šŸŒ¹ From Folds to Formulas

Focus: Generalizing fraction structure and operations using variables.

Theme: Abstraction, proof, algebra

Materials:

  • Paper

  • Pencil

  • Optional: Graph Paper

Instructions:

  1. šŸ”¢ Decide how many equal parts to fold. Then fold your paper into that many pieces. We will call this number n.

  2. šŸ“„ Identify each folded piece as 1/nā€‹.

  3. āž• Model sums like 3/n + 2/nā€‹.

  4. šŸ§© Connect the model to fraction rules.

Discussion Questions

  • How does this justify fraction addition rules?

  • What assumptions does the paper model make?

Optional Extensions

  1. šŸ§  Proof Sketch: Use folds to justify algebraic rules.

  2. šŸ” Variable Fractions: Explore what changes as n changes.

  3. šŸš§ Model Limits: Discuss what fractions paper cannot represent.