Understanding Equivalent Fractions

Subject: Math

Grade Level: 3rd Grade

Corresponding Common Core State Standards: 

1) CCSS.Math.Content.3.NF.A.3a Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size, or the same point on a number line.

2) CCSS.Math.Content.3.NF.A.3b Recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3. Explain why the fractions are equivalent, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.

Reason for choosing to use this video: 

This video can be extremely useful for students who are struggling to understand the concept behind equivalent fractions, especially students asking themselves: “How can fractions with different numerical values in their numerators and denominators be equal?” The benefit of this video is that instead of focusing on the definition of “equivalent fractions”, the video provides visual representations that prove why two fractions with different numerical values in their numerators and denominators can still be equivalent. As a result, this is a great video for students who doubt the validity of the concept behind equivalent fractions. This video also provides excellent opportunities where the teacher can stop the video and ask students to complete a task. For example, the video starts off by showing three circles that have been divided into a different number of equal slices, some of which have been shaded. The teacher could easily stop the video after viewing this section and ask students to write a fractional value to represent the shaded portion of each circle. Afterwards, the video provides the correct answer by demonstrating to students how fractional values are obtained from each circle.

This video proves how two fractions with different numerical values in their numerators and denominators can still be equivalent by placing them on a number line. Afterwards the video demonstrates how a circle with big slices can be easily be divided to match a circle with smaller slices, which proves that the only difference between both circles is the number slices and the size of the slices, not the size of the circle nor the area of the circle that is shaded, which proves that both circles are equivalent. Although equivalent fractions can be taught without this video, this video could easily be projected onto a screen for all students to watch at the same time and could thus save teachers a lot of time. Overall, this video is a great resource teachers can use when teaching or reviewing equivalent fractions.