Learning Object: Memory Matching with Fractions & Pizza Pies

Memory Matching with Fractions & Pizza Pies (Game)

Grades: 3-5

Goal: Focusing on the pizza slices missing from each pizza pie, find the matching written fraction to each pizza pie. This game involves the use of memory to keep track of the locations of both pizza pies and written fractions in order to make matches between the two.

Instructions:

(Refer to images below for visual examples of the memory cards)

1. Shuffle cards and lay them out face down in even rows (4 x 6)
2. Play a game of Memory Match – each student takes turns flipping two cards and deciding if they match. (If two pizza pies or two written fractions are flipped, the student must flip them back over and their opponent takes a turn.)
3. When a match is made, the student keeps the two matching cards and gets an additional turn.
4. Play until all the cards are gone. Review and count your matches at the end.

My inspiration for this memory match game came from working with 3^rd graders during my weekly observations last semester. One thing I noted while helping these students with math was that a lot of students benefited from a visual explanation or activity. This inspired me to think up an activity that had the following qualities: a visual element, an element of relevancy to the students’ lives, and of course a fun element to keep the students engaged. I decided to look further into the 3^rd grade math curriculum for inspiration and discovered that they are introduced to fractions at this age. I remember this being somewhat of a difficult concept to grasp at a young age, especially when solely seeing fractions written out on the board or worksheets. This caused me to think of situations where the students might encounter fractions in their everyday lives and I realized that food is divided up into fractions quite often – like slices of cake or pizza! I think many children like pizza at this age and they are quite concerned about fairness in terms of sharing things like delicious food, so I decided to incorporate pizza pies into my fraction game. I was inspired to do a memory match game because it can be played with 2+ players, so it involves interacting with peers and learning together. It is also a fun way to help students in making connections between visual and written fractions. The hope is that the more the students play, the faster they become at making the connection between visual and written fractions, thus increasing their fraction fluency. They also have the option of keeping themselves challenged by trying out the variations and extensions I have listed further below.

Although this game could be played by students within the range of grades 3 to 5, it focuses on the following aspects of the 3^rd grade math curriculum:

• Big Idea:
  • Fractions are a type of number that can represent quantities
• Curricular content:
  • Fraction concepts
• Curricular competencies:
  • Develop, demonstrate, and apply mathematical understanding through play, inquiry, and problem solving
  • Visualize to explore mathematical concepts

Special features that were included to increase educational utility:

• If I had the materials, I would incorporate braille and make the pizzas textured in a way that would make the game accessible to the visually impaired
• As mentioned above, I made use of an item that is relevant to the student’s lives so they are inspired to see fractions in everyday objects (could also use layers in a cake, slices of cake, splitting a cookie, etc.)
• Variations/Extensions:
  • Play with half the amount of fractions and pizzas for less of a challenge.
  • Play with only the pizza pies and match the equivalent pizza fractions.
  • Play with only the written fractions and match the equivalent fractions.
  • Students brainstorm additional fractions that are equivalent to those displayed on the cards.
  • Students think up written fractions for how many pizza slices are left in each pizza pie.

Assessment:

This game is simply for practice and formative assessment. It could be used during the exploration segment of a lesson or it might appear on a “Math Menu.” If I wanted to assess the students in a formative way, I might have them count their matches at the end of the game and compare them to an answer sheet to ensure they are getting them correct. This would be solely for the students to see if they’re improving each time they play – a sort of self-assessment. As a teacher, I might observe as they play and take note of any improvements or concerns, but the activity itself would not be formally evaluated.