Adding & Subtracting Negative Fractions Team Relay
Practice adding & subtracting negative mixed numbers with these fun mystery letter team relays!
Each relay has students work in groups of 4 to complete a negative fraction addition or subtraction problem by breaking up the steps to give each student in the group a different role:
- Student 1 is responsible for determining whether to add or subtract the two mixed numbers and determining the sign of the answer.
- Student 2 is responsible for renaming the fractions with a common denominator.
- Student 3 is responsible for completing the actual addition or subtraction.
- Student 4 is responsible for making sure the answer is in simplest form, converting improper fraction answers to mixed numbers, and writing in the sign of the answer.
A key at the bottom of the page tells the students the mystery letter. Checking if a group completed the relay correctly is as simple as checking their mystery letter!
There are 4 relays included (all set up the same way) so that students can rotate roles each time, giving each student an opportunity to complete each of the 4 steps. A blank template is also included should you wish to give students additional problems to complete.
Competitive classes love making team relays a race!
The 11 pages of this download include:
- 1 cover page
- 1 page of teacher directions & tips
- 4 team relays
- 4 answer keys
- 1 blank relay to write in your own negative fraction addition/subtraction problem
I have found that adding & subtracting negative fractions is one of the harder skills for middle school students to master. By breaking up the problems into manageable steps (the way these relays are set up), students tend to understand the process much better, make fewer mistakes, and gain confidence in evaluating expressions with rational numbers!
I hope you and your students enjoy this cooperative learning activity!
