Why doesn't 4/8 + 5/8 = 9/16?

Although we can say that if a player made 4 out of 8 free throws in one game and 5 out of 8 in another, the two together makes a 9/16.

half + over half = more than one

Brilliant!

Good explanation why we need common denominators!

Everytime I use a "pizza example" in my class, at least one student complains about being hungry... 😅

Using food or money is really the quickest way for me to understand fractions.

I loved that my third-grade curriculum used this idea of the denominator naming the unit in the foundation of fraction instruction. I have been curious if this causes any confusion as students begin to multiply fractions. Thoughts?