Fraction Remainders with Play-doh (11-10 thru 11-16)

Start with any size piece of Play-doh or other cuttable item.  Roll two dice and create a proper fraction with the smaller number on top (the numerator) and the larger number on the bottom (the denominator). For example: 1/2, 2/5, 5/6, etc.  Disregard a double roll.  

Write down the fraction and cut up the Play-doh into the number of pieces represented by the denominator.  Put the numerator value of those pieces next to your written fraction.  Continue until your remaining piece is too small to be further cut.

For an extra challenge use dodecahedral dice (12 sided).  This will give  you practice with cutting up 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, etc.  Remember, if a fraction can be simplified, write an equals sign and the equivalent fraction to the right of the original fraction.

Many Mathletes were able to cut a minimum of 10 fractions, some many more from their original Play-doh.  One of the great moments came when they began to question why they could have the same fraction more than once and the size of their Play-doh was significantly different.  After much discussion, it was made clear that the larger piece came from a larger original piece.