I can solve real-world problems by multiplying fractions and mixed numbers
This standard helps your child develop important mathematical skills.
Imagine a recipe needs 3/4 cup of sugar. If you want to make 2 1/2 times the recipe, you'd multiply: 3/4 × 2 1/2 cups. This tells you how much sugar you need for your bigger batch!
If one board is 1 1/4 feet long, and you need 5 boards for a project, how much wood do you need in total? Multiply: 5 × 1 1/4 feet. This helps plan how much to buy.
Suppose there's 1/2 of a pizza left. If your child eats 1/3 of that leftover piece, what fraction of the *whole* pizza did they eat? You find this by multiplying: 1/3 × 1/2 of the whole pizza.
If a family drives 2/3 of an hour to the park, and they do this 4 times a week, how much time do they spend driving to the park each week? Multiply: 4 × 2/3 hours.
1. Draw It: Encourage drawing simple pictures for word problems. Visuals make fraction multiplication easier to see.
2. Mixed to Improper: Before multiplying mixed numbers (like 1 1/2), change them to improper fractions (like 3/2). It simplifies the math.
3. Look for "Of": Remind your child that "of" often means multiply in word problems (e.g., "1/2 of 3/4" means 1/2 × 3/4).
4. Simplify Answers: After multiplying, check if the answer can be simplified (e.g., 6/4 can be simplified to 3/2 or 1 1/2).
1. Problem Solver: Give a simple real-world problem: "A cat eats 1/4 cup of food each day. How much does it eat in 5 days?" Solve together.
2. Recipe Adjuster: Take a simple recipe (e.g., needing 1/2 cup sugar). Ask: "What if we make 3 times the recipe? How much sugar?" (3 × 1/2 cup).
3. Story Creator: Give a multiplication problem (e.g., 2/3 × 1 1/2). Ask your child to make up a quick story problem that matches.
"A recipe needs 1/2 cup of flour. If we only make 1/2 of the recipe, how much flour do we need?" (Solve: 1/2 × 1/2 cup).
"A ribbon is 2 1/2 feet long. If you use 1/3 of it, how long is the piece you used?" (Solve: 1/3 × 2 1/2 feet).
"A painter uses 3/4 gallon of paint for one room. How much paint is needed for 2 1/2 rooms?" (Solve: 2 1/2 × 3/4 gallon).
When baking, if a recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of oats, ask: "If we only make 1/2 the recipe, how many oats do we need?" (1/2 × 1 1/2 cups). Let them help measure!
If a craft project needs pieces of ribbon that are 3/4 foot long, and you need 5 pieces, ask: "How much total ribbon do we need?" (5 × 3/4 foot).
If you plan a small garden bed that is 2 1/2 feet long and 1 1/2 feet wide, ask: "What is the area of our garden bed?" (2 1/2 × 1 1/2 square feet). This connects to area concepts.
If there is 1/2 of a chocolate bar left and your child wants to give 1/3 of it to a friend, ask: "What fraction of the whole chocolate bar will the friend get?" (1/3 × 1/2).