Fractions: A Classroom Journey in Grade 5 - Prachi Pandey

Abstract

This paper shares my personal experience of teaching fractions in two sections of Grade 5 at Sunbeam School, Indiranagar. In Class 5C, I relied on the textbook and taught fractions through definitions and exercises. While the students solved problems, they were often confused about the real meaning of fractions. In Class 5A, however, I shifted my approach. With pizzas, apples, and paper strips, I let the children discover fractions for themselves — laughing at mistakes, arguing over answers, and finally arriving at clarity. This simple change transformed confusion into confidence. The paper reflects on how small shifts in teaching can make mathematics feel alive and meaningful.

1. Introduction
   When I first began the chapter Fractions with Class 5C, I was eager to make it easy for my students. I explained the rules clearly: what unit fractions were, how improper fractions worked, and how equivalent fractions could be found. They listened, nodded, and wrote
   everything down. Yet when it came to real understanding, their answers revealed gaps: “Ma’am, 1/6 is greater than 1/3 because 6 is bigger than 3.”

• “How can 7/3 exist?”

• “1/2 and 2/4 cannot be the same because the numbers look different.”

I realised that while they were learning rules, they were not learning fractions. This made me rethink my approach for Class 5A. Instead of giving answers, I decided to let them experience fractions in their own way.

2. Literature Review
   Many educators have written about how children learn better when they touch, see, and feel mathematics rather than only writing it down. Piaget reminds us that children move from concrete objects to abstract ideas. Bruner talks about discovery learning, where students construct knowledge themselves. Most importantly, mistakes are not setbacks — as Vygotsky suggests, they are opportunities for deeper learning. Fractions, being so connected to daily life — food, sharing, measuring — are best understood When children leave them in the classroom.

3. Methodology
   My “experiment” was simple:

• In Class 5C, I taught fractions in the usual way — textbook first, definitions, and
  exercises.

• In Class 5A, I taught fractions with real objects:

  • Paper pizzas cut into 2, 3, and 6 equal parts.

  • 7 apples were distributed among 3 children.

  • Paper strips folded into halves and quarters.

I observed the students’ reactions, conversations, and their ability to explain concepts in their own words.

4. Findings and Discussion

4.1 Class 5C – Rule Learning without Meaning

Students could repeat rules, but were unsure about concepts. They compared numbers rather than parts, struggled with the idea of “more than a whole,” and resisted believing that two Different-looking fractions could mean the same thing.

4.2 Class 5A – Learning with Laughter and Discovery

In 5A, something magical happened:

• When a boy insisted, “I want the bigger piece, give me 1/6!” and the whole class laughed, he discovered on his own that 1/3 is actually larger. That mistake became the best teacher.

• When 7 apples were shared among 3 children, the children happily shouted, “Each gets 2 and 1/3!” They saw improper fractions not as strange numbers but as real sharing.

• When we folded paper strips, the children smiled at the discovery that 1/2 and 2/4, though written differently, covered the same space.

What struck me most was how easily the children began explaining to each other in simple words:

• “1/3 is bigger because the slice is larger.”

• “7/3 means two full apples and one piece of another.”

• “1/2 and 2/4 look different but are the same.”

Their confidence was real, not borrowed from my notes.

5. Practical Framework for Teaching Fractions
   From this experience, I shaped a simple framework:

• Explore: Let children cut, fold, or share before introducing rules.

• Reflect: Talk about their mistakes and misconceptions openly.

• Consolidate: Then introduce the formal definition.

• Reinforce: Apply the idea in new situations (food, chocolates, measuring cups, classroom sharing).

6. Challenges and Limitations
   Yes, this approach took more time and required preparation. Sometimes, children grew restless when answers weren’t given immediately. But the joy on their faces when they discovered a truth on their own outweighed every challenge.

7. Conclusion
   Teaching fractions in 5A reminded me of something precious: children don’t just need rules; They need to see and feel mathematics. When mistakes, laughter, and curiosity enter the classroom, fractions stop being abstract numbers and become a part of daily life. That day, when one child said, “Ma’am, give me 1/6 because it’s bigger!” and then corrected himself, I realised that the heart of teaching is not in preventing mistakes, but in creating space where mistakes can turn into understanding. 

Prachi Pandey 

Sunbeam School, Indiranagar