How did you fare on the Frustrating Fractions Quiz? With so many apparent inconsistencies, we can all see why children (and their teachers) get confused. And yet, fractions are vital to our children’s test scores — and scores are important to college admissions officers. What is a teacher to do? Must we tell our children, “Do it this way, and don’t ask questions”?Parents and teachers are tempted to wonder if the struggle is worth it. After all, how often do you divide by a fraction in your adult life? If only we could skip the hard stuff…5 out of 4 People Have Trouble with FractionsHowever difficult it may be, our students need to understand fractions. They need to know what fractions mean and how to make them work. Fractions are the necessary foundation underlying algebra, and algebra is the gateway to all higher mathematics. Therefore, we must help our students conquer this math monster. Which means we teachers must learn to understand fractions ourselves. Over the next several weeks, I hope to take you back to the beginning and strengthen your foundations. We will talk about fraction basics. We will learn three models for understanding and teaching fractions. We will play fraction games, and we will eat a few brownies. And along the way, we will learn:What Elementary Students Need to Know About Fractions- How to read a fraction. - How to work with fraction families.- “Of” means multiply. For Older Students, Add Three More Ideas- A fraction is a division problem. - A fraction is a comparison.- A fraction is a reciprocal. Want to help your kids learn math? Claim your free 24-page problem-solving booklet, and sign up to hear about new books, revisions, and sales or other promotions.