The Fractions & Decimals Market

Learn fractions and decimals by serving the customers of a market

Four stalls to understand that a number can describe a part of the unit: the pizzeria (equal parts), the grocery (a plate of 100 hundredths), the scale (a number line with zoom) and the ribbon shop (a tape measure). Customers order in fractions, decimals or words; a magnifier links every way of writing the same quantity. A challenge with change to give back, a free laboratory for the interactive whiteboard and a progress journal with badges complete the set.

Audience : Grade 4-5 students (ages 9-11), teachers and familiesLevel : Upper primary (ages 9-11); accessible to students with dyslexia

What the app does

The pizzeria: cut into 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 equal parts and serve the right amount, including more than one pizza (5/4).
The grocery: a 10×10 plate for tenths and hundredths, with exchanges (10 cubes for one strip, 10 strips for one plate).
The scale: place the cursor on a number line by zooming from units to tenths then hundredths.
The ribbon shop: cut a tape measure in the right place, with folds into equal parts to see fractions of a metre.
The equivalence magnifier: 3/10 = 30/100 = 0.3 = 0.30 and "three tenths" for the same quantity.
The market challenge: eight customers with tricky orders (4/100 or 0.4?) and a till where you give change in 1 €, 0.10 € and 0.01 € coins.
The free laboratory: overlay two fractions to see 2/4 = 1/2, with a large display mode for the interactive whiteboard.
A progress journal with four badges and a teacher area that spots the class's unresolved obstacles; Lexend font, large touch buttons and orders read aloud.

How it works

1Choose a stallPizzeria, grocery, scale or ribbon shop: each stall shows numbers differently.
2Serve the customerCut, scoop, weigh or snip to get exactly the quantity requested.
3UnderstandUse the magnifier to link the quantity, the fraction, the decimal and the words.
4ProgressEarn badges, take on the challenge, and experiment freely in the laboratory.

Why it is useful

Works on the classic upper-primary obstacles: "1/8 is bigger than 1/4", "1.25 is bigger than 1.3", mixing up tenths and hundredths.
Moves from concrete to visual to abstract: students handle parts, plates, weights and ribbons before writing numbers.
Mistakes are explained without judgement and can be corrected freely: no lives, no timer.
The teacher dashboard shows at a glance who is stuck on which obstacle, with a suggested activity.

Good to know

This app uses no artificial intelligence: it uses no credit and stays usable even with limited access.
The progress journal stays in the device's browser, with the student's first name only: nothing is sent anywhere. The student gives the journal (file or code) to the teacher, who imports it in the teacher area.
The interface is in French, English and Indonesian (language choice on the home page).
The app opens in the browser, with nothing to install, and needs an Internet connection.

All apps