This learning center enables students to begin building their knowledge of fractions by seeing them get gobbled up by hungry critters!

Students cut out the circles along the dotted lines on the four fraction wheel pages. One circle features a hungry critter with a slit. The other circle features food, like a bowl of cereal or a donut, divided into thirds or fourths. The second circle is slotted into the first circle to create a wheel that allows students to see how many thirds or fourths are left after a hungry animal, like a shark or panda, eats the pieces. The activity comes with four worksheets that correspond to the four sets of circles that students build. They color in different fractions in different shapes, like one-third of a circle or one-fourth of a strip of four rectangles.

This activity can be modified according to student ability levels. For example, you can precut the circles if you anticipate students needing help. You can also include just one or two fraction wheels with their corresponding worksheets for students that might not have the concentration or knowledge to complete all four.

All versions of this learning center promote pieces as parts of a whole, allowing students to build a conceptual foundation for fractions that will help them understand and solve problems with fractions in the future.