Putting Fractions Together

Putting Fractions Together (PFT) is a computer-based educational game intervention designed to improve understanding of individual fractions and fraction addition for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. The intervention emphasizes that both individual fractions and sums of fractions are composed of unit fractions and can be represented by concatenating them (putting them together). Students use fraction strips to create visual representations of fractions and fraction sums on a 0-1 number line, estimating their magnitudes by placing marks on the line. The game progresses through three phases using a "concreteness fading" approach: Phase 1 allows students to select and move fraction strips onto the number line; Phase 2 makes strips immovable, encouraging mental visualization; Phase 3 hides strips entirely, requiring mental representation. Students receive feedback showing correct fraction strip representations after each response. The intervention is delivered one-on-one by an experimenter and includes a tutorial followed by gameplay lasting approximately 15-21 minutes total across one or two parts.