Adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators is a basic skill that students will use in math for a long time. When they get to 7th and 8th grade they have to remember how to do this in the context when they’re solving other types of problems including equations. I notice that some students just need a little reminder of how to add and subtract fractions, while other students don’t seem to remember what to do at all.
I really like the butterfly method because it is a great visual representation of what to do and students seem to remember it for years. Last week when I was reviewing adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators with my 8th graders one of the said, “Hey, don’t we just use the butterfly method?” I didn’t even have to bring it up. To get really good at adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, students needs a lot of practice. That’s why I put together this list of activities to help your students get the practice they need with this skill. Let’s go!
The list of activities:
Word Problems on MathGames.Com
The Target Game and Worksheets
Let’s dive in
You’ll find a variety of activities to use to practice adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators in this list. Some work great as independent practice while others serve as whole class review. Take a look around and find something that will help your kids get the practice they need.
Maze
If you know me as a teacher then you know about my love of mazes. We start class with a maze everyday. Kids love them and they don’t complain about the work that they’re doing. This set of 3 fraction mazes includes one with only addition, one with subtraction only, and one that’s a mix of addition and subtraction. They have scientist themed clipart that makes it a little more fun for kids. You can use these mazes as homework, practice, or cyclical review. I use the same mazes again a few months later for review and the kids don’t remember the problems. Bonus!
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QR Code Game
QR codes make adding technology and immediate feedback to your practice time very easy. Students complete the problems and then check the answers using QR codes. All the kids need is a computer, tablet, or phone. If you want to know more about QR codes you can read this post. This QR code game has 16 adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators problems. Students can play the game cooperatively or competitively. The second QR code reveals the random number of points they get for getting the correct answer.
Students love using this technology and they get a lot of good practice at the same time. Also, these cards can be used as task cards in you want to take them off-line. This activity has a lot of practical uses for your classroom.
Knockout Game
When you need to have an engaging way to practice this skill with the whole class, then look no further than this Knockout Game. With this game you’ll find a variety of problem types, and all you need is a projector to play. Students get to choose one of the cute dinosaur characters and a problem appears. Everyone completes the problem and gets points if they are correct. The part the students love is the bonus. When they land on a bonus, they never know if it will be a good bonus or a bad bonus. If you try this game your students will be hooked on Knockout games.
Task Cards Freebie
I wish that task cards had existed when I was a new teacher. They have so many uses. I use them for practice for most units that I teach and we use them with partners. Also, we use task cards as cyclical review or for fast finishers. This set of task cards is a free resource, ready to print and go.
Butterfly Method Anchor Chart
The butterfly method looks great as an anchor chart or in an interactive notebook. Students need to see it multiple times and they need to explain what is happening. Due to the fact that it shows students what happens when they add and subtract fractions, they seem to remember the process better than just listing steps. They also remember the steps because it looks like a butterfly. The tricky part of using methods like this is that students have to remember when to use them. If you have too many strategies like this then they can easily mix them up.
Pac-Man Game
I love old school video games, and I especially love it when I can incorporate them into the classroom. This Pac-man game is so simple and fun. With this game students get to play Pac-Man and complete some adding and subtracting fraction problems. They start out with 3 answer choices and play the game to choose their answer. I make students write their work on a whiteboard while playing. When they don’t write their work they seem to get sloppy with their answers. Also, if they make a lot of mistakes I like to see where they went wrong.
This game keeps students practicing while they have some fun. They can also talk about how they’re doing with their friends. This works perfect as a center activity.
Online Board Game
I love this online board game. It’s so interactive and visual for kids. They take turns with a problem and then they get to move through the board game. Everything is done on the computer, and it’s simple to play. This is a great partner or center activity. Students love it because it is a game. I love that it pays homage to board games, but they complete it on the computer.
Word Problems on MathGames.Com
Students can practice answering word problems that have adding or subtracting fractions in them over on mathgames.com. They can do this as a quick check at the end of the lesson or as practice. This activity has 3 levels of difficulty. You can see really quickly if students are getting it or not. Once you see someone is struggling you can pull them into a small group and help them out. I love that the problems are there for me and I don’t have to create them.
Study Jams Lesson
In this lesson from Study James students can learn about adding and subtracting fraction on their own. It walks students through a story problem and shows exactly what needs to be done. It reads the story problem to them and gives them prompts. There are some additional features like skills practice and it can be printed out as well. This works great for students to do on their own or you can go through it with the whole class first. I like to use this type of activity for extension for those kids that seem to finish everything so quickly. It would also be great for a flipped classroom, or to walk through together with a small group that needs another pass at this concept.
Kahoot
One way to get the whole class engaged is to have them play Kahoot. All students need a device to play and they answer questions projected in front of the class while catchy (or annoying, depending on your view) music plays. I think Kahoot works better with skills practice and after students are somewhat proficient in the skill. Otherwise they just click and guess because speed is important in this game. Playing Kahoot to practice adding and subtracting fractions gets more oh-so-important repetitions. Plus, it’s perfect as a quick check (formative assessment) and you can download a detailed report to Google Drive and see how everyone did.
The Target Game and Worksheets
Worksheets get a bad rap these days. I believe they have a place in the classroom, but handing kids a worksheet and going to your desk to do your work doesn’t really help anyone. Sometimes I use the problems from worksheets to engage the whole class in a game. One of my favorite games is the target game. Basically, it consists of drawing a target on the board, answering questions, and throwing a suction cup ball at the board. Kids love this game. You can read more about it here.
Here’s a link to some worksheets that you could use with your class while playing this game, or something like it. Adding a little fun to practice can get some of your less engaged students participating. Try it out and see how they respond.
Word Problems Practice
Sometimes kids just need some simple practice. This word problems practice activity takes away all of the bells and whistles and kids get some old fashioned practice. The questions are easy to read and the kids just have to find a solution. I have my kids write all of their work and use the CUBES strategy when they complete activities like this one.
It’s important that students aren’t just shooting in the dark- they need to be able to show how they got their answer. Some of my advanced kids really don’t want to show their work for various reasons. But I insist that when they do this kind of practice that they do. Justifying their reasoning is one of the most important skills that we teach.
Cut and Paste Cookie Activity
Sometimes we like to get away from technology and complete a paper assignment. This cut and paste cookie activity gives kids a chance to cut and paste the four problems that have the same answer. It gets the mind thinking about the problems in a little bit different way. Also, students can color their cookies. You could even have cookies as a snack on the day that you complete this assignment. What a fun way to practice!
Jeopardy
I’ve been playing Jeopardy with students for a long time. This Jeopardy game is played on the web. One of the great features is the different categories of questions that it has. It has some basic problems and a lot of word problems as well. When we play in my class, every student answers every question on their own whiteboard. This keeps everyone practicing and playing along.
Try one thing…
I’ve shared a lot of different activities in this post that you could use with your class. But please, don’t get too overwhelmed with all of the ideas. Choose one and try it. If it works then you can add that strategy to other unit as well. If it doesn’t work then try something else. Students need so many repetitions to really get this skill down, so make sure that you don’t expect them to remember how to do it because they learned about it for a couple of days. Practice, practice, practice!
Thanks so much for reading. Until next time!
