This is a fun way to help children focus on the nature of fractions
You need a paper and a pencil
Fractions are 'parts of a whole', and this activity splits people's names into parts.
Not just any people though. Famous people!
First job: think of a celebrity or famous person.
We went with Ed Sheeran. Write down their name:
Now, count the number of letters in their name and make a note of this.
There are 9 letters. This is the 'Whole'.
Next, we can think of breaking the name into parts - vowels and consonants.
Count how many vowels there are in the name:
Ed Sheeran has 4 vowels in his name. Giving the fraction 4 out of 9.
How many consonants are there in Ed's name?
Five. So we have 5/9 and 4/9. The fractions add to 9/9.
Try it with the names of other celebrities.
Is there anyone else who has the same fraction of vowels as Ed?
Some names can be 'simplified', for example:
Napoleon = 4/8 which is 1/2
1/2 of the letters in Napoleon's name are vowels.
Here are a few more:
Marge Simpson = 4/12 which is 1/3
Josh Hutcherson = 4/14 which is 2/7
Miley Cirus = 4/10 which is 2/5
Can you find a name that makes 1/2, or any other names that make 1/4, or 1/3?
What fraction does your own name create?