I wish I had taken a picture of the mess I cleaned up after they rushed out the door still eating as the bell rang and shouting, "Mrs. Duncan is the best teacher ever." These are the days I have to remember in the middle of the days when I'm grading papers thinking I should just quit because the grades reflect that I'm the worst teacher ever. LOL

Professional photo from the recipe...ours weren't as pretty, but they tasted good and the kids loved it!


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