Playdough Fractions

To help the students visualize fractions, or parts of a set, the students created playdough "cookies" which they had to cut apart to share with their friends. The students first rolled out playdough and then used the container to cut out a circle. I then gave them a variety of scenarios in which they had to share their "cookie" with someone. For example, if I said that two friends wanted to share the "cookie" then they had to divide it into halves. I would ask them how much had been eaten if only one friend ate their piece and they would have to respond with "1 out of 2." We repeated this several times by dividing the "cookies" into thirds and fourths. I would ask the students various questions including how much was left behind if a certain part was eaten.