1. Connecting Academics & Parents
Academic seminars to sharpen skills and build understanding in Multiplication of Fractions
Critical Point: Welcome Parents and share that this session is about how to help their child have a better understanding of multiplication of fractions.
Step By Step Directions:
Welcome Parents and Guardians to the training.
Share that this training is about how they can help their child better understand multiplication of fractions.
Explain that they will be engaged in some activities that will help them to support their child with multiplication of fractions.
The training will also include some purposeful practice tasks that they can do at home.
Only spend about 2 minutes on this slide.
Disclaimer: Prior to training, preview the problems so that you understand how to connect area models, partial products and procedures for parents.
Materials List: Fraction Tiles, Grid paper, pencil, copy paper
Copies in Packet: Powerpoint Slides (2 per page), Centimeter Grid Paper, Handouts from games

2. Mathematics Florida Standards Focus
Grade 5
MAFS.5.NF.2.6 Solve real world problems involving multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers, by using equations to represent the problem
Critical Point: Grade 5 Students are required to multiply fractions.
Step By Step Directions:
Read the slide to the parents.
Share with parents that grade 5 students are required to multiply fractions.
Share with parents that the standard on the slide is a summary of the standard that we will be addressing in this parent training and if they would like to learn more about the standard they can go to
Spend about 1 minute on this slide.

3. Learning Progression: Multiplication of Fractions
Critical Point: Show how learning about multiplication of fractions progresses from earlier grades to future grades.
Step by Step Directions:
Share learning progression for multiplication of fractions.
Provide parents/guardians with a generalized overview of the progression for multiplication of fractions such as:
It begins in first and second grade by developing a students’ understanding of equal shares by partitioning rectangles and circles,
In grade 3 formal instruction of fractions begin
Grade 4 embeds multiplication of a whole number by a unit fraction.
Grade 5 embeds multiplication of fractions by mixed numbers.
Grade 6 applies understanding of fraction multiplication to volume.
3. Share with parents that if they want to learn more about the standards go to
www. flstandards.org
4. Spend about 2 minutes about the slide.
Copyright 2009

4. 4 X ½ ½ + ½ + ½ + ½ (2 x ½) +(2 x ½) 4 X ½ ½ + ½ + ½ + ½
Think of the multiplication expression below as you consider the statements.
Do you think the following statements about whole number multiplication are true when we think about fractions?
Talk with your tablemates and be prepared to justify your thinking. If you disagree with the statement, revise it to make it true.
4 X ½
Times means “groups of”.
Multiplication is the same as repeated addition when you add the same number again and again.
A multiplication problem can be shown as an array or area model.
You can break numbers apart to make multiplying easier.
You can reverse the order of the factors and the product stays the same.
When you multiply two numbers, the product is larger than the factors unless one of the factors is zero or one.
Equal
Groups of
½ + ½ + ½ + ½
½ In each group
4 Equal groups
Critical Point: Parents use their understanding of multiplication of whole numbers to build understanding of multiplication of fractions.
Step by Step Directions:
Click through the guiding question and statements with parents.
Have parents talk with their tablemates about the information presented and decide if they agree or disagree with the statement based on the guiding question.
Participants should quickly come to the conclusion that the first 5 statements are true for multiplication of fractions the sixth statement could be revised to be true by including fractions less than 1 in that statement.
Spend about 10 minutes on this slide.
(2 x ½) +(2 x ½)
4 X ½
½ + ½ + ½ + ½
1 whole whole

5. Soda Pop, Soda Pop….
Jacqueline filled 5 glasses with 2 3 liter of soda in each glass. How much soda did Jacqueline use? Solve the problem using at least 2 different strategies.
Critical Point: Instruction should begin with problems involving a whole number and a fraction for fifth grade students to bridge understanding with whole number multiplication.
Step by Step Directions:
1. Engage the parents in the problem.
2. Participants solve the problem using at least two different strategies such as repeated addition and fraction tiles.
As you are walking around the room, ask parents questions such as:
What do the tiles represent in the problem? (each tile is one third of a liter of soda)
What does the two thirds represent in the problem? (one glass of soda )
What does the whole represent in the problem? (one liter of soda)
Ask two different parents to share, one that used the fraction tiles to solve the problem and one that used repeated addition to solve the problem.
Make sure to ask how does the fraction tile strategy connect to the repeated addition strategy? (I see the two third in the repeated addition in the 2 groups of one third.)
Spend about 10 minutes on this slide including the debriefing.

6. Get the grass cut!!!
Zack had of the lawn left to cut. After lunch, he cut of the grass he had left. How much of the whole lawn did Zack cut after lunch?
Solve the problem using the area model and one other strategy.
Critical Point: Using area models for multiplication of fractions less than one helps parents to make sense of more efficient strategies.
Step by Step Directions:
Engage the parents in the problem, have them use the grid paper in their packet to create the area model.
Parents solve the problem using the area model strategy and one other strategy (probably the procedure of multiplying the numerators and denominators).
As you are walking around the room ask parents questions such as:
How does your area model relate to the problem? (The whole model is the yard, the two-thirds is what Zack has left to cut, etc.)
What do you notice about how you divided the area model? (I cut the whole into thirds and then divided the thirds into fourths, which yielded twelfths, so that participants see the connection that you multiply the denominators and the numerators.)
Ask two different parents to share, one that used the area model to solve the problem and one that used the procedure of multiplying the numerators and denominators.
Make sure to ask how does the area model strategy connect to the multiplying the numerators and denominators strategy? (I divided my model into thirds and then I divided my model into fourths, I see the model like an array, two groups of 3 is six and three groups of 4 is twelve.)
Spend about 10 minutes on this slide including the debriefing.
Trainer’s Note: Share with parents that there is grid paper in their packets for them to use to solve problems.

7. 𝟑 𝟒 x 𝟐 𝟑 Using the Area Model to Multiply Fractions 𝟔 𝟏𝟐 𝟐 𝟑 𝟑 𝟒
1. Show thirds
2. Shade 2 3
3. Divide thirds into
fourths
𝟔 𝟏𝟐
4. Find of the shaded
part
𝟑 𝟒
5. The product of the
2 fractions is relational
to the whole
Critical point: Parents connect the area model to the procedure of multiplying numerators and denominators.
Step by Step Directions:
Click through the animations one at a time and ask your parents questions connecting the area model to the grass cutting problem.
Questions such as:
What does the entire area model represent? ( the yard)
What does the two thirds represent? (grass he still needs to cut.)
What does the three fourths represent? (grass he cut after lunch.)
How does the area model connect to the procedure of multiplying numerators and
denominators? (I see an array where I’m multiplying two groups of 3 and three groups of 4.)
2. Spend about 3 minutes on this slide.

8. Pound Puppies
A vet weighs 2 puppies. The small puppy weighs pounds. The large puppy weighs four times as much as the small puppy. How much does the large puppy weigh?
Solve the problem using the area model.
Critical Point: Participants apply the area model strategy to whole number multiplied by a mix number
Step by Step Directions:
Engage the parents in the problem, have them use blank copy paper.
2. Parents solve the problem using the area model strategy.
3. As you are walking around the room ask parents questions such as:
How does your area model relate to the problem? (The model represents the weight of the small puppy and I duplicated it four times since the large puppy weighed 4 times as much.)
What do you notice about how you divided the area model? (I cut the 5th whole into eights since the small puppy 4 and three eighths pounds.)
Ask a parent to share that used the area model to solve the problem. (Parent created an area model that shows 4 groups of 4 and three eighths.)
Click the slide to reveal an area model showing 4 groups of 4 and three eighths.
Answer any additional questions the parents may have.
Spend about 7 minutes on this slide including the debriefing.

9. + = + = 16 Wholes Using Partial Product to Multiply Fractions 160 12𝟒𝟑
x 4
x x 4
𝟑 𝟖
𝟒 𝟑 𝟖 + =
x 4
x x 4 + = 12
+ 160
172
160 12
172 16
𝟏𝟐 𝟖
16 𝟏𝟐 𝟖
16 + 𝟖 𝟖 + 𝟒 𝟖 =
17 𝟏 𝟐
Critical point: Parents connect the area model to the partial product strategy.
Step by Step Directions:
Click through the animations on this slide, (there are lots) and discuss how the partial product strategy relates to whole number multiplication and fraction multiplication (separating 43 into tens and ones and separating 4 and three eighths into wholes and parts, decomposing tens and ones and decomposing wholes and parts.)
The last few animations show the connection between the area model of the puppy problem on the previous slide to the partial product strategy.
Spend about 5 minutes on this slide.
Disclaimer: The reason we began with a whole number multiplication problem is because it would be easier to bridge the connection from whole number multiplication to fraction multiplication to the area model.
12 eighths
16 Wholes

10. Cooking Dilemma
Michelle is making cupcakes and one batch calls for cups of flour. She needs to make batches and has cups of flour in the pantry. Will she have enough flour?
Solve the problem using the partial product strategy.
Critical Point: Parents apply the partial product strategy to mixed number multiplication.
Step by Step Directions:
Engage the parents in the problem.
Parents solve the problem using the partial product strategy.
Ask a parent to share their partial product strategy. (Discussion should include how they decomposed the mixed numbers in to wholes and parts, my partial products were reasonable values to use.)
Spend about 5 minutes on this slide.
Note to trainer: If a participant changes the mixed numbers to fractions greater than one and then multiplies the numerators and denominators, discussion should focus on that some fractions would be very tedious and difficult to create area models for so that’s why we need a more efficient strategy. Understanding of why we multiply numerators and denominators is built with fractions that are easy to create area models for like we did with the grass cutting problem earlier in the training.

11. Take it Home and Try It! DO TRY THIS AT HOME!
Warning: Implementing this engaging activity will result in an increase in motivation and long-lasting learning.
Purposeful Practice Tasks:
1. Fraction Attack Game- practice
multiplication of fractions in a game
format.
2. Real Word Applications of Fraction
Multiplication – 3 different scenarios
Critical Point: Parents leave the training with two activities that support their fifth grader in adding
and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.
Step by Step Directions:
Click to share that parents are going to be receiving two activities to support their child’s understanding of adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.
Click to reveal three recipes that you can use to model task 1.
For example, you could ask your child how much total flour would it take to make all 3 recipes? (for addition of fractions with unlike denominators), or If I start with cups of flour set out, how much will be left after making all three recipes? ( for subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators)
Continue clicking through all the animations.
Share with parents that they are going to play the fraction card game on the next slide.
This slide should take about 2 minutes.
Copyright 2009

12. Things to remember about Multiplying Fractions:
How did this session help you in supporting your child’s understanding of multiplying fractions?
Why do you think it’s important for your child to NOT rush to memorizing procedures for multiplying fractions without understanding?
Conceptual understanding of what a Fraction is must occur before teaching operations with fractions.
Connect understanding of whole number multiplication to fraction multiplication.
Allow your child to build area models to explain why multiplying numerators and denominators works.
Critical Point: Building content knowledge for parents on supporting their child for understanding multiplication of fractions.
Step By Step Directions:
Click through each of the three bullets and read the information on the slide.
Answer any questions that your parents may have.
Click a fourth time to engage your parents in a discussion about the question. (Answers should include: understanding the
area model and how it connects to why the procedure of multiplying the numerators and
denominators works. Also, understanding that with many fractions it would be very tedious to
build models and we need a more efficient strategy.)
4. Click a fifth time to engage your parents in a discussion about the question. Answers will vary.
5. This slide should take about 5 minutes.
Copyright 2009