Introduction:
Fractions can be confusing and cause disorder. Read this poem after teaching a few fraction lessons when the students are becoming frustrated with the challenges that fractions pose.

Fractions
By Lee Bennett Hopkins

FRACTONS
Broken number pieces
disconnected-

a quarter
a half
an eighth

fragmented-

out of order-
out of control-

until-

I explore them
restore them

make them
whole
once more
again.

[from Marvelous Math selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, Simon & Schuster, 1997]

Extension:
After teaching a few fraction lessons, read FRACTIONS to the class. Ask students to reflect on their feelings about fractions. Invite students to choose a fraction, and write a poem based on the fraction they selected.