Comparing Fractions

My students and I have just finished our unit on fractions. Those of you that teach fractions know what a tricky concept it is for some students to master. One of the things I have found really works for my kiddos is using a fraction bar chart. In previous years I used fraction bars-but it took forever for the students to set up the bars and they quickly became a "toy." So, I ended up having to take away fraction bars from the students who needed them most. Due to this I created a fraction bar chart that I copy on card-stock. You can find the chart I used this year for free here.
My students used their fraction bar chart and some Lucky Charms cereal to compare fractions. I put some different comparison problems up on the SMARTboard and had the students mark their fraction bar chart using the Lucky Charms.

They were then able to compare the lengths of the fractions and identify which was larger than the other. It was really helpful for those "close" fractions.

As my students got more comfortable with the concept some were able to solve the problems without the chart...but they were all excited to eat the Lucky Charms when they were finished!