Fraction strips from paper: a 30-minute hands-on intro

1. Leave the first strip whole and label it "1 whole".
2. Fold the second strip in half, open it, draw a line on the crease, and label each part 1/2.
3. Fold the third strip in half and in half again. Label four parts 1/4. Do the same once more with the fourth strip to get eighths.
4. Thirds are harder: roll the fifth strip into an S shape until the three parts match, then crease and label each part 1/3. Fold the sixth strip into thirds the same way, then fold it in half to make sixths.
5. Line the strips up under the whole strip. Ask: "Which pieces line up exactly with 1/2?" Students should find 2/4 and 4/8, and 3/6.
6. Ask: "Which is more, 3/4 or 2/3?" Students lay three fourths next to two thirds and see that 3/4 reaches farther.
7. Exit question: each student writes one pair of equal fractions and one comparison using <, > or =.

Keep the strips in an envelope. They make a ready fraction wall for the rest of the unit.

What to change next time: for students who are ready, add a twelfths strip and ask how many twelfths equal 2/3 (the answer is 8/12). For students who need more support, start with only halves, fourths and eighths, and color each strip a different color so the families of fractions stand out.