Mrs. Trapper Cheetah sat at her desk looking at her students as they worked out the fractions she had placed on the board. Bonnie Leopard was chewing on her pencil, Randy Lion was scratching his eraser to correct a mistake and Wanda Walrus' face was completely hidden as she bent over her work. All the students in her class were busily concentrating, all except Bippy Cat, who was gazing out the window.

 "Bippy, have you finished your fractions?" asked Mrs. Trapper, knowing the answer.

 Bippy didn't reply at all, he was so intent on the base-ball game of the older students.

 "Bippy, have you finished your fractions?" asked Mrs. Trapper a little louder, causing some of the students to raise their heads and look in Bippy's direction.

 Bippy turned his head and looked down at his work. He was having a real problem this year with his work, but most of the problem was that Bippy didn't pay attention.

 Soon Wanda Walrus and Bonnie Leopard were passing in their pages and others held up their paws indicating they were finished. Only Bippy never indicated his problems were finished and, moving closer, Mrs. Trapper could see that no problems had been worked on at all.

 "I wonder if you would stay after school today, Bippy," said Mrs. Trapper.

 After the other animals left, Mrs. Trapper looked at Bippy with his head down staring at his paws. He was really a great little fellow, but he didn't do his homework, never listened in class and mostly stared out the window.

 "Bippy, are you satisfied with your work this year?" asked Mrs. Trapper.

 "No," Bippy whispered. "I can't understand what those fractions are!"

 Relief flowed through Bippy hearing himself admit that he didn't understand.

advertisement

 "Let me help you," said Mrs. Trapper, drawing something on the board. "I want you to imagine this big circle is a pie. What is your favourite flavour?"

 "Strawberry," said Bippy, thinking about juicy berries in a pie.

 "If you had this much pie, how much would you have?" asked Mrs. Trapper, drawing a line halfway through the pie.

 "I'd have half a pie," said Bippy.

 "That is a fraction," said the teacher drawing another line creating a cross in the pie. "How much pie would you have now?"

 "Now you have four pieces and I would take one of those," said Bippy.

 "That would be one-fourth," said Mrs. Trapper. She continued to show him eighths and sixteenths cutting the imaginary pie. "That is all fractions. Does that help you to understand any better?"

 Bippy had to admit it did and as the teacher asked him questions, he began to answer them correctly. All it had taken was an imaginary pie, he thought. Fractions weren't so bad after all.

 Question about the story: What did Mrs. Trapper ask Bippy to do after school?

 Winner:  Rebecca Hubley of Chester Basin received her prize in the mail.

 Send answers to Storytime, c/o Verna Dunlop, RR#1 Moser River, NS BOJ 2KO or e-mail the answer to the question to vernadunlop@yahoo.com.  Names will be drawn for a prize.

posted on 04/21/09