HANDBOOK FOR TEACHING ADDITION OF FRACTIONS
IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
By Carol Ann Cumming
Summer 1999
This master’s project was to provide a set of lessons for the middle school teacher
to use to supplement the mathematics curriculum that encompasses the area of fractions
and in particular the addition of fractions. The review of literature suggests the necessity
for a variety of techniques to teach the fraction curriculum to middle school students. It
indicates the need for the middle school teacher to use hands-on materials to explain and
illustrate fraction concepts.
The format for the Handbook is simple and concise with the ten lessons. The
handbook lessons present basic fraction concepts of equivalency, common denominators,
and addition of fractions using different manipulative devices including tangrams,
geoboards, paper strips, money, and pattern blocks. The handbook includes instructions
for the teacher, demonstration suggestions, diagrams of the problems, worksheets for the
students, questions for the teacher to use to lead students to discover connections and
concepts, and answers for the problems on the worksheets.