For your area models you would draw two rectangles and divide one into 2 equal sections, and the other one with 8 equal sections. You then shade 1 box out of the first triangle with 2 equal sides. Then you would shade 7 boxes on the rectangle with 8 equal sides. These diagrams would show you that 7/8 and 1/2 are not equivalent.
To find out what fractions are equivalent to 1/2 you would take 1/2 and times the numerator and denominator by the same number.
