Fraction Orange

The Maker of the “Fraction Orange” created a manipulative with the intention of building a “physical understanding and conceptualization of fractions” in the user. She explains that it “is intended to help children understand how parts can interact with their whole in order to help them conceptualize dealing with fractions on a deeper level.” Through interactions with the tool, a student will be able to explore the physical experience of their own fraction strategies and ideas, and aid them in comparing fractions and fraction division problems. The tool is also meant to be used in an exploratory way, and in doing so, the user will be able to make sense of the nested nature of the pieces in order to experience how its pieces are partitions of a whole. The Maker explains, “As the child starts to uncover (dare I say “peel”) the different compartments of the orange, they will discover how a whole can be divided into different parts (slices) equally.” In contrast to flat, linear traditional fraction strips, the “Fraction Orange” gives children the opportunity to experience concrete, kinesthetic representations of concepts, which will in turn build their understandings of the relational qualities of fractions.