The Fraction Bar: An Easy Guide to Working with Fractions was written by math tutor, Serena Swegle, author of Calculus for Middle Schoolers. Swegle is gifted with the ability to make math concepts easily understandable.
She explains processes thoroughly, using illustrations while walking students step-by-step through each one. The book is 6” x 9”—smaller pages than most math textbooks, and Swegle uses a large, sans serif font that is easy to read. This means the pages look uncluttered and manageable—especially helpful for students easily overwhelmed by new math concepts.
The book covers much more than fractions, although the first half of this 182-page book concentrates on fractions. It begins by defining fractions, then jumps to equivalent fractions and reducing fractions. This quick acceleration makes the book appropriate for students in fifth grade and above rather than younger children just being introduced to fractions.
Swegle teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions, working with improper fractions and mixed numbers. She continues from there with lessons on converting fractions to decimals and percents, their reverse processes, and ratios. Returning to fractions, later lessons address the four arithmetic functions with both positive and negative fractions, the use of parentheses, the use of the reciprocal in algebra, and fractions as exponents (e.g., determining the value of 82/3).
The book ends with a set of 14 practice problems, followed by an answer key. (I wish there were more practice problems throughout the book.)
Fifth and sixth graders might work through two-thirds of The Fraction Bar if they need to review and relearn concepts related to fractions, decimals, and percents. Seventh and eighth graders who complete the entire book should have the foundation they need to tackle pre-algebra.
