It’s time to learn fraction multiplication and have fun doing so via a great real world use of fractions; baking! Follow this unique, week-long sequence of activities, math poetry, notes, and worksheets and your students will not only be understanding HOW to multiply fractions, but also comprehending WHY fraction multiplication works and in what situations it is useful.

NOTE: There are three different ways to purchase from the Biff and Brandi series of products:

- If you are interested in multiplication of fractions only, purchase this product, Fraction Multiplication (Featuring Biff and Brandi's Big Bad Brownies).

- If you are interested in division of fractions only, purchase Fraction Division (Featuring Biff and Brandi's Big Bad Brownies).

- If you are interested in BOTH multiplication and division of fractions, purchase Fraction Multiplication and Division (Featuring Biff's Big Bad Brownies). This bundled product is sold at a discounted price and also includes a review sheet and unit assessment for multiplication and division of fractions.

Specifically, this product, Fraction Multiplication (Featuring Biff and Brandi's Big Bad Brownies, contains the following activities:

“Biff and Brandi’s Big, Bad Brownies – Round 1” – Students calculate the amount of each ingredient needed for six batches and then for four and a half batches of brownies by drawing pictures and adding fractions. This activity not only forces the students to think critically about how fractions work and how to solve complex problems using pictures and combinations of fractions, but leaves them wondering if there could possibly be an easier way to calculate the ingredients needed in multiple batches.

“Butter in the Batter Makes it Better” – Through a step-by-step “Voyage of Discovery”, students work as a class to analyze how they could calculate the amount of butter needed, and discover that multiplication could have been used to solve the “Big, Bad Brownie” problem. The teacher then works through a guided notes page (fraction poetry included!) with the students to discover how multiplication works for proper fractions and whole numbers.

“Forget the Brownies! Just Multiply (Proper Fractions / Whole Numbers)” – After completing a “warm-up” activity that helps solidify the concept of multiplication, students address a series of computation problems (that include a variety of formats and multiplication symbols) and word problems that are solved using multiplication of proper fractions and whole numbers.

“Mixed Number Multiplication Notes / Poetry” – After completing another “warm-up” activity that reviews concepts from the previous day and facilitates a great discussion on reasonableness of answers in anticipation of word problems to come, the teacher uses the provided poetry and examples to guide the students through the process of how to multiply mixed numbers. This method mirrors the guided note-taking used in other products, and provides a simple and straightforward method for the teacher to train the students on mixed number multiplication.

“Forget the Brownies! Just Multiply! (Mixed Numbers)” – Students again address a series of computation problems and word problems, this time using multiplication of mixed numbers to solve them.

“Biff and Brandi’s Big, Bad Brownies – Revisited” – Finally, the students triumphantly return to where it all began; the brownie problem. This time, however, they use multiplication to again calculate ingredients needed for six batches and then for four and a half batches. Not surprisingly, this method allows them to compute the amount of each ingredient needed in a small fraction of the time that it took them before discovering the wonders of multiplication of fractions. This activity cements not only their knowledge of multiplication, but also their understanding of why multiplication of fractions is both necessary and useful.

This unique approach allows students to yearn for multiplication of fractions, recognize its benefits, understand how it works (both pictorially and via appropriate mathematical methods), and use it to solve real-world problems. Opportunities for critical thinking abound as students go through this variety of challenging activities. If you are looking for a meaningful method that will ensure your students grasp and retain multiplication of fractions, this is the product for you!

Related Products:

Feel free to check out a growing number of other products that use poetry, songs, games, worksheets, and assessments to make math fun and help students to learn a variety of common core math standards.

Click here to view Algebraic Expression and Equation Products

Click here to view Data, Statistics, and Probability Products

Click here to view Decimal Products

Click here to view Divisibility Rule Products

Click here to view Elementary to Middle School Transition Products

Click here to view Factor / Multiple Products

Click here to view Fraction Products

Click here to view Geometry Products

Click here to view Integer, Rational Number, and Order of Operations Products

Click here to view Ratio-Rate-Proportion-Percent Products

Click here to view Riddle Card Products that Help Retain Math Essentials

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Copyright © Barry Schneiderman. This product is to be used by

ONE teacher (the purchaser) for his or her classes only. Any reproduction of this material is limited to the purchaser for his or her classes. Beyond this usage, it may not be reproduced, republished, or copied in any way without written permission of the publisher. It may not be distributed to other teachers, a school department, a school, or a school district. This product may not be posted on any website, including but not limited to classroom websites, school websites, or district websites, without written permission of the publisher. Failure to follow the terms of usage represents a copyright violation per the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). To receive written permission to copy or post this product beyond the terms of use, ask Barry Schneiderman a question on Teachers Pay Teachers.