Equivalent Fractions - The Big 1!

I teach 4th grade. That means I spend a solid month beating my head up against the dry erase board trying to work through the mud that is fractions. I, personally, love fractions. Those devilish little division problems masquerading as something different totally does it for me. Last year, after trying to get the point that creating equivalent fractions is not as tough as it seems, I realized the problem: my kids weren't seeing the fraction that I multiplied or divided by as one (not changing the value). So...I made the fraction a one. You could literally see the light bulbs above their heads (I had to put on my sunglasses it was so bright!). Below is a photo of how it looks to the kids. It works for simplifying the fractions, too (just use the GCF to create the fraction). Sending digital teacher hug your way! <3 Ashley