Whole number and fraction reorganization of knowledge: A case of Dalton and Angela, two third grade children with intensive supports in mathematics

Abstract

We examined how whole number knowledge and fraction knowledge may interact, conducting task-based interviews with two third-grade children with ISM.² Results indicate that these two children with ISM developed fraction knowledge through meaningful activity involving their whole number schemes and their rudimentary fraction knowledge; the participants leveraged their number sequences, use of doubles, partitioning operations, and iterating operations to construct fraction task solutions. Questions remain regarding how children with ISM may use and develop nuanced forms of iteration and partitioning for both their whole number and fraction learning over longer spans of time and how these forms of development may suggest varying forms of participatory and anticipatory stages of reasoning.