Fraction Explorers: Mission to Numeron.

Hello year-five students!

Have you ever wondered about our Earth and the enormous space out there? Our living planet is only a part of the whole giant space, just like a part of a whole in fractions. In this WebQuest, you will be participating in a space adventure traveling through various fraction stations to arrive at the Numeron Station. Are you excited about it? Let’s get started!

You are part of the Fraction Explorers team on a mission to Space Station Numeron. Your challenge is to collect four gems at four fraction stations to form a magic key unlocking the door at Numeron. The following five-step guidance will help you complete your mission.

Step 1: Getting ready to board a spaceship by revisiting fractions.

Step 2: Collecting the first gem by building fractions at the Hands-on Station.

Step 3: Collecting the second gem by illustrating fractions at the Visual Station.

Step 4: Collecting the third gem by calculating fractions at the Symbol Station.

Step 5: Collecting the final gem by solving problems at the Application Station.

When you travel through stations, do not forget to screenshot your results and save your projects to upload to your name folder in the class Drive via the link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u_FPS5yl4pmcl62IYRibJJVPAEaS_RmN?usp=drive_link 

Step 1: Getting ready to board a spaceship by revisiting fractions.

The aim of this step is to equip you with basic fraction knowledge by revisiting concepts such as fraction names, part-whole relationships, and unit and non-unit fractions. You will need to:

- Explore, compare, and order fractions from an interactive fraction wall on Mathsbot. Access link: https://mathsbot.com/manipulatives/fractionWall

- Share your thoughts on a whole-class Padlet for the question "What do you know about fractions?". Access link: https://padlet.com/hoanghuyen8b/what-do-you-know-about-fractions-i0ot259jgrpkvam0 

- Participate in a Kahoot! quiz game about basic fraction concepts (e.g. halves, thirds, quarters). Access link: https://create.kahoot.it/share/fun-with-fractions-10-questions/659374f6-07b3-409f-b2ce-22cd4035eee1 

Step 2: Collecting the first gem by building fractions at the Hands-on Station.

This station helps you learn to add and subtract like fractions using hands-on tools. You will:

- Drag and drop fraction strips/ bars/ circles with Toy Theater. Access link: https://toytheater.com/fraction-circles/

- Watch a demonstration video about adding and subtracting like fractions on Khan Academy, and interact with comments and quizzes. Access link: https://shorturl.at/cnCoF 

- Participate in Level 1a subtraction and addition fraction games on Sheppard Software. You can choose either the relaxed mode or timed mode. Access links: https://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math/fractions/subtraction-game/ 

https://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math/fractions/addition-game/ 

Step 3: Collecting the second gem by illustrating fractions at the Visual Station.

In this station, you will use different tools (e.g. drawing, lines) to visually illustrate fraction addition and subtraction by:

- Drawing different models (e.g. pizza slices or bar lines) using Google Drawings or Whiteboard.fi.

- Using number lines to explore the addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators. https://apps.mathlearningcenter.org/number-line/ 

- Recording your screens showing solutions to fraction problems using visual or drawing tools.

Step 4: Collecting the third gem by calculating fractions at the Symbol Station.

This station helps you take a leap in fraction representations from visual tools to symbol and formal number display. You will  

- Convert drawings into formal expressions (e.g. “I drew 2/5 + 1/5 = 3/5.”).

- Make and have your peer feedback on a shared Google Docs. Access link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NWmdoa5E5XVYcM8mo98aPr98Ujbs0jVJ9imkF_hSnIY/edit?usp=sharing 

- Practice addition and subtraction of like fraction problems on IXL Practice website. You will need a paid account for this activity. Access link: https://au.ixl.com/math/year-5/add-fractions-with-like-denominators. If you do not have a IXL account, you can practice on Fractionsweb.com instead. Access link: https://www.fractionsweb.com/ 

Step 5: Collecting the final gem by solving problems at the Application Station.

In this station, you will apply the knowledge of adding and subtracting like fractions to solve real-life problems. You will:

- Use Canva or Google Slides to design a recipe that uses fractions (e.g. 1/3 cup flour + 2/3 cup flour = ?).

- Solve addition and subtraction like fraction problems by participating in a Math Kitchen Scenario (selecting recipes, calculating ingredients, quantifying shopping lists, and reflecting on processes). Access link: https://shorturl.at/ZIVkz 

- Record a short video or create a representation using Google Slide to explain one problem using one hands-on tool, one visual tool, and one symbolic tool.

Congratulations on your collection of four gems! Now it is time to assemble them into the magic key to open the door at the Space Station Numeron. Let’s calculate your points to activate that key!

The total point is 100, including 30 points for participation, 20 points for contribution, and 50 points for projects.

Hooray! You finally arrive at the Station Numeron and your mission is completed. What a great journey traveling through fraction stations to learn about adding and subtracting like fractions while having fun discovering diverse parts of our space. Do you like this experience? Are you confident about fractions now? Feel free to go over resources you have been to in this WebQuest as well as discovering other resources about fractions by yourselves.

Special thank to the following resources for providing valuable tools and contents used in this WebQuest:

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (n.d.). Australian Curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Fractionsweb. (n.d.). Fractions. https://www.fractionsweb.com/

Google Workspace. (n.d.). Google workspace resources. https://workspace.google.com/resources/ 

Hoang, H. (2025). Fun with fractions! (10 questions). Kahoot!. https://create.kahoot.it/share/fun-with-fractions-10-questions/659374f6-07b3-409f-b2ce-22cd4035eee1 

Hoang, H. (2025). What do you know about fractions?. Padlet. https://padlet.com/hoanghuyen8b/what-do-you-know-about-fractions-i0ot259jgrpkvam0

IXL. (n.d.). J.8 Add fractions with like denominators. https://au.ixl.com/math/year-5/add-fractions-with-like-denominators.

Khan Academy. (n.d.). Addition fractions with like denominators. https://shorturl.at/cnCoF

Mathsbot. (n.d.). Fraction wall. https://mathsbot.com/manipulatives/fractionWall

Math Learning Centre. (n.d.). Number line. https://apps.mathlearningcenter.org/number-line/

Sheppard Software. (n.d.). Fraction subtraction. https://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math/fractions/subtraction-game/

Sheppard Software. (n.d.). Fraction addition. https://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math/fractions/addition-game/

Toy Theater. (n.d.). Fraction circles. https://toytheater.com/fraction-circles/

Alignment to Australian Curriculum:

- Year 5, Mathematics learning area, Number strand: AC9M5N04 Add and subtract fractions with the same denominator, using knowledge of equivalent fractions; locate and represent these fractions on a number line. (ACARA, n.d.).

- Proficiency strands:

+ Understanding: Recognise concepts of fractions (e.g. representing fractions on a number line, fractions with the same denominator as parts of the same whole), explore equivalent fractions to compare and combine them.

+ Fluency: Students use mental and visual strategies to subtract and add like fractions, and quickly recognise frequent equivalent fractions.

+ Problem-solving: Students apply subtraction and addition like fraction knowledge to deal with mathematical and real-world problems.

+ Reasoning: Students justify whether two fractions are equal and generalise some patterns they see in fraction operations.

Differentiation: enabling or extending prompts, varying task presentations, individual and small group activities, peer feedback and whole class discussion

Misconceptions: