The Fraction Splat! Series
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Fraction Splats! have arrived! The original Splat! post rocketed up to over 35,000 hits in less than a month, which included over 19,000 lesson downloads! All 50 lessons in the Splat! post involved whole numbers. In this post, I’ve turned my attention to fractions, and have created 20 new lessons for you to download! This is The Fraction Splat! Series. Watch the video, download the lessons, and try them in your classroom!
Note: I’ve created the lessons in PowerPoint, so I recommend using PowerPoint to view them.
After reading this blog post, take a look at THE 12 MOST POPULAR MATH STRATEGIES AND DOWNLOADS ON THIS BLOG.
Fraction Splat!
Note: These lessons use a single splat along with a mixture of unit fractions and whole numbers. In Level 11, you control the Splat!
Instant Fraction Splat!
Note: These lessons use a single Splat! which appears at the same moment as the whole numbers and fractions. Each question instantly presents missing information.
SPLAT 12.1 – Instant Fraction Splats
SPLAT 12.2 – Instant Fraction Splats
SPLAT 12.3 – Instant Fraction Splats
SPLAT 12.4 – Instant Fraction Splats
SPLAT 12.5 – Instant Fraction Splats
Multiple Splats! with Fractions
Note: These lessons include multiple Splats! and you control the timing of those Splats! The entire screen can be seen, the total can be determined, and then Splat! Remember: Each Splat! that is the same color must be covering the same number.
SPLAT 13.1 – Multiple Fraction Splats
SPLAT 13.2 – Multiple Fraction Splats
SPLAT 13.3 – Multiple Fraction Splats
SPLAT 13.4 – Multiple Fraction Splats
SPLAT 13.5 – Multiple Fraction Splats
Multiple Splats! with Fractions
Note: These lessons use multiple Splats! which appear at the same moment as the whole numbers and fractions. Each question instantly presents missing information. Remember: Each Splat! that is the same color must be covering the same number.
SPLAT 14.1 – Instant Multiple Fraction Splats
SPLAT 14.2 – Instant Multiple Fraction Splats
SPLAT 14.3 – Instant Multiple Fraction Splats
SPLAT 14.4 – Instant Multiple Fraction Splats
SPLAT 14.5 – Instant Multiple Fraction Splats
Other Posts and Resources Which May Be of Interest
Splat! The original 50 downloadable Splat! lessons include 10 levels and variations.
Tiled Area Questions is a colorful, powerful, highly visual strategy for decomposing numbers – and offers many downloadable pages.
The Animated Multiplication Table remains one of the most popular downloaded resources from this blog, and this post includes several ideas about how to use it.
The Maze Hundreds Chart is another downloadable resource that can lead to some highly intriguing questions and rich discourse.
You may also be interested in Provide Massive Space to Notice.
Please take a moment to subscribe to the blog so you’ll be notified each time new resources are posted!
I would treasure hearing about your experiences using The Fraction Splat! Series to promote number sense in your classroom!
All my best,
Steve
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Hi Steve,
We love using Fraction Splat for our fourth grade fractions unit. I downloaded several to use with my class this year, and the splat isn’t disappearing for the final reveal at the end of each sequence. Do you know why this would happen? Thank you so much for your help!
Hi, Rachel. I can’t be sure – but if you are using google slides with a splat version originally written for PPT, it may not disappear. The solution would be to use these slides: https://stevewyborney.com/2018/09/splat-for-google-slides-40-lessons/
That works! Thank you so much.
Excellent!
Hi Steve. We love your activities and are currently using the fraction splats in our third grade math. We were wondering about 11.3, slide 6. We found the total to be 6 instead of 7. Thanks so much for all you do!!
Hi, Nichole. I think you have found a mistake. Great catch, and thank you for letting me know!
Hello there! I am a virtual teacher and we primarily upload our PPTs to a program called Blackboard Collaborate. I LOVE that the PPTs are already created. HUGE help! So thank you for that! I do have a question…and this may be a silly question…but how do the PPTs themselves become interactive where you mentioned that with a click the splat disappears? I downloaded the PPT but I’m only able to click on the icon and move it around as an image. Is there something I’m missing? Would this have to be uploaded as a Google file in order to achieve that?
Hi, Brooklyn. If you are using google slides – or if that is what Blackboard Collaborate is using in the background – I would recommend using Splat for Google Slides. Here is a link. https://stevewyborney.com/2018/09/splat-for-google-slides-40-lessons/
Hi Steve – I am using Splat! with two accelerated students. They love the series! We found two discrepancies in the fraction splat series: In 14.3 on Slide 5, the total value claims to be 13 but it is actually 14. On series 14.4 on Slide 5, the total claims to be 14, but the value is actually 13. We had a great time thinking this through – so it was still greatly valuable!
Just found this website via The Greek Mama she mentioned your 51- Esti Mystery and I am sooo excited to share these with my scholars. So glad I decided to Google you. What a wonderful way to encourage critical thinking skills and have scholar talk instead of always writing. Shared with other Math teachers. Thank you for providing these great resources
Hi Steve!
My students really enjoyed doing the Esti-Mysteries this year! Now that we are doing distance learning, I am going to be incorporating the Fraction Splats into my synchronous lessons. Thank you so much for this awesome resource!
Hello Steve!
First of all, thank you for making these awesome fraction splats! My class loves them! We think you might have overlooked a slide on 12.1 Instant Splat on slide 5. You have the total as 6, but when we revealed it we saw that there were only 5 wholes. Thank you so much for all that you do! The kids really enjoy SPLAT!
-Mr. Chen’s class
Great catch! I’ll see if I can get that updated next weekend! I’m so happy you are enjoying Splat!
in SPLAT! 12.5, #7 is incorrect. The quantity visual quantity equals 7 and 1/3
I am a student teacher that is doing a practicum (stages) in different classes every year to get my degree, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for these wonderful activities that are easy to follow and can get students to experience different strategies with manipulative, white boards, etc.
I’m so happy to be able to make a contribution. Thanks for the note!
Thank you for providing all the wonderful and FREE resources! We love your materials here in Lawndale California. 🙂 Keep them coming!
So cool, thanks for putting this together!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
These are invaluable resources for our teachers!
You have provided so many excellent ideas in the past. You keep going from strength to strength.
Many, many thanks! (all the way from Australia!)
I just introduced SPLAT to one of our 8 elementary schools yesterday. Teachers were excited to start using this Number Sense Routine! Thank you and keep on sharing please 🙂
My 5th grade class loves the fraction splats! We found several errors in 13.3 and 13.4 though. Please let me know if you’d like specifics as we were able to modify the presentations quite easily to fix the mistakes.
Hi Katie,
I think I’ve now caught and fixed all of the errors. Here is the link to download the updated versions: https://stevewyborney.com/?p=1028
I really appreciate the feedback!
Steve
My class loves the fraction splats and it has inspired them to make their own. They use fraction app and then make google slides.
But we have found errors on the fraction parts for 13.2 – for 5, 6, &7 and 13.3 for 5 and 7. (Considering we started with 13.1, we are hoping there are less errors in our future!). Great visual learning going on though!
Thanks for catching those errors. When I see one pop up I usually fix it right away, but before I do I’ll usually use it as a launchpad for conversation. How many more (or less) should there be? Where do you think they might be? Could they be in more than one location? I always scour the slides before giving them away to catch those slides and then I know that once I turn them loose I can only update the ones that haven’t yet gone out. I appreciate your contribution to those who have not yet downloaded them. Have a great day!
Ooo! I can’t wait to share these with our grades 3 – 5 math teachers! Thank you for providing such an awesome resource!
My pleasure!
My class would like you to check out slide 6 on 13.2, they believe there is an additional third in the circle on the right. Thanks! We are really enjoying the SPLATS!
I just looked at Splat for the first time. It has made me so excited for school to start so I can get this in front of kids. I can’t wait to share this with my co-workers. The brilliance behind this simplicity is what makes Splat accessible for a wide range of learners.
Thanks for creating but more….
Thanks for sharing
Steve, I sent your Fraction Splat post to the 5th grade teachers in my school. I just observed one class using them. WOW…oh…WOW!!!!! The principal was along with me and both of us were dazzled. Students shared insights, revised thinking, used pictures/words/numbers/equations/expressions, and more. And then, the first reveal… You could hear an audible gasp as they realized that the splat revealed something different than what they’d predicted (correct total, different picture.) So as more problems were presented, they enthusiastically worked to find a variety of ways to show the hidden amount. SO FANTASTIC. Students loved it…the math thinking/conversations were amazing…they could have done it the rest of the day. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!!
Your fan for life!
Cynthia, thank you for these kind words! I’m so happy to hear about the students’ enthusiasm and multiple ways of thinking as well as the iterations of thinking and representations. I will be making more soon!
Steve, these look great. Can’t wait to try them out with the children. Have you been in contact with Jo Boaler and youcubed? This is the sort of visual open maths I think she would love and you could get some high profile publicity. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jon,
I haven’t contacted Jo Boaler or youcubed. You are right that this may be of interest. I think I’ll send a message right off. Thanks for this suggestion, as well as taking time to view the blog and comment.
All my best,
Steve
Great resource!
We’re on break right now but I can’t wait to try these in class. I might have to recruit some neighbors because I’m so eager to see what ideas and questions arise! THANK YOU!
Thanks, Janet! I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Steve,
You’re a continuous source of inspiration, my friend, these are so golden. I am thinking about how this might combine with your math is motion post from 2/2015. Anyway, just playing with some different ideas, I love, love, love it.
I wonder if you could print out “cards” with still images on them and number the back of each image just like in the math in motion activity. I would recommend using a variety of images and ideas so students don’t repeat the same process. I’m currently dabbling with another post that I call “Splat Ladders.” In those lessons, the style and challenge level frequently changes. I think they are really engaging and the variety is nice. The ladders allow me to dabble into territory where I haven’t yet gone in the Splat lessons. I should give you a sample one to try out in your classes. Let me know if you are interested.
Jeremiah,
I’m wondering if some of the Splat! images could become cards that could be used within math in motion. Now my mind is spinning on how to make smaller version of splat images for that purpose. That’s a great idea.
Thanks,
Steve
These are amazing!!! I can’t wait to use the fraction ones with older students. The K-2 students are loving the original SPLAT!
It might just be my computer but it looks like there is a quarter circle missing from the last slide in 13.1. It’d be under the splat that covers quarter circles to show equivalency (1 and 1/4) with the other splats.
Debbie, thank you for this feedback! After reading your comment, I updated 13.1 so it is now correct. That is a fantastic catch! Also, thank you for letting me know how much the k-2 students are enjoying the Splat! series! It’s really fun to get feedback like this! I would never have caught that mistake on 13.1 if you hadn’t pointed it out! Thank you so much!
Hey, Steve, you’ve outdone yourself with fractions Splat! I tried to download 14.1, but it takes me to a page to enter my email and password. Could you take a look at that one?
Thanks for letting me know, Ramona. I updated the link and it should work now.
These are great, of course! When I tried to download Lesson 14.1, it took me to a page that required a password. I was able to download the rest successfully. Thank you again for sharing these.
Thanks, Dawn! Try 14.1 again. I’ve update the link and it is ready to go.
Wow! I love these! Thank you so much for making these available for teachers to use.
Hi, Kelly. You are very welcome! I’m happy to share, and I’ll keep making more.