I hope to write a longer post soon, and also maybe some updates on Pig and the olive problem. In the meantime, a quick share:
I like the Transition to Algebra activity that uses Cuisinaire rods to develop the idea that multiplying fractions is really just scaling. Here’s an excerpt:

This lesson went great–but I wanted more practice. So since then, as an occasional warm-up, we’ll use the same format. I love it, and I can already see the kids using scaling strategies a lot more fluently to solve equations with fractions.
Here are examples of some basic templates I made:

To make a practice page, I decide which templates to use, print a blank page, and fill in the values I want with pen. Then I make copies.
For example, here’s the page from today, which I made from this document:

It’s interesting looking at how different kids use the visual scaffold. I like looking for little clues about how the kids are thinking about these problems.






We’re working toward tasks like this don steward one.
In the meantime, if anybody wants the templates, there’s a bunch here.