A Play on Numbers: Multiplying/Dividing Fractions

On the MLC website, you'll find resources authored by Eugene Maier, past president and cofounder of The Math Learning Center, and professor emeritus of mathematical sciences at Portland State University. One treasure, A Play on Numbers, consists of a sequence of scenes with related commentary. Gene writes, "The pictures that come to my mind when I think about various topics are the result of my effort to develop a cohesive view of elementary mathematics that could inform my teaching and writing and provide me with a coherent story line. Some of these pictures may be familiar to you-many of them have found their way into Math Learning Center materials or have been adapted from other sources."

Fifth grade teachers and students may find one scene particularly helpful as they explore Supplement Set A9 and the Common Core State Standard: "Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to multiply and divide fractions." (5.NF.3 - 5.NF.7) In Scene 12, "Multiplying/Dividing Fractions," Gene walks the reader through visual models for multiplication and division as they apply to fractions. On page 4, for example, he illustrates the use of the area model. (Below, right.)

Each chapter is available in pdf format. To access the pdf, go to the individual chapter and look for the PDF button on the bottom right corner of the screen.