Contents
Introducing Math Ad Libs: Fractions and Decimals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Teaching Notes: Fraction Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Fraction Ad Libs ( ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Fraction Ad Libs ( ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Fraction Ad Libs ( ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Reducing Fractions Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Comparing Fractions Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Adding Fractions Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Subtracting Fractions Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Improper Fractions Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Adding Unlike Fractions Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Subtracting Unlike Fractions Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Teaching Notes: Decimal Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Comparing Decimals Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Rounding Decimals Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Adding Decimals Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Subtracting Decimals Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Money Word Problems Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Fractions-to-Decimals Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Comparing Fractions and Decimals Ad Libs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
LER 3177 — Math Ad Libs - Fractions & Decimals
© Learning Resources, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL 60061 (USA)
Introducing Math Ad Libs: Fractions and Decimals
Welcome to Math Ad Libs—the book series featuring math reinforcement activities with a reading and
writing twist. Each activity in this book encourages students to apply their knowledge of fractions and
decimals to creative-writing activities, uniting simple mathematics with literacy.
Math Ad Libs activities are designed to supplement your classroom mathematics instruction program and
are ideal for learning centers or for at-home practice. Students of different ability levels can enjoy these
activities, though lower-level readers may need additional help. You may want to create lists of words for
each part of speech in the exercise. Students can select words from the list to complete the story
problem. Higher-level readers may be able to read and select their words independently or in small
groups. A variety of fraction and decimal concepts are featured, including reducing, comparisons, adding
and subtracting, and rounding.
In addition to providing practice with fractions and decimals, the activities in this book reinforce students’
knowledge of parts of speech as they improve their understanding of the role each word plays in a
sentence. You may wish to review parts of speech with your students before beginning the activities, and
brainstorm examples of different types of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
A well-timed mini-lesson on challenging issues, such as using –s or –es to pluralize a word (fox to foxes),
or choosing between the articles a and an may be very effective when students hear something that
sounds wrong or see something that looks wrong after inserting their words into the stories. You may find
that students insert the inappropriate tense or form of a verb into their stories (past vs. present, singular
vs. plural). Encourage them to listen for subject-verb agreement as you (or they) read their stories aloud,
and demonstrate how to correct things that "sound wrong" as these opportunities arise. Again, a minilesson on agreement or tense could be meaningfully inserted as the stories are read aloud.
KEY MATH TERMS
Each story problem contains a fraction or decimal. Help students look for key words that indicate which
mathematical operation to perform. For example, fraction or decimal addition story problems may include
the phrases in all or the total number. Not all story problems will contain these clue words, so students will
have to use context clues to determine which operation is necessary.
FRACTION AND DECIMAL SKILLS
Students will benefit most from Math Ad Libs: Fractions and Decimals once they have mastered these skills:
• Recognizing, writing, and reading fractions
• Recognizing, writing, and reading decimals
• Understanding mathematical symbols, including +, –, <, >, and =
• Understanding fraction and decimal terminology: numerator, denominator, tenths, hundredths,
thousandths
• Understanding place value
• Recognizing common fractions by name: , , , , , , , , Pages 4–26 of this book provide practice with common fraction concepts, and pages 28–48 provide
practice with decimals. Remind students that each story contains a math problem. After thinking of and
filling in their three word choices, their goal is mathematical: to determine the numbers involved in the
math problem, record them in the blank boxes on the page, and complete the problem. The answer to
the problem should then be recorded in the blank answer box and in the answer sentence below it. If
appropriate, encourage students to complete the math problem mentally before recording it on paper to
double-check their mental math. Students should then use the back of their page to write a sentence or
draw a picture to explain how they thought about and completed the math problem.
Math Ad Libs—Fractions & Decimals
LER 3177 — Math Ad Libs - Fractions & Decimals
© Learning Resources, Inc.
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© Learning Resources, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL 60061 (USA)
Teaching Notes: Fraction Concepts
IDENTIFYING A FRACTIONAL PART OF A NUMBER
Encourage students to find a fractional part of a whole number using simple multiplication and
division. To find 1/3 of 6, students should think of the problem as 1/3 x 6/1. They multiply across
(numerator and denominator) to get 6/3, and divide the numerator by the denominator (6 ÷ 3) to
reduce the fraction and find the answer to the problem.
of 6 = x = = 2
of 6 = 2
REDUCING FRACTIONS
To reduce a fraction, students should find a number that both the numerator and denominator are
divisible by. For example, to reduce 10/15, students must find a number that both 10 and 15 are
divisible by. Students should divide the numerator and denominator by 5 to reduce the fractions.
10 (÷ 5) = 2
15 (÷ 5) 3
To find equivalent fractions, students should multiply both the numerator and the denominator by the
same number to find an equivalent fraction.
1 (x 2) = 2
6 (x 2) 12
COMPARING FRACTIONS
To compare fractions with the same denominator, students should look at the numerators. The fraction
with the larger numerator is the larger fraction.
To compare fractions with different denominators, students must find the least common denominator
(LCD) for both fractions by multiplying each fraction by a number that will give them the same
denominator. For example, to compare 1/2 and 2/3, the LCD would be 6.
1 (x 3) = 3
2 (x 3) 6
3<4
6 6
2 (x 2) = 4
3 (x 2) 6
or
1<2
2 3
ADDING AND SUBTRACTING FRACTIONS
To add or subtract fractions with the same denominator, students should simply add or subtract the
two numerators and keep the denominator the same. To add or subtract fractions with different
denominators, students must find a least common denominator for the two fractions, as shown above,
and then add or subtract the numerators and reduce if necessary.
IMPROPER FRACTIONS AND MIXED NUMBERS
Make sure students understand the difference between an improper fraction (a fraction with a
numerator larger than its denominator) and a mixed number (a whole number followed by a fraction).
Explain that an improper fraction can be changed into a mixed number by dividing the numerator by
the denominator to find the whole number portion of the mixed number, then writing the remainder as
the numerator over the original denominator.
32
5
4
(32 ÷ 5 = 6 R 2)
© Learning Resources, Inc.
LER 3177 — Math Ad Libs - Fractions & Decimals
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Math Ad Libs—Fractions & Decimals
© Learning Resources, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL 60061 (USA)
Name:__________________________
Fraction Ad Libs (41 )
Think of a word for each category and write it on the line.
1. adjective:______________________________________
2. plural noun: ____________________________________
3. adjective: ______________________________________
On the blank lines in the story, write the words you picked. Then read the story aloud.
Lucky or Unlucky?
Steve is on the _________________ track team. He has a lucky pair of
(1)
shoes, lucky shorts, and even lucky _________________ ! But Steve wasn’t
(2)
lucky on this _________________ day. He only made it
(3)
of the way
around the 400-meter track! How many meters did Steve run?
Write the equation. Then write the answer in the sentence.
Hint: Remember that "of"
means "multiply!”
of
=
Steve ran ______ meters.
Explain how you completed the problem on the back of this page.
Math Ad Libs—Fractions & Decimals
LER 3177 — Math Ad Libs - Fractions & Decimals
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© Learning Resources, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL 60061 (USA)
Name:__________________________
Comparing fractions Ad Libs
Think of a word for each category and write it on the line.
1. adjective: ______________________________________
2. adverb: ________________________________________
3. noun (place): ____________________________________
On the blank lines in the story, write the words you picked. Then read the story aloud.
Too Much Chocolate!
The twins, Fred and Grant, each got a _________________ candy bar on
(1)
their birthday. After their party, the boys _________________ unwrapped the
(2)
bars and started eating. After a few minutes, Fred had
Grant had
of his candy bar left.
of his candy bar left. Both boys had stomachaches, and had to
rest on the _________________ . Which boy had more candy left?
(3)
Write the equation. Then write the answer in the sentence.
>
______ had more candy left.
Explain how you completed the problem on the back of this page.
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© Learning Resources, Inc.
LER 3177 — Math Ad Libs - Fractions & Decimals
Math Ad Libs—Fractions & Decimals
© Learning Resources, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL 60061 (USA)
Name:__________________________
Rounding Decimals Ad Libs
Think of a word for each category and write it on the line.
1. adjective: ________________________________________
2. adverb:________________________________________
3. verb: __________________________________________
Hint: Describing
words like sadly or
easily are called
adverbs.
On the blank lines in the story, write the words you picked. Then read the story aloud.
Noodle Counting
Sam is a very _________________ boy. He measures and counts everything
(1)
_________________ . Today he is counting the number of noodles he eats
(2)
for lunch. He eats 7.16 noodles and _________________ that number in his
(3)
notebook. But Sam likes to round all the numbers in his diary to the nearest
tenth. What does Sam write in his notebook?
Round to the nearest tenth. Then write the answer in the sentence.
Hint: Round up if the last digit
is greater than 5.
Sam writes ______ in his notebook.
Explain how you completed the problem on the back of this page.
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© Learning Resources, Inc.
LER 3177 — Math Ad Libs - Fractions & Decimals
Math Ad Libs—Fractions & Decimals
© Learning Resources, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL 60061 (USA)
Name:__________________________
Subtracting Decimals Ad Libs
Think of a word for each category and write it on the line.
1. noun: __________________________________________
2. verb: __________________________________________
3. adjective: ______________________________________
On the blank lines in the story, write the words you picked. Then read the story aloud.
Mr. Davis’ Beard
Mr. Davis has a very long beard. It is 14.86 inches long! He always gets
_________________ stuck in it when he _________________ . It is too
(1)
(2)
_________________ to have such a long beard in the summer, so Mr. Davis
(3)
trims off 11.58 inches. How long is Mr. Davis’ beard now?
Write the equation. Then write the answer in the sentence.
Hint: Borrow once in this problem.
_ __________
Mr. Davis’ beard is now ______ inches long.
Explain how you completed the problem on the back of this page.
Math Ad Libs—Fractions & Decimals
LER 3177 — Math Ad Libs - Fractions & Decimals
© Learning Resources, Inc.
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© Learning Resources, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL 60061 (USA)