Dear St. Elizabeth's Community,
When you think back to fourth-grade math and learning about fractions, you either remember sailing through equivalent fractions with ease or feeling completely lost when your teacher first mentioned common denominators. For many of us, fractions marked that pivotal moment when math shifted from concrete to abstract—and not everyone made that leap comfortably.
But something different is happening in Mrs. Hellyer's fourth-grade classroom. Our students are starting fractions, and they're loving every minute of it.
From Abstract to Irresistible
Mrs. Hellyer could begin with fractions on the board, diving straight into numerators and denominators, but instead, she starts with a question that shifts the entire framework: How do parts come together to equal a whole? Knowing that students are better able to understand the abstract when they can see and use physical representations, she hands each student a Hershey's Bar or a package of Starburst. Smiles erupt. Curiosity ignites. And suddenly, fractions aren't intimidating—they're delicious!
Why This Works
Decades of research in mathematics education confirms what Mrs. Hellyer intuitively understands: elementary students need concrete experiences to grasp abstract concepts. Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget identified this as the "concrete operational stage," when children learn best by manipulating physical objects. More recent studies, including work published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, demonstrate that students who use concrete manipulatives before moving to symbolic representation show significantly stronger conceptual understanding and better retention.
Mrs. Hellyer bridges this gap beautifully. By breaking the chocolate bar into its individual pieces and regrouping them into different fraction models, students can visually compare the size of each fraction and understand its value. Asking, “Would you rather have 1/4 of a chocolate bar or 3/4 of a chocolate bar?” helps students immediately see that 3/4 represents a larger portion than 1/4. This hands-on approach makes fraction comparisons concrete, meaningful, and memorable.What was once abstract becomes tangible as she transitions to magnetic manipulatives. Students can see all the different ways to represent 1/2: as 2/4, 4/8, 6/12, or 8/16. The chocolate makes it real; the manipulatives make it transferable.
She also reads aloud The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Fractions Book by Jerry Pallotta and Rob Bolster, which transforms the candy bar into a teaching tool and gives students a narrative framework for understanding how fractions work in the real world.
The Power of Engagement
Research from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics also emphasizes that mathematical understanding deepens when students are emotionally engaged and when learning connects to their lived experiences. A Hershey's Bar isn't just a manipulative—it's familiar, enticing, and relevant. It turns a potentially dry lesson into an experience students remember.
And truly, what's better than a classroom full of fourth graders, happily munching on chocolate while discovering that math can be both challenging and joyful?
Mrs. Hellyer's approach reminds us that great teaching isn't just about delivering content—it's about meeting students where they are, sparking curiosity, and building bridges from the concrete to the conceptual. It's about making fractions not just understandable, but unforgettable.
Here's to all our educators who bring ingenuity, sweetness, and research-backed practice into every lesson.
Best foot forward,
Adriana Murphy
Head of School
PS: Looking for ways to practice fractions at home? Click HERE.
