Research into Practice: Children's Strategies in Ordering Rational Numbers

Abstract

Our comments here are based on interviews from two teaching experiments with fourth and fifth-grade chil dren. The students were taught many aspects of fractions using a variety of manipulative materials including circular and rect angular piece. Cuisenaire rods number lines, and chips. Each student had his or her own materials. Each worked independently, in small groups, and as a whole cl ass, spending much time talking about and performing a wide vari ety of fraction- related tasks.