Commentary: Fraction Multiplication -- Rug Problems

 

            I’ve only had the chance to try this activity once, as homework.  We were too rushed, and it didn’t go too well, but I think it has a lot of potential, particularly in a math for teachers course, as an in-class activity.  In many ways, the area model of multiplication is the easiest for students to understand with fractions  it’s straightforward to use it to explain why the multiplication algorithm for fractions work, plus it’s pretty much the same model for fractions and for integers.  7/05

 

 

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