Headline Story
Fraction Computation, #6
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Introduction
Ask students what they can say about the situation described in this Headline Story. Watch for misinterpretations of the story: some students, when they see two numbers, are tempted to try finding their sum or difference. This problem uses the numbers quite differently.
Headline Story
Gavin had _____ marbles. He gave Luke 
of his marbles and then gave Briana 
of the marbles he had left. How many marbles do each of them have?
Possible student responses
- Gavin had to have a multiple of 3 for his number of marbles or he could not give away a third of his marbles.
- If he has 9 marbles, he gave away 3 to Luke. Then there would be 6 left and he’d give 3 to Briana.
- If Gavin had 12 marbles, Luke would get 4, Briana would get 4 marbles, and Gavin would have 4 left.
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