Build fractions from shapes and numbers to earn stars in this fractions game or explore in the Fractions Lab. Challenge yourself on any level you like. Try to collect lots of stars!

I use this to help students understand that fractions are numbers to make sense of, just like whole numbers.  The activity also focuses on understanding the main parts of a fraction, the numerator and the denominator. 

Big Ideas: A fraction represents the division of a whole into equal shares. The denominator is represented by the number of segments on a number line between two whole numbers.
This lesson builds on students' work with partitioning area models of wholes into equal shares. This task requires students to recognize whether number lines were partitioned correctly, justify their reasoning, and partition number lines on their own. Students will be building the foundations of fraction sense on a number line by representing, partitioning, and labeling equal shares. The mathematical concepts in this lesson build toward students' future work with composing, decomposing, and identifying specific fractions on number lines as well as future work with comparing and equivalent fractions.
Vocabulary: number line, line segments, fraction, numerator, denominator, halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths