What is a tape diagram in math?
A tape diagram (also called a bar model) is a rectangle split into equal parts that shows how the numbers in a word problem fit together. For "3/8 of 24 stickers", kids draw a bar for 24, split it into 8 parts of 3, and shade 3 parts: 9 stickers.
How you probably learned it
You probably read a word problem, looked for key words like "of" or "in all", and picked an operation.
How your kid is learning it
Your kid draws the problem first. The picture makes it clear what to multiply or divide, so key-word tricks (which often lead kids astray) aren't needed.
How to draw one
- Draw one long bar for the whole amount and label it (24 stickers).
- Split it into equal parts for the denominator (8 parts for eighths).
- Figure out what one part is worth (24 ÷ 8 = 3).
- Shade the parts the problem asks about (3 parts make 9 stickers).
Working backward
Tape diagrams also solve harder problems, like "Leo read 40 pages, which is 5/8 of his book." Draw 8 parts, shade 5, and label the shaded part 40. Each part is 8 pages, so the book has 8 × 8 = 64 pages.
