Sunday, February 12, 2017

Graveyards in February!

I am diving back into the work of blogging, and I couldn't be more excited!  It only seems fitting to end this hiatus I have been on with something as unexpected as graveyards on Valentines Day! Forget the hearts and flowers, my kids are writing fractions on tombstones this Valentine's Day!  I know it sounds unusual, but I am desperate!  Really, I am!  Every year I dive into fractions, trying to get students to really u first and then and not be intimidated. For the most part it is usually successful and they do pretty well with them. I always have this problem though, with even my higher students getting into a rush and converting proper fractions into mixed numbers. I have pounded proper vs improper fractions and their value, but I still have at least one student per day who makes this mistake! So, I decided to do something crazy!  I needed a way to make them remember to never do this again. Thus, the "Proper Fraction Graveyard" was born! Here's how it works! When I am checking (usually formative assessments, so I am walking around the room checking as the students are working), if a student converts a proper fraction into a mixed number, the student must write the proper fraction onto a tombstone and we all have a little moment of remembersnce for the fraction. The students are excited (maybe too excited...), so I am hoping this problem will be solved sooner rather than later! So, tell me- is this something your students do too, or am I alone over here???