ABOUT VISUAL FRACTIONS
The purpose of Visual Fractions is to picture fractions and the operations on them.
Learners: You should start with the programs in the Identify category on the the Visual Fractions Home Page. You should do both the number line and circle versions of the programs if the circle version is available. Each program will tell you the number of examples you attempted and the number of examples you did correctly. You should do at least 10 examples correctly before you go on to the next program. After you have practiced the programs in the Identify category continue to the Rename, Compare, Add, Subtract, Multiply, and Divide categories. You may go to the Investigate pages for step-by-step instructions on each topic.
Teachers: You might want your students to write each example and the work for each example to be passed in. Once a student is finished with one of the programs he/she can press the <Report> button. This button will open a new page that will allow the student to enter his/her name. Press the <Submit> to go to a printable report card that has the student name and score. Use the <Email> button to send an email of your score. A pop-up window will ask for an email address and will give a review of the content of the email. Press the <Send> button to send the email and close the pop-up window. Press the <Cancel> button to close the pop-up window if you do not wish to send the email.
Each of the instructional programs have dialog fields as illustrated below:
Enter the numerator of a fraction by clicking the Whole field and then keying in the whole number. Then press the <Tab >key to cursor to the numerator field and then key in the numerator. Then press the <Tab> key to move the cursor to the denominator field and then key in the denominator. Then press the<Tab> key to move the cursor to the <OK> button. You may press the Space Bar or click on the <OK> button to accept your answer. If your answer is correct, your score will increase by one point and you may <Tab> to the <New Example> button to go to the next example.
If your answer is not correct you will be told if your answer is too large or too small. You may then enter another number.
Pressing the <Explain> button is like pressing the <OK> button except that the answer will appear in the number fields and an explanation will appear at the bottom of the application. Your example number and score will not increase by pressing the <Explain> button, but you may press the <New Example> button to go to the next example.
The <Start> button will bring the Correct and Attempts scores to 0 and will give you a new example.
Press the <Report> button to make a report card. This button will open a dialog that asks you to submit your first and last name. A printable report card will then appear that gives your name, the operation you worked on, a description of the operation, the number attempted examples, the number of correct examples, and the percent correct. Use the <Print> button to print the report card.
Use the <Email> button to send an email of your score. A pop-up window will ask for an email address and will give a review of the content of the email. Press the <Send> button to send the email and close the pop-up window. Press the <Cancel> button to close the pop-up window if you do not wish to send the email.
Visual Fractions programs have been converted to run without FLASH using the built in canvas in html5 or later browsers, allowing the programs to run on more devices.
Please check the Site Map page to see which Visual Fractions programs will still run on FLASH devices.
Did you ever want to design your own number line and circle fraction examples? You can with this new on-line series of Fraction Maker programs.Enter in your own fractions and see number line or circle models of the operands and answers. For teachers, answers can be turned on or off if you wish to query the student. If you are learning on your own, follow the suggestions box on each of the Design Fractions pages.
All games in the VISUALFRACTIONS series give more practice with fractions and help in understanding them.
The Cookies for Grampy program is by far the most popular program on the Visual Fractions web site. The Find Grammy and Grampy games do well, also.
The new Dial Scale game uses an analog dial to weigh several characters. Feed nectar to a bee as it travels from 0 to 3.
See how quickly you can weigh a chimp, rabbit, bird, Blinker, beetle, and a bee. With this revised Platform Scale game you can measure each to the nearest hundredths of a unit.
Weigh several characters on a decimal scale with the new Slide Scale game. You find the weight to thousandths of a unit by sliding a pointer along graduated bars.
In-Between is a new strategy game where you guess the distance between two points to get closer to a character position.
Try the Egyptian Cookies for Grampy game. Find out how to use Ancient Egyptian unit fractions as you put together barley cookies for Grampy.
The newest game is Balance Scale where you can weigh three objects with a balance scale. Here, you will use common fractions and their decimal fraction equivalents..
Where do I start? Where do I go next? If you are learning on your own you might be looking for some guidance so go to the Progress Chart page for a list of Visual fractions activities.
Each topic will have a pretest, instruction, on-line practice, worksheet practice, and a test.
A printable check list is available so you can keep track of your progress as you work through these topics. Keep this check list to show the work you have accomplished in this visual fractions modeling program.
Middle School Mathematics teacher for 28 years. Adjunct instructor in mathematics at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in Presque Isle, Maine for 16 years. Now retired.
Rational Numbers are better understood when seen.