1. Maths Rich Task 7: Fraction Arrangement
mr barton maths .com

2. Rich Tasks and Probing Questions
I believe it is far more important to plan prompts and questions than worksheets and PowerPoints. Prompts and questions give you much more scope for flexible, fun lessons and allow for effective differentiation. They allow you to start everyone off on the same task, and then wander around the classroom, seeing where the students are up to, dropping little prompt cards on different students’ desks with a new line of inquiry for them to investigate. They also allow students to express themselves creatively, coming up with their own lines of inquiry to investigate.
Have a play around with the following task, and then please share your ideas for extensions, simplifications, modifications, probing questions and lines of inquiry in the comment box at the bottom of the TES resources page.
For the full collection of these activities, and more about the pedagogy behind them, please click here

3. Background on the Task
This is a relatively simple idea that I use to practise all the four operations with fractions, as well as converting to mixed numbers
However, with a few extra questions it can turn into a much richer and challenging experience, allowing for effective differentiation.
No equipment is needed 

4. Challenge: Place one number into each space to try to make the largest possible answer and the smallest possible answer
1, 2, 3, 4 - x + ÷

5. What questions would a mathematician ask?
Please share your ideas for extensions, simplifications, modifications, probing questions and lines of inquiry in the comment box at the bottom of the TES resources page.