Teachers commonly illustrate how to write ratios in three different ways. For example, if there is a 1 to 4 ratio of girls to boys, write the ratio using a colon. To do this it would read: 1:4. This means for every 1 girl, there are 4 boys. Write it as fractions, by writing: 1/5 and 4/5. This means every 1 in 5 children are girls and every 4 in 5 children are boys. Write it as a percentage, by dividing the fractions. In percentage form, write the ratio as: 20 percent are girls and 80 percent are boys.
One important aspect of ratios is learning that many ratios are equivalent even if they are written differently. To play this game, write ratios on index cards, making sure that there are equivalent ratios for each number. Write ratios such as: 2:3, 4:6, 1/4, 2/8, 1/2 and 12/24. Divide students into groups and give each group a stack of ratio cards. The students must match up the ratios in pairs of equivalent ones.
Divide students into groups. Each group will flip a coin 10 times and write a ratio comparing the number of times the coin lands on heads and tails. For example, if the coin lands on heads four times and tails six times, the group would write: 4:6 heads to tails ratio. Have them write the ratio in the other two forms as well. For fraction form, they would write 4/10 for heads and 6/10 for tails. Teach the children how to simplify fractions, leaving the answers 2/5 and 3/5. In percentage form, they would write 40 percent heads and 60 percent tails.
Make wadded up balls using scrap paper from the classroom. Divide the class into groups and give each group 10 wadded up balls and a garbage can or box. When instructed, the students begin throwing the wadded paper balls into the garbage can. The students track how many times they make it and how many times they miss. They record their findings using all three ways of writing ratios.