Playdoh or similar dough (one ball per student)
Plastic knives or craft sticks (for cutting dough)
Paper towels (for cleanup)
Introduction: Explain to students that they will use dough to learn about fractions. Discuss what fractions are and how they represent parts of a whole.
Activity Setup:
Dough Preparation: Give each student a ball of dough. Instruct them to flatten the dough into a round shape or rectangle, depending on the fractions they will work with.
Fraction Exploration:
Cutting Fractions: Call out different fractions (e.g., 1/2, 1/4, 1/3) and have students use their plastic knives to cut their flattened dough into the appropriate fractions. For example, if you call out 1/2, students should cut their dough into two equal parts, with one part representing 1/2.
Verification: Check the students’ work to ensure that the dough is divided correctly according to the fractions called out.
Hands-On Practice: Allow students to practice creating various fractions with their dough. They can experiment with different fractions, such as 1/8 or 2/3, and verify their results.
Discussion: Review the students’ creations and discuss how using dough helps in understanding fractions. Emphasize the visual and hands-on aspects of fraction representation.
Cleanup: Have students clean up their work area and wash their hands.