Weekly Report & Reflection Blog Week #6

Today in class, we discussed ratios. We recall that a ratio is the same as a fraction, just put in a different format. An example from class was to choose “two equivalent fractions” that “have denominators that are 10 apart”. The example someone wanted to figure out was the equivalent of 7/11.  Therefore, we needed to figure out what the numerator is, when our denominator is 21. In order to solve this problem, I turned the first fraction into a decimal. My answer was 0.6363636363636364. From here, I rounded to 0.64. Now, I still need to figure out my numerator. Therefore, I multiplied my approximate number of 0.64 by my denominator 21. This gave me a numerator of 13.44. Therefore, 7/11 is equivalent to 13.44. We have now shown a simple fraction being equivalent to a complex fraction. I had to explain my work to the class to show how I got my numerator to the question. This is an example I would enjoy assigning my students, perhaps at the grade 8 level. I could use any simple fraction, but the purpose would be to see how they would solve the problem.

I explored all three Great Games this week. The first one I explored was “Ratio Stadium”. The game involves racing dirt bikes. In order to get your bike moving through the race, you must choose the corresponding ratio that is equivalent to the one that is provided for you. In comparison to most games we have explored thus far, the game provides you with four answers, though only one is the correct answer. Personally, this was the first game where I felt I was paying attention to where I was in the race, more than finding the correct answer every time. Due to this reason, I probably would not use this game in my classroom.

Ratio Stadium

The second game I explored was “Dirt Bike Proportions”. This game also involves racing dirt bikes, though it is set up differently than the first game. Dirt Bike Proportions provides you with one complete fraction and one incomplete fraction. The incomplete fraction only shows the denominator. Your task is to find the numerator so that the incomplete fraction becomes equivalent to the complete fraction. You are given four possible answers to choose from. I would utilize this game in my classroom when teaching my future students mathematics because it is more of a challenge than the first game I explored this week. The main difference I like between the two is how you have to solve the answers in this game. Although I feel both games are beneficial for teaching elementary school kids ratios, I feel that this game presents the students with deeper thought, due to having to solve the missing numerator, as opposed to simply comparing two sets of ratios.

Dirt Bike Proportions

The last game I explored was “Ratio Martian”. Your task in the game is to complete the ratio so that the Martian can eat. These ratios are the Martians only source of food. You have one minute to complete the game. It is important that you read the text that enters the strike zone. Personally, I found this game to be very slow paced. I assumed that I would feel rushed completing this game, due to the 1 minute time restriction. However, although you can hit the spacebar quickly to feed the Martian, the ratios and non-ratios move slowly across the board into the strike zone. An improvement to the game would be to create a button that can dispose of the non-ratios as soon as you see them. This way, after you feed the Martian, you do not have to wait for the non-ratio to pass through. However, I suppose this would be an appropriate speed for a student who is just learning ratios, but not a student who has already studied them. Overall, aside from time restriction and speed, this game is an engaging way to reveal how well students understand ratios.

Ratio Martian