VOLUME 2  •  FEBRUARY 2019

THE SCOOP
BEECHTOWN 3B'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

NOTE FROM THE TEACHER

TAKE A PEEK! Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Welcome back from February break! This week we are

going to be starting a unit on rational numbers starting
NOTE FROM TEACHER with fractions and then decimals, ratios, and proportions.
- 1 As we begin this unit, we will be introducing two exciting
new technology programs to our class: "The Fractions
App" and "Splash Math". These programs will provide
THE FRACTIONS APP - 2 students with some tools and extra practice that may be
helpful for them as they are learning these new
mathematical concepts. We will be using them quite often
SPLASH MATH - 3 in the classroom so I encourage you and your student to
familiarize yourself with the programs as well.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these

programs, as always feel free to contact me at liaojf@bc.edu!

Sincerely,
Ms. Liao
THE FRACTIONS APP
The Fractions app is an app that allows students
to explore fractions in an interactive and
engaging way. It can be found on Apple devices,
Chrome, and on the web. It has different features
that allow students to interact with fractions and
gain an understanding of the different concepts
involved with fractions.

Through this app, students can create fractions

using visual models of circles and rectangles.
The app also allows students to create equations
with mathematical symbols and draw/write on
the app. It provides students with a virtual
manipulative that can help students visualize the
relationships. As students learn to create
fractions and fill them in with different colors,
they will begin to see the different relationships
between fractions and encourage real-world
application. Students can create fraction models
and label them with their corresponding fraction
using the toolbar along the bottom of their
screen. Students can also drag the models
across the screen to compare and contrast
different fractions.

In class, we will be using this app for many

different lessons from identifying fractions to
understanding equivalent fractions to comparing
fractions. For example, one problem that we
might use it to compare fractions with the same
numerator is if I ask students which fraction is
In our class, we will be using this app as a
greater, 3/8 and 3/12? Students can create a
tool to help students solve problems and
visual model breaking apart two circles into
eight and twelve parts respectively. Then they see concrete examples.These concrete
will fill in three parts in each circle to represent examples and models are essential for
3/8 and 3/12. After filling in the circles they can students to learn fractions and grasp this
see clearly that 3/8 is greater because more of difficult concept. This program is very
the circle is filled in. This is a difficult concept for creative and encourages students to take
students to understand, but by providing visual an active role in their learning process.
models, it can help students see the patterns and
relationships between fractions.
SPLASH MATH
Splash Math is a collection of interactive web-
based or iPad applets that help students learn
different mathematical concepts in the K-5
curriculum. It is an adaptive and personalized
math program that also allows teachers to give
students assignments to do through the applet.
Teachers can also analyze student progress in
the Splash Math program to create lesson plans
that support student learning in the areas that
they need extra practice in.
During the fractions unit we will be using an
applet in it called "Equivalent Fractions using
Models". This applet gives students visual
rectangular models to represent fractions to
help them see what equivalent fractions are
and then asks students to click on the fish
that has the correct numerator for the
fraction. For example, the applet will show
1/4=?/12 along with two rectangles, one
broken into four parts and the other broken
into twelve parts. The rectangle broken into
four parts will have one part shaded in to
represent 1/4 and the equivalent part shaded
in on the second rectangle. The student will
then click on the fish that corresponds to the
number of parts shaded in on the second
rectangle, which is 3, thus showing students
that the same fraction can be represented in
different ways with different denominators. It
also shows students the relationship between
numerators and denominators
The fractions get increasingly harder
and more complex as the student
continues to play. When students get
the problem correct, they get virtual
coins. When the problem is solved
incorrectly, the applet tells student
their error. I can assign students
practice problems to do at home to
further support learning at school and I
can also see what problems students
found more difficult or challenging so I
can assess their progress and plan
instruction around each individual
student's needs.
Overall, Splash Math is highly
interactive and uses virtual prizes and
rewards to encourage student
engagement. The colorful sounds and
music that plays during the applet
make it attractive for students. It
provides students with multiple visual
models to give them a more concrete
way of understanding the concept of
equivalent fractions.