Young Mathematicians at Work Chapters 5-7

Prior to reading these chapters in the book, I would not have been able to draw diagrams for the problems in the Math Activity: Multiplying and Dividing Fractions worksheet. At first, I did solved the problems in my head by either multiplying or diving the fractions. However, it is very helpful to see what the problems look like to really understand the mathematical processes in the multiplication and division. I did however have trouble representing 1/2 x 6 in problem set A number 3. It is hard to figure out how to draw 6 x half of something using a bar or strip. However, it was relatively simple to represent these problems visually.

When I moved to problem set B it was much more difficult to represent the problems with drawings. I think this is the case because the numerator is 5 instead of 1. Also, there were times when you did not have whole numbers and you had to divide two fractions which is sometimes difficult or tedious to represent. I hope that we can work on these in class so we can practice effective ways to represent these problems with students.