Conceptua Fractions free tools

I've heard a lot of good things about the free fraction tools at Conceptua Fractions. They are interactive online tools that use visual models to teach all fraction operations. They have a tool for identifying fractions, another for equivalent fractions, another for adding fractions with like denominators, another for adding with unlike denominators, and so on.





These tools exceed anything I've seen in the past... truly comprehensive and excellent. They always include several different visual models, and you can switch between them in an instant... the pie, a bar, a rectangle, a number line, or a dot model. You hover over the area to see the slider, and then you can drag it to partition your model into however many parts you want (well, up to 90 or 100 or so). Then you color or uncolor the parts with a single click inside the parts.


I want to mention that these tools are meant for the teacher, to illustrate the concepts. You would best use these tools when teaching the concepts, whether  in whole-class instruction, in a homeschool,  or in tutoring. They do have a few example problems, just a few of various kinds, to show what you can do with the student(s), but they don't provide quizzes or a slew of ready-made problems for the student to complete.

Ok, enough talking. Go try them out -- they're free. For each tool, it's maybe easiest to first look at the sample problems or watch the video that shows how to use it. Then you can go experiment with the tool itself. Lessons plans are also provided.

Comments

Unknown said…
What a great way to illustrate the concept of fractions themselves and operations involving them! We have been focusing a lot in my current teaching middle school math class with comprehension of what fractions actually are in real context. Too many times students will memorize the basic procedure for performing operations with fractions and have no clue how these operations actually work. The interactive nature of the Conceptua Fraction Tools would be sure to grab a middle schooler's attention and further solidify the meaning behind these procedures. Because of the visual nature, it will probably even help with student memory and recall when solving these problems on a test or without notes. Thank you so much for this! I'll definitely be using this resource with the student I am tutoring! :)
6:26 PM, March 23, 2011
Unknown said…
What a great way to illustrate the concept of fractions themselves and operations involving them! We have been focusing a lot in my current teaching middle school math class with comprehension of what fractions actually are in real context. Too many times students will memorize the basic procedure for performing operations with fractions and have no clue how these operations actually work. The interactive nature of the Conceptua Fraction Tools would be sure to grab a middle schooler's attention and further solidify the meaning behind these procedures. Because of the visual nature, it will probably even help with student memory and recall when solving these problems on a test or without notes. Thank you so much for this! I'll definitely be using this resource with the student I am tutoring! :)
6:26 PM, March 23, 2011
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