Fractions Intervention Unit Lessons

Fractions
Intervention Unit
Oliver Elementary
School 4th grade
Spring 2015
by: Victoria Bye
Unit lessons included. Full unit available upon request.
Instructor: Victoria Bye

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 5th/Mrs. Walker
Lesson Title: What is a Fraction?
Date: 4 March 2015
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Estimated Time: 45 minutes
Standards Connection:
Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned
into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts and size
1/b. [3-NF1]
Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction nxa/nxb by using visual fraction
models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the
two fractions themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and
generate equivalent fractions. [4-NF1]
Learning Objective:
When given an exit slip, students will accurately define the term fraction, generate
fractions to represent visual models, and create a visual model to represent a given
fraction.
Learning Objective stated in kid-friendly language:
Students will define fraction and write fractions for models.
Evaluation of Learning Objectives:
Students will be given an exit ticket. They will define fraction and write fractions for two
visual representations.
Engagement:
Hello, boys and girls. I am so excited that we get to work together. I will be pulling
each of you everyday during rotations for the next two weeks. During this time, we are
going to review everything that we have done with fractions so far so that we can all
catch up and get where we need to be. I want you to be sure that you are here and
working hard everyday because I dont want you to miss anything. We are going to have
a lot of fun, but we are going to work hard and accomplish a lot everyday in a short
amount of time. Put your seat belts on because its going to be a wild ride.
Lets get started! Today we are going to make a fraction man! Fraction man will help
us to understand and utilize fractions throughout the unit. I am going to give you the
pieces you need to make fraction man and a glue stick. Be sure to listen for directions
before you begin glue anything! The instructor will pass out construction paper. Each
student will receive: 1 full piece, 2 halves, 4 fourths, 8 eighths, and 16 sixteenths. The
instructor will guide the students through assembling the fraction man. Now, lets get
started using our fraction man to learn about fractions!
Learning Design:
Teaching:
I want us to take a close look at fraction man as we begin talking about fractions.
A fraction represents a part of a whole. I want you take your black marker and write
1 whole on the torso, or the middle part, of fraction man. The torso of Fraction Man
is one whole and all of his other body parts are a fraction of one full piece of
construction paper. I am holding one full piece of construction paper in my left hand,
and I have a piece the size of Fraction mans head and hat in my right hand. I want
you to write 1/2 on the head and hat of Fraction man, just like I have on my paper.
Now, I want us to look at the four other pieces connected to Fraction Mans body. I
am holding up one of those pieces on top of the one whole. I notice that four of these
pieces make up one whole. I want you to write 1/4 on each of your four pieces just
like I have on mine. These will be Fraction Mans upper arms and legs. Now, lets
take a look at the two rectangles that make up each arm and leg. As I compare one
of these pieces to the whole, I notice that it takes eight of these to make one whole. I
want you to write 1/8 on each of these pieces. Are you noticing anything as we write
fractions on our fraction man? Maybe something about the number of pieces in each
whole? Maybe something about the size of the pieces or the bottom number of the
fraction? The instructor will allow students to answer. I am seeing that the bottom
number of each fraction is the same as the number of pieces that it takes for each
size part to fill the whole, and I am noticing also that as the pieces get smaller, the
bottom number, or denominator, we are writing each time is getting bigger. Lets try
one more, fraction man has 16 little fingers and toes. As I hold one of these pieces
up to a whole piece of construction paper, I see that it would take 16 to fill an entire
paper. I want you to write 1/16 on each of the fingers and toes. Fraction Man can
teach us a lot about fractions. One thing we can learn right now is that the bigger the
bottom number, or denominator, of a fraction is, the smaller the parts of the whole
will be. We can demonstrate this by looking at Fraction Man. We see that 1/2 is
bigger than 1/4, which is bigger than 1/8, which is bigger than 1/16. We have learned
a lot about fractions already using Fraction Man and, we will continue using Fraction
Man over the next several days, but lets put him aside for now.
Like we said a few minutes ago, A fraction is a part of a whole. A fraction tells me
how me how many parts I have of a certain whole. For example, my friends and I
bought a pizza this weekend. The pizza started with 8 pieces, I had two, my friend
Rachel had two, and my friend Emily had 1. At the end of the night, I wanted to know
what fraction of a pizza I had left over after everyone had eaten. I wrote a fraction
bar on a piece of paper. The instructor will begin writing on the Smartboard. A
fraction bar separates the numerator and denominator of a fraction. I know that my
denominator is 8 because my pizza started with 8 pieces. A denominator tells us
how many parts are in one whole. So if I had been given a pizza with 6 pieces, then
my denominator would be 6. Does anyone have a guess what my denominator
would be if I had been given a pizza with 12 pieces? 12, very good! So, looking back
at the fraction we are writing about the pizza with 8 pieces, we now need to figure
out what our numerator should be. The numerator tells me how many parts of a
whole I have. When we were all finished eating pizza, I counted how many pieces I
had left. I counted 3 pieces, so my numerator is 3. I have now completed my
fraction. therefore, my fraction to represent how much pizza I had left over this
weekend is 3/8.
Lets build some more fractions together. I have some fun fraction circles that we
are going to use to help us learn how to write fractions. To start, lets take a look at
one full circle. This is circle is one whole. If I wanted to write a fraction to represent
this full circle it would be 1/1 which we would write as 1 because one divided by one
is equal to 1. Next, lets look at another circle. This circle has 2 pieces. If I wrote a
fraction for this full circle with two pieces, it would be 2/2, and 2 divided by 2 is equal
to 1. But if I took away one piece of this circle, then I would have one out of two
pieces. I know that my denominator is two because two parts make up the whole
circle. I know that my numerator for this fraction will be one because there is one
part of the circle and my denominator will be two because the whole circle has two
parts. Therefore, my fraction is 1/2.
Now, lets look at this circle. Its broken into three parts, so our denominator is
three. Lets write a few fractions for this set. If I have one of the three parts of the
circle, then my numerator will be one with a denominator of three, 1/3. I am going to
add one part back. Who will help me write a fraction to represent this part of the
circle? The instructor will call on a volunteer. Very good, our fraction is 2/3. As I add
back one more part to the circle, I know that we have one whole and the fraction to
represent this will be 3/3.
Lets look at a few more. How many parts make up this whole circle? Correct,
there are four parts in the full circle. I want you to use your white board and expo
marker to write a fraction to represent two pieces of this circle. Remember that you
should turn your boards to show me your answer on the count of three. I will give
you a few seconds to write a fraction to represent two pieces out this circle. One,
two, three. The instructor will monitor students progress by noting answers on their
white boards. Let's take a look! I know that the denominator is 4 because four parts
make up the whole circle. In order to determine the numerator, all I need to do I
count how how many pieces out of four that I have. As you can see, we have 2
pieces; therefore, our numerator is 2. Our completed fraction in 2/4.
Lets try one more together. The instructor will place the circle broken into eighths
on the board. I see that I have one whole circle. Lets count together to see how
many equal parts make up this circle. One- two- three- four- five- six- seven- eight.
We now know that our denominator for any fraction written to represent a part of this
will be what? 8, because eight pieces make up the whole. Because there are 8 parts
in the whole, I know that my fraction to represent the entire circle would be 8/8. I
want you to write a fraction to represent the part of the circle remaining when I take
away 3 pieces of the whole. Write the fraction on your board. We will turn our boards
when I count to three. One, two, three. Very good. Lets investigate why the fraction
to represent the part of this circle is 5/8. First of all, will someone tell me why our
denominator is 8? Correct, our denominator is 8 because 8 equal parts make up the
whole circle. Now, who can tell me why the numerator is 5? Very good, our
numerator is 5 because we have 5 parts of the whole.
So far we have written fractions to represent circles. I want us to look at some
others ways fractions can be represented. This rectangle is broken into eight parts.
Can anyone tell me what my denominator for this fraction will be? Exactly, because
the whole is made up of 6 parts, the denominator will be eight. Now, if I shade 5
parts of the rectangle, then my numerator will be 5 because five out of the 6 parts
are shaded. Lets do another together. How many parts is this rectangle broken into?
5. I am shading 3. I want each of you to write a fraction on your white board to
represent this rectangle. On the count of three you will show me your boards. One,
two, three. You should have 3/5 written on your board. Will someone please explain
to the group how you determined that the correct fraction is 3/5? Thank you. We
know that our numerator is 3 because there are three parts shaded, and our
denominator is 5 because there are 5 parts in all that make up the rectangle. Does
anyone have a question about how to write a fraction to represent a visual model?
The instructor will answer questions and clarify at this point if necessary. The
instructor will provide more examples if necessary.
Opportunity for Practice:
Boys and girls, we have played with Fraction Man and written a lot of fractions
today. Now, I am going to give you time to practice creating and writing your own
fractions. You are going to work with a partner to complete this activity. I will give
each partner group two circles and two rectangles. Your assignment is to divide the
circles and rectangles into parts and shade however many you want, just dont
shade all of the parts. Be sure that your circles and rectangles are broken into a
different number of parts and that you have a different number of parts shaded. I will
give you seven minutes to complete this with a partner, and then we will allow
groups to switch rectangles and circles and practice writing fractions.
Boys and girls, your time for drawing and shading is now over. When I tell you to
begin, I want you to switch circles and rectangles with the other group. Once you
have switched, you will work with your partner to write a fraction to represent the
shaded part of each circle or rectangle. You may write you answers on the back of
the circles and rectangles. You will have 5 minutes to complete this assignment. You
may begin now. The instructor will circle around the room to monitor progress,
question students thinking and reasoning, and provide feedback.
Thank you for working so well together. I want you to bring your circles and
rectangles back to the kidney table and have a seat. Now, work with your partner to
select a circle or rectangle that you would like to share with the class. You will show
us the visual representation and then tell us the correct fraction to represent the
shaded circle or rectangle. Take 20 seconds with your partner to pick a model to
share. Ok, lets share. The instructor will allow each group to share. You all did a
fabulous job practicing writing fractions for visual models. Does anyone have any
questions before we complete an exit ticket to see what you learned?
Assessment:
We have learned a lot today about fractions and how to write fractions. I am going to
give you an exit slip so that you can show me what you have learned. The instructor will
pass out the exit slips. Lets take a look. As you can see, you will write a definition for
there term fraction on number one, and you will write a fraction to represent the visual
models on numbers two and three. You are working on this by yourself. Please hand it
to me when you are finished and wait quietly for your friends to finish.
Closure:
I am so glad that we have the opportunity to learn about fractions together over the
next two weeks. I think my favorite part of today was making Fraction Man. We
have a super fun lesson to cover tomorrow, so come back ready to learn!
Materials and Resources:
Smartboard
Construction paper cut into halves, fourths, eighths, sixteenths
Glue
White Board
Mini White Boards
Expo Markers
Exit Tickets
Pencils
Rulers
Differentiation Strategies:
Manipulatives will be used during the lesson to provide students with hands-on
opportunities to learn.
Students who excel during this lesson will brainstorm places where they see and
experience fractions in everyday life.
Students who struggle with this lesson will be pulled and work one-on-one with Ms.
Bye, utilizing manipulatives to continue developing a better understanding of
fractions.
Data:
Based on the criteria in the objective, four out of five students are continued proficient
as they answered each of the three questions correctly. One student made a mistake on
writing a fraction for the first visual model; however, she corrected herself on the second
visual model.
Reflection:
We had a great first day working with fractions. I am very pleased with how the
lesson went overall. I was a little nervous about the first day because this can be a
challenging group to work with because these five students are the lowest group and
math and many of them fall into the lowest reading group. The students were very
invested and engaged in the lesson as we did a lot with hands-on activities and
manipulatives to explore the concept of fractions. I am pleased that four of my students
achieved proficiency, and I am not very concerned about the student who did not
achieve proficiency because it appears that she just made a careless error. If I taught
this lesson again, I would have students participate in a more challenging and involved
practice time. My students seemed to speed through the practice with ease today.

Lesson Title: You Mean These Are Equal?
Date: 5 March 2015
Learning Objective:
When given various representations of fractions, students will generate an equivalent
fraction in the same form with 80% accuracy.
Students will give equivalent fractions for fractions listed on an exit slip.
Students will complete an exit slip with five items. Each item will be a fraction
represented numerically or by models. Students will generate equivalent fractions using
the original form for each item. Students are expected to answer at least four out of five
correctly.
Engagement:
I brought one of my absolute favorite snacks in the world our lesson today! Graham
crackers! I have loved these ever since I was a little girl. I want us to take a close look at
these graham crackers. They are rectangular in shape, but does anyone notice anything
about them? They have lines breaking them into parts. How many parts are the graham
crackers broken into? 4. Very good! Who can think of a fraction that would represent the
whole graham cracker? Correct! 4/4, which is equal to one whole. Now lets break our
graham cracker down the middle line. We now have 2 pieces. The instructor will hold up
one half of the graham cracker. Who can write a fraction to represent this part of the
whole graham cracker? 1/2. Good. Lets break both of our pieces one more time. Who
can think of a fraction to represent how much one piece is of the whole? 1/4. Our
graham cracker is currently broken into fourths. But what if I had two of the four pieces,
instead of just one. What would my fraction be? 2/4. Right! Now I want you to slide 2 of
the 4 pieces together on the table in front of you. Now, I am giving you half of a graham
cracker. I want you to sit it right next to the two-fourths you just slid together. Does
anyone notice anything as you look at the two-fourths and the one-half? They are equal!
Very good. I want you to take your white board and your expo marker and write 2/4=1/2
just like I have on the smartboard. We just wrote equivalent fractions! Today we are
going to learn all about creating equivalent fractions! Lets get started!
Learning Design:
Teaching:
Equivalent fractions are fractions that name the same amount. Yesterday we
used Fraction Man and his body parts to help us learn about fractions, but today we
are going to use sentence strips to learn about equivalent fractions and we will use
Fraction Man to help us review what we have learned at the very end. I have laid out
9 different sentence strips on the table in front of us. You should notice that they are
each divided into a different number of rectangles. In order to help us begin learning
how to identify and write equivalent fractions, we are going to use these fraction
strips to help us visualize equivalent fractions. I will give you a few examples of
equivalent fractions that I see, and then I am going to give you an opportunity to see
if you can find any. For each set of equivalent fractions that we find, we are going to
record them small on our mini white boards.
I am going to start by reviewing something very quickly that we all know. If I pick
up the full fraction strip that is equal to one whole, I can see as I compare it to each
of the other sets of fraction strip that 1 whole is equal two halves, three thirds, four
fourths, five fifths, six sixths, eight eighths, nine ninths, ten tenths, and twelve
twelfths. The instructor will hold the one whole strip over each set as she lists them
off and then list them on the smartboard. 1=2/2=3/3=4/4=5/5=6/6=8/8= 9/9= 10/10=
12/12. I wanted to ensure that we all understood that each full row below represents
one whole before we get started.
Now, lets start with1/3. I am going to look for fractions equivalent to 1/3 by
folding my thirds fraction strip where we are looking at 1/3. I will now find fractions
equivalent to 1/3 by holding my 1/3 piece over each of the rows and finding where
the edges of my 1/3 piece match up exactly to those on another row. I move down
to the rows of fourths and fifths, but my piece doesnt evenly cover any number of
the pieces in either of these rows. As I continue moving down to one more to the
sixths row, I see that my 1/3 piece lines up evenly with the end of one of the sixths
pieces. Can everyone see how these parts line up? Very good. This tells me that I
have found a fraction that is equivalent to 1/3. In order to figure out how many
sixths are equivalent to one third, I simply count up to where my 1/3 piece ends.
Count with me starting with 1/6. One-sixth, two-sixths. We now know that 1/3 is
equivalent to 2/6. Lets write this on our boards. Be sure to write small enough to
leave room for several other equivalent fractions. 1/3=2/6.
Why dont we keep going to see if we can find any other fractions equivalent to
1/3. Moving down to eighths, I see that 1/3 doesnt evenly fit. Stopping on ninths, I
see that I definitely have another equivalent equivalent fraction, so we need to
count the rectangles in our ninths column. Count with me starting at one-ninth. Oneninth, two-ninths, three-ninths. Boys and girls, what is three ninths equivalent to?
One-third. Very good. Write this on your board. 1/3=3/9.
Now I want you guys to help me find the next fraction that is equivalent to onethird. Lets move down to the tenths row. My 1/3 piece doesnt line up evenly, so
lets move on. Does it look like we have a fraction equivalent to 1/3 on the twelfths
row? Yes. Who would like to lead us in counting? Ok, you may begin counting. Start
at one-twelfth. One-Twelfth, two-twelfths, three-twelfths, four-twelfths. Boys and
girls, what fraction is equivalent to 1/3? 4/12. Lets write this on our boards as well.
Now that we have several fractions on our boards that are equivalent to 1/3, we
can write an equivalence chain. To start, I will write my original fraction 1/3=. Our
first equivalent fraction we found was 2/6, so I will write that next to the equals sign.
We now have 1/3=2/6. Lets add another equals sign, and what equivalent fraction
did we find next? 3/9. So now we have 1/3=2/6=3/9. Does anyone have an idea of
what comes next? 4/12. Our final equivalence chain is 1/3=2/6=3/9=4/12. This
shows us that 1/3, 2/6, 3/9, and 4/12 are are equal to each other and all equal the
same amount.
I have a set of fraction strips laid out for each of you on the floor over here.
When I tell you to go, I want each of you to go stand in front of a set. You will take
your marker and your board with you. Each set of strips has a sheet of paper with a
fraction written on it (1/2, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, and 2/4) and write down at least two sets of
equivalent fractions on your boards, just like we did together on your white boards
and the smartboard. If you would like to challenge yourself, try writing your sets in
an equivalence chain we did here with 1/3. The instructor will point to the
equivalence chain written on the smartboard. I will walk around to make sure each
of you are on the right track and we will come back to the table when the timer goes
off in six minutes. You may go. The instructor will walk around and facilitate this
activity, offering help when necessary. Your time is now over. Please make your way
back to the kidney table.
Now we are going to practice identifying visual models that have equivalent
fractions. This is a little easier because often we can look at two models side by
side and visually identify whether or not their fractions are equivalent based off of
whether or not the figures have equal amounts of shaded versus unshaded. Lets
do a couple together. I have two circles. How many parts is this circle broken into?
The students will answer with: 2. And how many parts are shaded? So we know
that our fraction to represent the shaded area of this circle is what? 1/2. And how
many parts is this circle broken into? The students will answer with:4. And how
many parts are shaded? 2. Therefore, our fraction to represent this circle is what?
2/4. We have a fraction for both circles, but we really need to answer the question
of whether or not these are representations of equivalent fractions . When I say go,
I want you to give me a thumbs up if you believe that the fractions are equivalent
and a thumbs down if you do not think they are equivalent. Ready, go. Who would
like to tell me why you believe that thee fractions are equivalent? The teacher will
give the students time to respond and share their ideas. Very good, we know that
these fractions are equivalent because the circles have the same amount of area
shaded.
Lets take a look at another pair of circles together. Who would like to tell me the
fraction that represents the shaded part of this circle? 3/4, very good. Now who
would like to tell me fraction that represents the shaded part of our second circle?
4/8, very good. Now, based off of what you see, give me a thumbs up if you think
these fractions are equivalent and a thumbs down if you think that they are not
equivalent. Why are these fractions not equivalent? The instructor will give the
students time to respond and share their ideas. These circles do not represent
equivalent fractions because they do not have the same amount of area shaded.
Now I want you try a pair of rectangles by yourself. One your white board, you
will write one fraction to represent the shaded part of the first rectangle and another
fraction to represent the shaded part of the second rectangle. After you have
finished writing fractions to represent each, based off of the area you see shaded in
each, you will write yes at the bottom of the board if you think that the fractions are
equivalent and no if you do not think the fractions are equivalent. You have two
minutes. Begin. The instructor will monitor student progress during this time. Turn
your boards on three. One, two, three. Very good, _________. Would you please
explain your answer to the class? The instructor will allow a student with the correct
answer to share and clarify if necessary.
Now that we have practiced identifying equivalent fractions based off of visual
models, why dont we learn how to generate, or create, equivalent fractions on our
own. This is a skill that we will be able to pick up very quickly and you will be
creating your own equivalent fractions in no time!
Lets start with the fraction 1/2. Very quickly, who can remind me which number
in the fraction is the numerator and which is the denominator? Very good, 1 is the
numerator and 2 is the denominator. In order to find an equivalent fraction of a
given fraction, you simply multiply the numerator and the denominator by the same
number. Lets do this for 1/2. If I choose to multiply by 4, I must multiply the
numerator and denominator by 4. I know that 1 times 4 is 4 and 2 times 4 is 8;
therefore, my new equivalent fraction is 4/8. Lets double check that this is correct
by looking at this circle broken into 2 pieces and this circle broken into eight pieces.
I am going to shade each of them to represent our fraction. I am shading one part of
the circle split into two parts and four of the circle split into eight parts. Now all I
need to do in order to confirm our statement that 1/2 and 4/8 are equivalent
fractions is to determine if the circles had the same amount of area shaded. Give
me a thumbs up if they appear to be equivalent and a thumbs down if you dont
think they have the same amount of area shaded. Very good, our results from
shading the circles confirm that when we multiply a numerator and a denominator
by the same number, we create an equivalent fraction. This is because when you
multiply the numerator and denominator by the same number, you are increasing
the number of parts represented by the numerator and increasing the total number
that makes up the whole by the same multiple. For example, I will demonstrate this
by using a circle as a visual and the same fractions that we just used as equivalent
fractions. I have this circle split into two halves with one half shaded, giving me my
original fraction of one half. I decided to multiply the numerator and denominator by
four. In order to demonstrate this on my circle, I will split each half into four equal
pieces, giving me a total of eight. This shows us clearly that 1/2 is equal to 4/8.
Now that we know how to generate equivalent fractions and why the process
works, lets practice generating a few together. I will do the first one. I have the
fraction 3/7 and I want to multiply it by 4 to generate an equivalent fraction. 3 times
3 is 9 and 7 times 3 is 21. Therefore, 9/21 is equivalent to 3/7.
I want you to help me do a few more. Remember that we must multiply the
numerator and denominator by the same number. I want our starting fraction to be
4/5 and I want to generate an equivalent fraction by multiplying by 6. Which is equal
to what fraction, boys and girls? Write the answer on your board. On the count of
three, show me your answer. One, two, three. Our fraction equivalent to 4/5 is
24/30. Sometimes people mess up on this skill because they forget to multiply both
the numerator and the denominator and end up only doing one. Always double
check that you have multiplied both to generate the equivalent fraction! Lets try a
couple more. I will allow you guys to give me fractions and multiples for the next two
equivalent fractions we generate. Who would like to give me a fraction to start with?
The instructor will allow a student to pick a fraction. Now, who wants to give me a
multiple to multiply both the numerator and the denominator by to generate our
equivalent fraction. The instructor will allow someone to share a multiple. I want you
guys to write our original fraction down on your boards and multiply it by our
multiple. I will give you a few seconds to complete this. When you finish, circle your
new equivalent fraction and wait for me to tell you to turn your boards. One, two,
three. The instructor will allow the students to complete one three more in this
manner while monitoring understanding up to this point.
We have done a lot today with equivalent fractions, so I want to give you some
time to practice what you have learned. you are going to work with a partner during
practice again today. I will give each partner group three sentence strips and three
circles and rectangles. You will decide on a fraction that you would like to create an
equivalent fraction for and then you will write it on your first sentence strip and show
your work to generate an equivalent fraction. You will then create a circle or
rectangle representation of your original fraction by using a black marker and your
equivalent fraction by using a red marker on the same circle or rectangle. This will
require you to split your original circle or rectangle in more equal parts. I have
created an example so you can get an idea of what I am asking for. Look at my
sentence strip. I selected the fraction 1/2 and multiplied the numerator and
denominator by 2 to get 2/4. On my circle, I split the circle in half by drawing one
straight line down the middle. I then shaded 1/2 with a crayon. I then draw a red line
down the center, splitting the circle into four parts. Because the fractions are
equivalent, I can clearly see how I started with one half and then created an
equivalent fraction of 2/4 as I note that my shading remains the same. Notice that I
was careful to divide the original parts into equal size smaller parts. You will do this
three times and you may not use the same fractions that I just demonstrated. You
have 10 minutes to work with your partner. When you are finished, select your best
one out of the three to share with the group. The instructor will walk around during
practice to monitor student learning and provide assistance when needed. Ok, it is
now time to share our work with our friends. The instructor will allow each group to
share and reiterate key points when necessary throughout the presentations.
Assessment:
I am proud of you guys for how hard you worked today. I want to see if you have
mastered equivalent fractions today, so I am going to give you a little slip of paper
with five fractions on it. I want you to use what you have learned today to generate
an equivalent fraction for each given fraction. Be sure to use five different multiples.
This means that if you multiply the first fraction by 2 to generate an equivalent
fraction, you are not allowed to multiply any others by two. You are working on this
activity independently. Flip it over and wait for further instructions when you are
finished.
Closure:
I told you earlier in the lesson that we would pull Fraction Man back out today
before we finished up. I want you to look at your Fraction Man and see if you can
use what you learned today to generate any equivalent fractions using the parts of
Fraction Mans body. For example, I see that two of Fraction Mans fingers, which
are each 1/16 of a whole, would equal one part of his arm(1/8) if they were put
together. Therefore, Fraction Man helps me see that 2/16 is equivalent to 1/8. Turn
and talk with your partner to see if you can work together to come up with an
example using fraction man just like I did. Would anyone like to share with the
group? The instructor will allow partners to share if they would like. You guys
worked so hard today, and I am very proud of you! Come back ready to work
tomorrow!
Graham Crackers
Smartboard
Sentence Strips
White Boards
Expo Markers
Pencils
Crayons
Black Markers
Red Markers
Circle Patterns
Rectangle Patterns
Tape
Bye, utilizing manipulative to develop a better understanding equivalent fractions and
how to generate them.
Students not meeting proficiency will meet with Ms. Bye for one-on-one intervention.
Data:
Based on the lesson objective, three out of five students are considered proficient as
they scored eighty or one-hundred percent. One student missed two problems and
another missed three due to multiplication errors. They had the majority of the problems
set up correctly, but failed to multiply accurately.
Reflection:
Todays lesson went well. The students really enjoyed being able to work with the
fraction strips, and the fraction strips seemed to help nail down the conceptual idea of
equivalent fractions and helped students understand that equivalent fractions are of
equal value even though they are made up of numerators and denominators with
differing numbers. Students were engaged throughout the entire lesson; however, due
to a lack of fundamental multiplication skills and the slow pace at which a few of these
students work, it took one and a half sessions to finish this lesson. I am beginning to
see that the majority of the students in this intervention group do not know their
multiplication facts, as reflected in the assessment data; therefore, every problem takes
longer than it should as they count on their fingers or draw arrays to multiply different
parts of problems. Im afraid that this is going to become a bigger issue as we move into
more advanced skills within this fraction unit.

Lesson Title: Simplify Me!

Date: 6 March 2015
Learning Objective:
When given an exit slip, students will simplify fractions and mixed numbers with 80%
accuracy.
Students will simplify five fractions and mixed numbers.
Students will be given an exit slip with five fractions and mixed numbers. They will write
each in simplest form. Students are expected to simplify at least four out of five
correctly.
Engagement:
Boys and girls, the past couple of days have been full of fun with fractions! Can
anyone remember what we worked on yesterday? Correct! We worked on identifying
and generating equivalent fractions. We talked a lot about how we must multiply the
numerator and the denominator of a faction by the same multiple in order to create
equivalent fractions. Very quickly, before we get started today, I want each of you to
write generate a faction that is equivalent to 2/3 on your white boards. On the count of
three, show me your boards. One, two, three. The teacher will look at each students
board to ensure that they are on the right track. I looked at this problem and decided
that i wanted to multiply the numerator and denominator by three in order to create an
equivalent fraction. I write my original fraction, 2/3 times 3/3, giving me an equivalent
fraction of 6/9. Well now that we know how to multiply fractions by a common multiple in
order to generate an equivalent fraction, we are going to go in reverse today. Crazy,
right? We will be taking fractions and dividing them instead of multiplying them in order
to put them in their simplest form.
Learning Design:
Teaching:
Lets look back at the equivalent fraction that we just generated on our white
boards. We started with 2/3 and multiplied the numerator and denominator by a
common multiple. I used 3 for my multiple, so after I multiplied 2/3 by 3, my
equivalent fraction was 6/9. Well today we are going to work on taking fractions like
3/9 and dividing the numerator and denominator by a common divisor in order to
get a fraction in simplest form, which would be 2/3 in this case. I know it seems like
we are going backwards, but there will be many times when we are using fractions
that we need to have them in simplest form. I want us to begin investigating how to
create fractions that are in their simplest form by taking a look back at the fraction
strips we have been using this week. In order to model fractions in simplest form,
we want to represent a fraction using the fewest number of pieces possible. Watch
me as I find the simplest form of 2/6. I am going to pick up 2 1/6 pieces and begin
moving up the rows to find a fraction equal to 2/6 that uses less than 2 pieces. As I
move up to the fifths and fourths row, I see that 2/6 does not equally line up on
either row; therefore, neither of these rows is made up of any fractions equal to 2/6.
I move up one more row and see that 2/6 fits evenly on top of 1/3. I know that 1/3 is
the simplest form of 2/6 because a fraction cannot be reduced or simplified if its
numerator is one. This is very important to remember. A fraction cannot be reduced
or simplified if it has a numerator of one because in order to reduce a fraction, we
must divide the numerator and denominator by the same number, and if a
numerator is 1, then both the numerator and denominator would only be able to be
divided by 1. It is necessary to divide by 1, because we know that any number
divided by 1 gives us our original number. Write on your board the number in
numerators that tells us we cannot simplify a fraction any further. Say the number
you wrote on your board on the count of three. One, two, three. One. Very good.
Lets try another one together. The next fraction I want us to look at is 8/12.
There are too many pieces for us to pick up, but I have a trick that we can use. We
are going to use a blank sentence strip and use it as a vertical marker. I am going to
carefully lay it where the long side touches the far side of the 8/12 piece. I can now
run my finger up and see where I have fractions equal to 8/12 because the strip will
be exactly on the edge of these equal fractions as well. As I move up to tenths,
ninths, and eighths rows, I see that there is not an equivalent fraction on this row,
but I see that there is a fraction equivalent to 8/12 on the sixths row, because my
vertical strip that I am using to mark my place is exactly on the edge of one of the
pieces. In order to figure out how many sixths are equal to 8/12, I will start counting
from the far left. Count with me. One-sixth, two-sixths, three-sixths, four-sixths. We
just found one simplified fraction equal to 8/12. What is it boys and girls? 4/6. I dont
know for sure that this is the simplest form though because I do not have a one in
the numerator; therefore, I need to continue moving my finger up the vertical strip
so that I can see whether or not there is a simpler form of 8/12 than 4/6. There is
not an equal fraction on the fifths or fourths rows, but I do see one on the thirds row.
Lets count from the far left to see how many fourths are equal to 8/12 and 4/6.
Count with me. One-fourth, two-fourths, three-fourths. So I know that 3/4 is a
simplified form of fraction, boys and girls? 8/12 and 4/6. That is correct! I think we
have found the simplest form of 8/12 in 3/4, but lets make sure by tracing our finger
up the vertical marker to ensure that there are no more equivalent fractions. And we
see that there are not. Therefore, the simplest form of 8/12 is what? Write your
answer on your board. Give me a thumbs up if you answered 3/4. Awesome. Lets
do one more together. The instructor will go through this process one more time
with 6/9. I have set the fraction strips around like I had them other day. I want you to
go with a partner to a set of strips. I am going to give you two minutes to determine
the given form of the fraction written on the sheet of paper next to your set. There is
an extra sentence strip at each group to be used as a vertical marker if you need it.
Write the simplified fraction on the sheet of paper next to the original fraction. I will
walk around to offer assistance if needed and to check understanding. You may
begin. The instructor will walk around the room facilitating the discussion. I would
like for everyone to come back to the table now.
Now that we have practiced simplifying or reducing fractions using models, we
are going to learn who to simplify fractions without using manipulatives because
more often than not in life, we wont have manipulatives with us to help during real
life math problems. In order to simplify or reduce fractions, we will divide the
numerator and denominator of fraction by the same number until the only number
left that both could be divided by is one. For example, lets go back to the first
fraction we represented using fraction strips, 2/6. As I look at 2/6, I realize that the
numerator and the denominator are both even so they can be divided by two. What
do I get when I divide 2 by 2? 1. And what do I get when I divide 6 by 2? 3. So my
simplified fraction is 1/3, which is the same fraction we got earlier when we
simplified 2/6 using fraction strips. Lets try another. Our fraction is 6/9. These
numbers are not even so I know that they cannot be divided by two, but they are
multiples of 3; therefore, 6 and 9 can both be divided by 3. 6 divided by 3 is 2 and 9
divided by 3 is three. The simplified form of 6/9 is 2/3. Lets do some more together.
Lets reduce 12/20. When I first look at the numerator and denominator, I see that
they are both divisible by 2, but I also know that 12 and 20 can be divided by four.
We should use the greatest divisor or greatest common factor because it will limit
the amount of times that we have to reduce. For example, if we divided by 2 and
got 6/10 as a simplified fraction, then we would have to divide by 2 again since the
numerator and denominator are both even, giving us the fraction 3/5. However, if
we noticed that both 12 and 20 have a common factor of four, we could divide one
time by 4 one time to get the simplified fraction 3/5. Try this next one on your board.
Write 15/25 on your white board and find the simplified version of the fraction. I will
give you time to work this. When I count to three, turn your boards. One, two, three.
The teacher will address the different responses given by the students and redirect
if necessary. I will demonstrate my thinking on this problem. I saw that the
numerator of 15 and denominator of 25 are both multiples of five, so I decided to
divide both by 5. 15 divided by 5 is 3 and 25 divided by 5 is 5. Therefore, the
simplified fraction to represent 15/25 is 3/5. Give me a thumbs up if you think you
can do two by yourself. Very good. Lets try simplifying 8/16 and 14/18. Write the
simplified fraction for each of these on your white boards. The teacher will monitor
for understanding as the students create simplified fractions. Very good!
Now we are going to shift gears a little bit and practice creating and simplifying
mixed numbers from irregular fraction. An irregular fraction is a fraction that is
written with a numerator that is larger than the denominator. For example, 3/2 is an
irregular fraction. Lets investigate why 3/2 is an irregular fraction. Lets pull out our
magnetic fraction circles. I am going to use the circles split in half because I know
that my whole has two pieces based off of my denominator. In order to represent
my numerator, I need to pull three of the pieces this size. Can someone tell me
something you notice about the pieces on the board? They equal more than one
whole. I need to write a mixed number to represent 3/2 and this visual model. A
mixed number is made up of at least one whole and a fraction or part of a whole.
Does anyone have an idea of what my whole number would be for this
representation of 3/2? 1, because there is one whole or 2/2. What would be my
fraction to represent the part of the whole out to the side? 1/2, very good. Therefore,
my full mixed number is 1 1/2 because we have one whole and one half of another
whole. In order to change 3/2 to a mixed number without using a visual
representation, I will divide 3 by 2 to find out how many times 2 goes into 3 and
what the remainder is. As you can see, when I complete the division, I see that 2
goes into 3 one time with a remainder of 1. This means that our mixed number will
have a whole number of 1 and a fraction with a numerator of 1 for the 1 remainder
and a denominator of 2 like our original fraction. The mixed number equal to 3/2 is 1
1/2. Lets try another. I want us to change 12/5 into a mixed number. I start by
dividing 12 by 5. Five goes into twelve two times. Five times two is ten. Twelve
minus ten is tow; therefore, our remainder is 2. Our whole number of the mixed
fraction is two and the numerator of the fraction part is 2 because we had a
remainder of 2. Our denominator is five because it was our divisor and the
denominator of our original fraction. Try one with me. Write 8/3 on your board. We
need to change this irregular fraction into a mixed number. What is my first step?
Correct, I will divide 7 by 3. Go ahead and do that on your board. What whole
number did you come up with? 2. And what was your remainder? 1. The whole
number of our mixed number is what? 2. And the numerator of the fraction part of
the mixed number is what? 1. What should the denominator of our fraction be? 2.
Boys and girls, what is the mixed number that equals 7/3? 2 1/3. Good! Now we are
going to get a little trickier. Lets change 20/6 to a mixed number. What do I need to
do first? Divide 20 by 6. How many times does 6 go into 20? 3. What is 3 times 6?
18. 20-18 is? 2. So our remainder and numerator is 2. What is our denominator? 6.
So what is our mixed number? 3 2/6. But, I am not done yet. What do you notice
about our mixed number? The fraction can be reduced by dividing the numerator
and the denominator by 2. This gives me a simplified mixed number of 3 1/3. Try
the next one on your own. Write 44/10 on your white board. Change it to a mixed
number and simplify if necessary. On the count of three, turn your boards around.
One, two, three. _________, you answered correctly. Will you please explain your
thinking and how you worked this to the class? The instructor will allow the student
who answered correctly to share and add input or clarify when necessary. I want
you to try one more. 38/4. Write this fraction on your board, change it to a mixed
number, and simplify. Turn your boards on three. One, two, three. ____________,
you have the correct answer. Will you share with us? The instructor will allow the
student who answered correctly to share and add input or clarify when necessary.
Thank you so much! I think we are good to move onto practice now.
For practice today, you are going to work with a partner to create fractions and
mixed numbers and then simplify them. You will do this using large sheets of paper.
You will draw a figure to represent a fraction of mixed number that can be reduced
or simplified. You will then switch papers with another partner group and write the
fraction or mixed number to represent the model and simplify it. You will have 5
minutes to create your models. When the timer goes off, we will switch papers.
Your time is now complete. Switch papers and begin writing simplified fractions
and/or mixed numbers to represent the models given to you. You have 5 minutes.
When you are finished, work with your partner to decide on a model that you would
like to share with the class and tell us the simplified fraction or mixed number.
Everyone please make your way back to the kidney table. I am looking forward
to seeing and hearing what you all have to share with us. Which group would like to
go first? The instructor will allow each partner group to share and intervene,
redirect, or provide explanations when necessary. You guys did a great job on
these!
Assessment:
Now I want you to show me what you have learned today. I am giving you a little
slip of paper with five fractions or mixed numbers on it. Your job is to simplify where
necessary, change irregular fractions to mixed numbers where necessary, and
simplify the fractions of mixed numbers where necessary. When you are finished, I
want you to turn your slip over and wait patiently for everyone else to finish. Does
anyone have any questions?
Closure:
Today we talked a lot about simplifying fractions. I have a fun activity for us to
finish up with. I am going to give each of you a mini bag of m&ms. I want you to
write a fraction to represent each color in the bag. For example, if my bag had 26
m&ms in all and 8 reds, my fraction to represent how many reds make up the bag
would be 8/26. The instructor will ensure that each student has a denominator that
can often be simplified. After you write each fraction, be sure to reduce to simplest
form. Once you have finished and shown me your work, you may eat your m&ms.
The instructor will walk around during this time and provide intervention if
necessary.
Smartboard
Sentence Strips
White Boards
Expo Markers
Pencils
Practice slips
Fraction Circles
Assessment slips
M&M packets

Data:
Two out of five students reached proficiency with scores of 4/5 or 5/5. Two students
answered two out of five correctly, and one student answered one out of five correctly.
Reflection:
This lesson was very difficult, and it took us two full day sessions to complete it. My
students lack of prerequisite skills greatly impacted their ability to move through this
lesson. I had a consistent discipline issue with a student throughout the lesson today
and eventually had to move him away from the kidney table. This situation caused
distraction issues throughout the lesson on day one. Its frustrating to try to figure out
how I can help my students catch up on fraction skills to the rest of the class when they
lack the prerequisite skills needed. Their lack of mathematical knowledge I believe that
these issues account for the reason why only two students met the level of proficiency.
Following day twos session today, I took time throughout the day to pull the three
students who did not meet the required proficiency level. I am hopeful that the one-onone intervention provided some help, but I am concerned about my students
performance from here out because in order to meet standard requirements, they must
reduce answers to simplest form. My supervisor suggested that I give my students an
option to use a multiplication chart on their assessments so that I am truly measuring
their understanding of the fractions skill and not their mastery of multiplication. I am
looking forward to trying this tomorrow.

Lesson Title: Bigger or Smaller?
Date: 9 March 2015
Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, e.g., by
creating common denominators or numerators or by comparing to a benchmark fraction
such as 1/2. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to
the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with symbols >, =, or <, and justify
the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. [4-NF2]
Learning Objective:
When given five pairs of fractions, students will find a common denominators and
compare the fractions using greater than, less than, or equal to with 80% accuracy.
Students will create common denominators and compare five sets of fractions.
Students will be given five sets of fractions and create common denominators for each
set. They will then compare the fractions using greater than, less than, and equal to
symbols. Students will generate common denominators correctly for at least four out of
five sets.
Engagement:
I am so glad to each of you again today! Will someone give me a thumbs up and
remind me what we have been talking about all week? Very good. We are talking about
fractions. So far, we have learned about what a fraction is and how to generate fractions
from models, equivalent fractions, and simplifying fractions. We are going to learn how
to find common denominators today so that we can compare fractions, determining
whether a fraction is greater than, less than, or equal to another fraction. To get our
brains warmed up, lets talk about some things that we have in common. I want you to
turn to the person sitting next to you and brainstorm at least three things that two of you
have in common or the same. The instructor will allow each set of students to share one
thing that they have in common. Very good! Now, just like you just found what you have
in common or things that you share, we are going to work on looking at two fractions,
thinking about the multiples they have in common, and determining how to create a
common denominator between them so that we can compare the fractions. Lets take a
look at what this means.
Learning Design:
Teaching:
I want everyone to close your eyes and think about your favorite food to eat on
your birthday. The instructor will allow a few students to share their favorite foods to
eat on their birthdays. Well, just like you guys, one of my favorite foods to eat on my
birthday is birthday cake. Lets take a look at the birthday cakes on the smartboard.
The cakes are exactly the same except for one thing. Does anyone see a difference
between the two cakes? Correct! One is cut into two pieces and one is cut into
three pieces. If I had to write a fraction for each of these cakes, what would my
denominator be for the first cake? 2 because there are two pieces total. And what
about the second cake? 3 because there are three pieces total. If I had these cakes
at my birthday party, I would want to cut them so that each cake had equal sized
pieces so that all of my friends could have an equal amount of cake. Does anyone
have an idea of how I could accomplish this? The instructor will take suggestions
from a couple of students. Well, lets take a closer look. I am going to give each of
you two sheets of construction paper to represent our rectangular cakes. The first
sheet is split one time into two equal pieces like our first cake. The second is split
into three equal pieces to represent the three equal pieces of our second cake.
Think carefully about this question. Is there any way to have the same size pieces
of cake without cutting each cake into smaller pieces. Give me a thumbs up if you
think this is possible and a thumbs down if you dont think its possible. Look at your
folded construction paper if you need a hint. If you have your thumb down, then you
are correct. As I look at the cakes and the two pieces of construction paper, I see
that because the pieces of cake are different sizes, the cakes must be cut into small
pieces in order to have an equal number and equal size pieces. I want you to try to
draw lines using your pencil on each paper so that both papers, or cakes, have
equal pieces. I will give you a few minutes to do this. Turn and talk to your neighbor
about how you created equal pieces by folding your construction paper. Check to
see how many pieces each of have on your papers and if you have the same
amount. Lets talk about what you learned by talking to your partner. The instructor
will allow students to share. Very good, now I want to show you how I solved the
problem of unequal pieces. I looked at my first sheet of paper and thought that
maybe I would end up with equal pieces on the cake if I split it two times
horizontally like the other paper is split, but I looked at the cakes and saw that I
would still have unequal pieces. The first cake now has 6 pieces, but the second
only has three. I then thought that maybe I could do the same thing to the second
cake that I did to the first by cutting it the same way that the first was cut to start
with. I cut it straight down the middle. Now, I look to see whether or not I need to cut
the cakes again. I see that I am finished because each cake has 6 equal sized
pieces. If I shaded one piece of each cake, what fraction would represent the
shaded part of each cake? Write your answer on your board. One, two, three. Turn
your boards. Very good! One shaded piece would represent 1/6 of the cake. We just
worked together to find common denominators for models that began with
denominators of 2 and 3. What is our common denominator? 6. Awesome! Based
off of what we just did, can anyone give me a definition of what a common
denominator is? Turn and talk to your partner and then each partner group will
share what they think a common denominator could be. The instructor will give
think and talk time before allowing the pairs to share. I want you to write the
following definition down in your math notebooks. A common denominator is a
common multiple of the denominators of two or more fractions. This means that
fractions with common denominators represent wholes cut into the same number of
pieces. For example, we just did a problem with denominators of 2 and 3. The
common multiple that we found for two and three was what, boys and girls? 6. This
is correct because 6 can be divided by both 2 and 3.
Lets continue to develop our knowledge of common denominators. I want you to
write the fractions 4/5 and 1/2 on your boards. We need to write 4/5 and 1/2 as a
pair of fractions with common denominators. To begin, lets look at the
denominators we are starting with. Circle the denominator of each fraction on your
board. Give me a thumbs up and tell me what numbers you circled. 5 and 2. I need
to find a common multiple between 5 and 2 in order to find a number to serve as
our common denominator. One way to do this is to list the multiples of 5 and 2.
Watch me as I do this on the smartboard. I am going to start by listing several
multiples of each. 5. I will start with 5 as the first multiple and go up from here. 5,
10, 15, 20, 25, 30. Now, I will list multiples of 2. List with me starting at 2. 2, 4, 6, 8,
10, 12. Now, in order to find a common multiple, I look to see if my lists of multiples
have any common numbers. If you see a common multiple between the multiples of
2 and 5, write it on your board and circle it. Turn your boards on three. One, two,
three. Very good, both lists of multiples have the number 10; therefore, 10 is a
common multiple of 5 and 2. Once we all know our multiplication facts, you will
often be able to look at two denominators and automatically know a common
denominator for the set, but if you can not think of one, you can list out the multiples
of each number like we just did. If 10 is a common multiple of 5 and 2, what do you
think our common denominator should be? Give me a thumbs up when you have
an idea. 10! Now that we know that both our fractions will now have a denominator
of 10, we need to figure out what our numerators should be so that the new
fractions we create with denominators of 10 will still be equal to our original
fractions of 4/5 and 1/2. In order to do that I will look at each fraction individually.
Watch me. My first fraction in 4/5. I know that our common denominator is 10; and 5
times 2 is 10; therefore, in order to get a denominator of 10, we multiplied the
denominator by 2. Now we learned yesterday and the day that in order to create
equivalent, or equal fractions, we must do the same thing to the numerator what we
do to the denominator. Because we multiplied the denominator by 2 to get 10, I also
multiply the numerator by 2 to get 8. My new fraction is 8/10. Looking at 1/2, I see
that in order to get a denominator of 10, I multiplied 2 by 5. I must also multiply 1 by
5, giving me a numerator of 5. My new fraction is 5/10. Lets look at our new
fractions. Do 8/10 and 5/10 have common denominators? Thumbs up if you think
they do and thumbs down if you think they do not. Since both have denominators of
10, I know that we have successfully generated fraction with common
denominators. Because these fractions no longer have differing denominators, I can
now easily look at these fractions and determine which is larger and which is
smaller. I want you to write 8/10 on the left side of your board and 5/10 on the right
side of your board. Now, I want you to compare the size of the fractions by filling the
space in the middle with a greater than, less than, or equal to sign. Before we
begin, lets do a quick review of this skill that you learned several months ago. The
educator will draw the greater than, less than, and equal to signs on the board and
do a quick review of what each sign means and when it should be used. This is a
greater than sign. We use this sign whenever the larger number is on the left. This
is a less than sign, which we use whenever the smaller number is on the left. Of
course, we use our equal to sign whenever the numbers on each side of our
comparison circle are equal to each other.
Lets do a few more of these problems. For our next problem, we are going to
compare 3/8 and 1/4. We will complete the comparison by filling the circle in
between the circles with a greater than, less than, or equal to sign. The educator
will guide the class through the same process, using models to shade for visual
demonstration if necessary.
Lets try another together. We are going to compare 5/9 and 4/5. The educator
will guide the class through the process of finding a common denominator, creating
equivalent fractions, and comparing them using greater than, less than, or equal to.
Now, you are going to get to try this with a partner.
I will give each partner group half sheets of construction paper with two blank
lines and circle in the middle. To begin, you will have 5 minutes to come up with 5
sets of fractions to compare. I want you to create sets of fractions that all have
different denominators, meaning that all 10 fractions you write will have different
denominators. Be sure to also vary your numerators! Once you have your 10
fractions written down on a sheet of paper, you can fill in the blanks on your strips of
construction paper, but leave the circles empty. After 5 minutes have passed, I will
say switch. You will then trade your five slips of construction paper with another
group. Your task is then to fill each circle on the five slips with greater than, less
than, or equal to. In order to do this, you will have to use a scrap sheet of paper to
work it out by creating common denominators and comparing each set. You will
have about 7-10 minutes to complete this. Are there any questions?
Your time is almost over. I am going to assign each partner group either greater
than, less than, or equal to. I want you to pick a set of fractions to share with the
group that you answered with the comparison you are assigned. You have about a
minute to finish up and decide on which problem to share. Please make your way
back to the kidney table now. Which group would like to begin sharing? The
instructor will allow each group to share.
Assessment:
Now that we have learned how to generate and compare fractions with common
denominators, I want you to show me what you know. I am going to give you an exit
slip with 5 sets of fractions for you to compare. You will use what you have learned
today to compare each set of fractions by placing a greater than, less than, or equal
to sign in the circle. Once you are finished, please flip your paper over and wait
quietly for your friends to finish.
Closure:
I want someone to give me a quick summary of what we learned to do today.
The educator will allow two to three students to share what they have learned and
reinforce the concepts and skills learned if necessary. Very good! Thank you for
participating today! Tomorrow we are going to use the skills we learned today to
help us add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers.

Smartboard
Smartboard resources
Construction paper
Construction paper cut into slips
Sharpies
S and V will use a multiplication chart on the assessment.
Data:
Three students scored at proficiency level by answering at least four out of five
correctly. Two students scored at sixty percent, answering three out of five correctly.
These two students failed to establish common denominators prior to comparing
fractions on two of the problems.
Reflection:
Todays lesson went much smoother than yesterdays. All of my students seemed to be
focused and ready to learn when we began math intervention. I ended up splitting this
lesson into two days, finding common denominators and comparing fractions and
decimals. I realized about ten minutes into the lesson yesterday that trying to cover
common denominators and then working on comparing fractions and decimals would be
way to much to try to fit in one day. Yesterday we went in depth with finding common
denominators and used fraction strips for sets of fractions with very small denominators
in order to practice with manipulatives. Today we reviewed how to find common
denominators and spent the remainder of the intervention time period learning and
practicing how to compare fractions and mixed numbers. I took my supervisors advice
and allowed my students to choose whether or not to use a hundreds multiplication
chart on their assessment. As evidenced by scores in data, the multiplication chart
seems to have boosted performance on the assessment as students were able to use
the chart instead of making up numbers or trying to draw arrays for large numbers. I am
pleased with the performance of three students scoring proficient scores. Based off of
their work, I see that they understand the skills needed to find common denominators
and compare fractions and mixed numbers. As I looked at the work of my two students
who failed to meet proficiency, I saw that neither of them tried to find common
denominators prior to comparing the fractions. I pulled each of them individually to
ensure that they understand how to do this correctly and remind them that they must
find common denominators before they decide how to compare the fractions. Overall,
this lesson went much better than the third. I am excited to begin adding and subtracting
fractions tomorrow.

Lesson Title: Plus and Minus!

Date: 10 March 2015
Understand addition and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating parts
referring to the same whole. [4-NF3a]
Add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators, e.g., by replacing each mixed
number with an equivalent fraction, and/or by using properties of operations and the
relationship between addition and subtraction. [4-NF3c]
Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the
same whole and having like denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models and
equations to represent the problem. [4-NF3d]
Learning Objective:
When given five addition and subtraction problems, students will add and subtract
fractions and mixed numbers with common and differing denominators with 80%
accuracy.
Students will add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers.
Students will be given an exit slip with five addition and subtraction problems. They will
solve a variety of problems with fractions and mixed numbers and common and differing
denominators. Students will correctly answer at least four out of five math problems.
Engagement:
I have a yummy, yummy hersheys bar for each of you. When you see a hersheys
bar, what do you think of? Wow! Well, I think of fractions every time I look at a hershey
bar because my fourth grade teacher taught me how to add and subtract mixed
numbers using hershey bars. I think we should do the same thing! I am giving each of
you a hershey bar, but sure that you don't open it until I say, and dont try to eat any
either. you will need it to add and subtract. We will eat them after we are wizards at
adding and subtracting mixed numbers! To begin, I want you to begin by counting how
many little pieces make up the full hersheys bar. When you have finished counting, give
me a thumbs up. On the count of three, I want you to tell me how many pieces make up
a full hersheys bar. 12. Very good. Now, I want you to break off any number of pieces
you choose and write a fraction on your white board to represent the amount of
chocolate you broke off. I will give you a minute to do this. I chose to break off 5 pieces;
therefore, my fraction to represent the part I took off of the full bar is 5/12 because I
have 5 and 12 makes up the whole. Will someone else tell me the number of pieces you
broke off and the fraction you wrote? The instructor will allow several students to share.
She will then pick a student who broke off 4 or less pieces to help with an explanation of
adding and subtracting fractions. ___________, will you come stand next to me. Bring
the pieces you broke off to write your fraction with you please. What fraction of a
hersheys bar do you have? (Answers will vary between 1/12 and 4/12. This sample
explanation will assume the student has 3/12.) So you have 3/12 of a hershey bar and I
have 5/12 of a hershey bar. Lets put our parts together and see how much we have
together. Lets count the pieces. Count with me. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. We have 8 little pieces
of a hershey bar, and how many make up one whole bar? 12. Who can think of a
fraction to represent how much of a hershey bar __________ and I have together?
8/12, yes! You just added fractions! Now I need another volunteer. The instructor will call
someone else up. I have 8/12 of a hersheys bar here. You may have some of it, but not
all of it. Pull away how many pieces you want, but be sure to leave me at least 1. This
explanation will assume that the student took 7 of the 8 little pieces. How many pieces
did you take? 7. And how many pieces make up a full hersheys bar? 12. And how many
pieces do I have left? 1 or 1/12 of a whole bar. Therefore, I started with 8/12 of a
hersheys bar, you took 7/12 of that, and I now have how much left? 1/12. Very good!
Believe it or not, we just completed an addition and subtraction fraction problem. Today
we are going to learn how to add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers.
Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
On your desk, you each have several sets of fractions bars. We are going to
use these for a few minutes to help us grasp exactly what we are doing when we
add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers. You should have more than enough
fraction bars to complete the problems that we will be working with to start. We
have used fraction bars many times before, so you should be familiar with them. I
want you to take three full fraction bars and lay them on your white board side by
side. In between the first and the second, I want you to write an addition sign, and
write an equals sign in between the second and third fraction bar. Now I want you to
pick out 12 of you 1/4 pieces. They look like this. As you know, four 1/4 pieces make
a whole. I want you to lay four 1/4 pieces on each whole fraction bar so that each is
evenly covered with four parts. Now, above each of your fraction bars, I want you to
use your expo marker to draw a fraction bar line just like this. The fraction bars now
represent our denominators. If we were writing fractions to represent the three
fractions we are forming right now, what would each denominator be based off of
what we have done so far? 4 because all have equal denominators of 4 parts,
representing the whole of each fraction. Now, I want you to take two 1/4 pieces and
place them above the first fraction bar. I need to write a fraction to represent this
visual model. The instructor will circle the 2 pieces sitting over the four on the
smartboard. Will someone tell me what fraction we should write? 2/44 because I
have two parts out of four, the whole. Now I want you to take two more of 1/4 pieces
and place them above the second fraction bar. Who can tell me what fraction we
should write to represent this model? 1/4 very good. So far we have 2/4 + 1/4. We
now need to figure out what the numerator for our total will be. We already know
that the denominator is 4 because 4 represents a whole throughout this entire
problem. Boys and girls, what is 1 + 2? 3, so how many 1/4 pieces do you think we
need to put in the numerator of our total? 3. And what would be the fraction to
represent my total? 3/4, very good. Lets take a closer look at the problem we just
worked. When we look at the numerators, we easily see that 1+2=3. However, the
denominators are not as easy to understand at first. When you look at the
denominators of each of the three fractions, what do you notice? The instructor will
allow a couple of students to share. Whenever I look at these fractions, I obviously
notice that every denominator is the same. The first and second are the same
because in order to add and subtract fractions, you must have a common
denominator. The denominator of the total is also 4 because when we add and
subtract fractions, the denominator always stays the same because the whole is
constant. I we added or subtracted the denominators, we would be completely
changing the value of 1 whole. In this case our whole 4/4; therefore, the number
representing the whole, 4, must be the same throughout the problem. Remember,
we never add or subtract the denominators, only the numerators. Repeat after me.
Denominators stay the same when I am adding or subtracting. Very good! Be
careful to remember this as you add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers.
Lets work a few more addition problems. I want you to write this problem on your
board as I write it on the smartboard. 2/7 + 3/7=. I see that I have a common
denominator of 7 and automatically know that the denominator of my total will be 7,
so all I need to do is add the numerators. 2 + 3= 5; therefore, my numerator is 5. I
know that my fraction is 5/7. Someone please give me thumbs up and remind me
what stays the same when we are adding and subtracting fractions. The
denominators, very good! I want you to work this one on your board. 2/9 + 5/9=. I
will give you one minute to solve this on your boards. You will turn your boards to
show me your answer when I count to three. One, two, three. The instructor will
take a moment to lookout each students board and formatively assess
understanding to this point. Would anyone like to come work the problem on the
board and explain your thinking as you work? The instructor will allow a student
who correctly solved the problem to work on the board. The instructor will provide
clarity and intervene if necessary. Thank you! Does anyone have any questions
about how we solved this problem? I want you to write these two problems on your
board, solve them, and then we will move on to subtraction. 1/6 + 4/6= and 3/10 +
4/10=. You will have a couple of minutes to add. You should turn your boards when I
count to three. One, two, three. The instructor will take a moment to lookout each
students board and monitor understanding. Are there two people who have not
been to the smartboard today who would like to work one of these problems on the
board for us and explain your thinking as you go. The instructor will select two
students who correctly solved the problem to work on the smartboard. The
instructor will provide clarity and intervene if necessary.
We are going to go through the same process with subtracting. All we are doing
different is subtracting from the original fraction instead of adding. Everything else
follows the same process. Watch me do one and then I will let you guys try it out. If i
have the problem 5/9-3/9=_______, I look and see that I can subtract because the
fractions share a common denominator and my denominator will automatically be 9.
All I need to do is subtract. 5-3=2. My numerator is 2, and my solution is 2/9. Does
anyone have a question about how I solved this problem? Very good. I want you to
write these problems on your board and work them out in the next two minutes.
5/6-1/6= and 6/7-4/7. You should turn your boards when I count to three. One, two,
three. The instructor will take a moment to lookout each students board and
monitor understanding. Is there anyone who has not been to the smartboard today
who would like to work one of these problems on the board for us and explain your
thinking as you go. The instructor will select one or two students who correctly
solved the problem to work on the smartboard. The instructor will provide clarity and
intervene if necessary. Notice how our denominators stayed the same throughout
each problem. now we are going to look at problems where the denominators start
out different and it is our job to create fractions with common denominators before
we begin adding or subtracting.
Remember, we had talked about how we must have a common denominator
between fractions in order to be able to add and subtract them. However, often
times, we will need to add and subtract fractions that do not have common
denominators, but thankfully we learned a skill yesterday that will allow us to be
able to add and subtract even when our original problem does not have common
denominators. Who can remember what we learned that could help us? We learned
how to find common denominators between two fractions that have differing
denominators. For example, if I was given the problem 3/4 - 1/3=______, I would
not be able to subtract right off the bat because my denominators are different. I
need to find a common denominator for the pair. Who can tell me how to create
equal fractions with common denominators for 3/4 and 1/3? The instructor will allow
a student to share his or ideas. If you remember from yesterday, there are a couple
of ways we can do this. We can list out multiples, which would give us 3:
3,6,9,12,15,18 and 4: 4,8,12,16,20, and I see that 3 and 4 share a multiple of 12
which will serve as my common denominator. I then have to multiply both
numerators by the same number that each denominator was multiplied by to get 12.
I cannot forget this step or otherwise, I would be changing the value of the fraction.
As I look at my first fraction, 3/4, I know that 4 was multiplied by 3 to get a
denominator of 12, so my numerator of 3 also needs to be multiplied by 3, giving
my a new, equivalent fraction of 9/12. As I repeat this process with 1/3. I multiply the
1 by 4 because the denominator of 3 was multiplied by 4 in order to get our
common denominator of 12. Our new, equivalent fraction is 4/12. I have now
created fractions with common denominators, so I can rewrite my problem and
subtract. I now have 9/12 - 4/12= _______. 9 minus 4 equals 5 and my denominator
is 9; therefore, my answer is 5/12. Does anyone have a question about this before I
allow you to try to solve one independently? For these problems, we use the same
skills we have been using the entire lesson, but we also have to draw on the
knowledge and skills we learned yesterday by creating common denominators. Do
not ever try to add fractions or mixed number if the fractions do not share a
common denominator. I am going to give you one subtraction and one addition
problem to work independently on your boards. Circle your two answers when you
are finished and wait for me to count to three. Remember to create common
denominators before you even think about adding or subtracting. Your two problems
are: 6/8 - 2/4=_______ and 2/6+2/5=_______. You have two minutes to complete
these problems. You have one minute remaining. One, two, three. Turn your
boards. Very good, _______. The instructor will select a student who answered the
problems correctly. ______, please come to the smartboard and show us your work
on these two problems. Does anyone have a question about how to add or subtract
fractions that do not have common denominators?
Before we being our practice for today, I to quickly show you how to add and
subtract mixed numbers. It is very simple, so lets take a look. All we have to do is
add and subtract the whole numbers and then the fractions just like we would if they
were separate problems. We will often have to simplify at the end, but thats no big
deal as along as we know what to do. Lets try one together. I want you to write
1 3/4 + 2 2/4=. I will begin by adding the fractions. I then case, I have 5/4 after the
fractions have been added. I know that I cannot leave a fraction with a larger
numerator than denominator, so I divide 5 by 4. How many times does 4 go into 5?
1 time. And how many are left over? 1. therefore, a mixed number to represent 5/4
is 1 1/4. I drop the 1/4 below the fractions column and carry my 1 since I had one
whole after adding my fraction parts. I now add the whole numbers 1+2=3. My
mixed number is 3 3/4. When you subtract, you will do the same thing we just did
by starting with the fractions of your mixed numbers and subtracting those and then
moving on to the whole numbers and easily subtracting those. Do this problem on
your board so that I can ensure that you know what you are doing. 4 3/4 - 1 2/4.
Turn your boards when I count to three. One, two, three. The instructor will take a
moment to lookout each students board and monitor understanding. Very good,
______. Please come demonstrate your work for the class on the smartboard. The
instructor will select a student who correctly solved the problem to work on the
smartboard. The instructor will provide clarity and intervene if necessary. Does
anyone have questions about anything that we have done today? If not, lets get
started on practice for today!
II. Opportunity for Practice:
Today for practice, I want you to write one addition and subtraction problem
using fractions and mixed numbers. You will each write two problems in sharpie on
your color choice of construction paper. Then I will give you a partner to share with.
You will then work with your partner to solve each of your four problems on your
white boards and double check your answers. You will then write your answers in
sharpie on your pieces of construction paper, show your work so that we know how
you are getting to your answers, and if you finish early, you may draw a visual
model to represent each problem. You have 5 minutes to create your problems and
transfer them to construction paper. Be sure that your numbers and problems make
sense. For example, if you are writing a subtraction problem, make sure that the
mixed number you are taking away from is larger than the number being subtracted
from it. You may begin. You have one more minute to write your problems. Time is
up. I want you to select a partner and work together to solve each of your problems.
Dont forget to neatly transfer your answers and work on the construction paper
using sharpies. The instructor will walk around during this time to monitor progress
and offer assistance.You have one more minute remaining. Your time is up. Please
quietly return to the kidney table. Is there a group who would like to share an
addition problem on the smartboard? A subtraction problem? The instructor will
allow partner groups to share their problems and intervene when necessary to
correct or clarify.
III. Assessment:
Thank you for working so hard today! i want you to complete this quick little exit
slip to show me everything that you have learned today. Be sure to take your time
and do your best. When you finish, you may flip your paper over and wait patiently.
IV. Closure:
Lets take of hershey bars from earlier out. I am proud of each of you for waiting
so patiently. I want you to solve this review problem for me using what we learned
today. 2 3/4 - 1 2/4. When you have finished working the problem on your boards,
raise your hand I will check your answer. When you have gotten the answer correctt
and I have checked it, you may eat your chocolate bar.
Smartboard
Hersheys bars
Fraction bars
Pencils
Construction paper
Sharpies
White boards
Expo markers
Data:
Two students scored at proficiency level by answering four out of five problems
correctly. One student answered three out of five correctly, and two students answered
two out of five correctly because they failed to establish common denominators where
required.
Reflection:
This was a fun and engaging lesson. My students were hooked from the minute that I
pulled out the hersheys bar. However, if I taught this lesson again, I would save the
hershey bar activity for the closure because my students asked several times during the
lesson when they would get to finish their hershey bars. I feel like this lesson went really
well overall; however, I am disappointed that more of my students are not meeting
proficiency levels due to their tendencies to rush through problems and refusal to find
common denominators when comparing (lesson 4) and adding and subtracting (todays
lesson) fractions and mixed numbers. They work and answer problems correctly during
teaching and practice, but then seem to solve problems on the assessment as fast as
they can and however they want to. I am going to try giving them a set amount of time
that they are required to work on assessments before they can turn them in and do
something else in order to force them to focus on the task at hand. Tomorrow is the
most difficult skill of the unit, so hopefully each of the students will come to intervention
ready to learn, investigate, and problem solve.

Lesson Title: Subtract How?

Date: 11 March 2015
Learning Objective:
When given a subtraction exit slip, will use regrouping to subtract mixed numbers with
80% accuracy.
Students will use regrouping to subtract mixed numbers.
Students will be given an exit slip with five subtraction mixed number problems. They
will use regrouping skills to solve each problem and correctly solve at least four out of
five problems.
Engagement:
Good morning! I am so excited to get started with fractions today! Yesterday, I think I
remember us eating something yummy in order to help us learn how to add and
subtract fractions. Will someone remind me what we did yesterday and what we
learned? The educator will allow a couple of students to remind everyone that we used
hershey bars to learn how to add and subtract fractions during math small group the day
before. Very good. Before we get started with our lesson for today, lets do a review
problem from our lesson yesterday. I want you to work this problem on your white
boards. 3 3/4-1 1/4. Boards up on three. 1-2-3. Very good, who would like to explain
how you got your answer to this problem? The instructor will allow a student to share
their thinking. Well, today we are going to challenge our brains, so get those thinking
caps on! I want you to notice that in the problem we just completed, the numerator of
the top fraction was larger than the numerator of the bottom fraction; therefore, we could
easily subtract 3/4-1/4 and know that our fraction is 2/4. Today is going to be a little
more challenging.
Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
Today we are going to learn how to subtract fractions and mixed numbers that
have a smaller numerator on top and a larger numerator on bottom. For example,
we could switch the fractions that we had in the problem we just worked in order to
have 3 1/4- 1 3/4. In this case, 1/4 is bigger than 3/4, and I know that I cannot
subtract 3 from 1 so I am going to have to do something different. By the end of
todays lesson, you will be able to solve a problem like this with no issues. Lets
begin by using some models to help us subtract.
These are called fraction bars and we are going to us them today in order to help
us understand and visualize what we are doing whenever we subtract with naming.
I want us to look at the following problem: 3 1/3- 1 2/3. As I begin to try to subtract, I
am immediately stuck, because I cannot subtract 2/3 from 1/3. Lets use our fraction
bars to subtract this problem. Watch me first and you will get to try on the next
problem. I see that I have 3 wholes, so I will grab three whole fraction bars. I also
have one third, so I grab one bar labeled 1/3. I now have my mixed number
represented that I will subtract from. I am taking away 1 2/3, so I can take one full
fraction bar away, but now I still need to take away 2/3. I cannot do this with the
fraction bars that I have now because I only have one 1/3 bar so thats not enough
to take away, but the only other fraction bars that I have are whole bars. I need to
trade in one whole fraction bar for three 1/3 fraction bars. Notice that I am not
changing the value. Before doing this I have 2 full bars and one 1/3 piece. After
trading the pieces, I have one full bar, plus three 1/3 bars which equals one and
brings us up to two, plus our last 1/3 piece. I can now finish this problem easily by
taking away 2/3. In order to take subtract 2/3, I take away the 1/3 piece and then
take 1/3 from the row with 3 1/3 pieces. Now I can see what my difference is. 3
1/3-1 2/3 is equal to. 1 and 2/3 because I have one whole fraction bar and 2 1/3
pieces left over. Lets practice a couple of these together. The instructor will guide
the students through representing and subtracting mixed number using fraction
bars. The students will then practice one or two of these problems on their own.
Very good! Now I want to show you how you can do this using simply a pencil
and a piece of paper. First, I want us to review changing mixed numbers to
improper fractions. I am going to write a mixed number on the board and I want you
to write it as an improper fraction on your board. Ill do one first. My mixed number
is 5 4/5. I write my multiplication sign and addition sign in their perspective places in
between the whole number and the fraction. 5 times 5 is 25 plus 4 is 29. Therefore,
my fraction improper fraction is 29/5. Try two by yourself to help us get ready to
subtract. The instructor will provide assistance if needed.
I want you to watch as I solve 4 1/4- 2 3/4. I look and see that I cannot subtract
3/4 from 1/4; therefore, I need to rename both of these fractions by changing them
to improper fractions. I write in my multiplication and addition signs to guide me. 4
times 4 is 16, plus one is 17(The instructor will use her finger to guide from the
denominator to the whole number to the numerator as she multiplies and adds),
giving me an improper fraction of 17/4. I will now rename the second mixed number.
4 times 2 is 8 plus 3 is 11. My second fraction is 11/4. My subtraction problem is
now 17/4-11/4. I can do this easily by subtracting 11 from 17, giving me an answer
of 6/4. We are not done yet because we need to simplify this fraction by changing it
to a mixed number. I need to divide 6 by 4. 4 goes into 6 one time. 1 times 4 is 4.
6-4=2. I have one remainder 2; therefore, my mixed number is 1 2/4, which I can
reduce to 1 1/2 by dividing the numerator and denominator by 2.
I will complete one more problem and then we will solve some together. I am
going to write 4 3/5 on the board. Now I want to subtract 1 4/5 from 4 3/5. The first
thing I notice is that the numerator of the mixed number that will be subtracted from
is smaller than the numerator of the mixed number being subtracted. Therefore, I
know that I will need to rename and change the mixed numbers given to improper
fractions. In order to do this, I will go ahead and stick my multiplication and addition
signs in between the whole numbers and fractions of the mixed numbers to remind
me what to do. Remember, the multiplication sign goes at the bottom in between
the whole number and the denominator, and the addition sign goes at the top in
between the whole number and the numerator. Lets change 4 3/5 to a mixed
number. 5 times 4 is 20 plus 3 is 23(The instructor will use her finger to guide from
the denominator to the whole number to the numerator as she multiplies and adds).
My numerator is 23 and our denominator stays the same; therefore, our improper
fraction for 4 3/5 is 23/5. Lets move down to our next mixed number and change it
to an improper fraction. 5 times 1 is 5 plus 4 equals 9(The instructor will use her
finger to guide from the denominator to the whole number to the numerator as she
multiplies and adds), and our denominator stays the same; therefore, our improper
fraction is 9/5. We can now subtract easily. Our subtraction problem written with
improper fractions is 23/5-9/5. To find the numerator, we subtract 23-9, giving us a
numerator of 14, and we keep 5 as our denominator. Our solution is 14/5; however,
we know that we are required to write fractions and mixed numbers in their simplest
form. Can someone explain to me why 14/5 is not in simplest form? The instructor
will call on a student to share. Very good, 14/5 is not in simplest form because the
numerator is larger than the denominator, making this an improper fraction. We
need to write 14/5 as a mixed number. In order to do this I need to divide 14 by 5. 5
cannot go into 1, but 5 can go into 14 2 times, so I will write a 2 above the 4. 5
times 2 is 10. 14-10=4; therefore, we have a remainder of 4. Our whole number is 2
and our fraction is 4/5, giving us the final solution to 4 3/5- 1 4/5, 2 4/5.
I am going to let you try a couple of problems like this on your white boards. You
will work these just like we have worked the other subtraction problems today. I
would like for you to write and solve the problem I am writing on the smartboard on
your white boards. When you are done, sit quietly and we will turn our boards on
the count of three. Your problem is 3 2/7- 1 6/7. You have a few minutes to work this
problem. On the count of three, please turn your boards. One, two, three. The
instructor will take a moment to look at each students board in order to monitor
progress and determine students who might need extra help. She will also note
students will accurately solved the problem before asking one of them to share his
or her thinking. ____________, would you please come to the smartboard and
show us how you worked this problem? Be sure to talk us through your thinking as
you go. The instructor will clarify meaning during this time if necessary. Does any
one have any questions?
Your next problem is 4 1/3- 2 2/3. You have a few minutes to work this problem.
On the count of three, please turn your boards. One, two, three. The instructor will
take a moment to look at each students board in order to monitor progress and
determine students who might need extra help. She will also note students will
accurately solved the problem before asking one of them to share his or her
thinking. ____________, would you please come to the smartboard and show us
how you worked this problem? Be sure to talk us through your thinking as you go.
The instructor will clarify meaning during this time if necessary. Does any one have
any questions?
Give me a thumbs up if you think you have a good idea of how to subtract using
renaming and are ready for some practice. Very good! Lets get started practicing!
For this activity, you will work with a partner to create and solve subtraction
problems using renaming. You will have 5 minutes to create 5 subtraction problems
that require renaming with your partner. When everyone has had a chance to create
the problems, you will switch problems with another group.
You have 2 more minutes to create problems. It is now time to switch problems.
You will have 10 minutes to work with your partner to solve the problems.
Remember that we are naming in order to subtract! When you have finished
working with your partner, select one that you would like to work for the group on
the smartboard.
You have 2 more minutes to finish solving problems. Be sure that you select a
problem to work for the group. It is now time to return to the kidney table. When I
call your partner group, I want you to come work your problem on the board. The
instructor will allow each group to share and provide clarity and intervention where
needed.
III. Assessment:
Thank you for working so well together during practice! You guys did a great job.
Now I want you to complete this exit slip for me. You will solve the problems by
subtracting with renaming. When you finish, flip your paper over and sit quietly
while we wait for everyone to finish.
IV. Closure:
Who would like to summarize what we learned today? The instructor will allow a
few students to share.Very good today we learned how to subtract mixed numbers
with renaming. This is a difficult skill, and I am very proud of how hard you worked
today.
Smartboard
Fraction Bars
White Boards
Expo Markers
Practice Sheets
Assessment

Data:
Three students reached the proficiency level of at least eighty percent by scoring a four
out of five or five out of five. One student answered three out of five problems correctly,
and one student failed to answer any problems correctly.
Reflection:
This lesson took two intervention days to complete due to the complicated nature of
subtracting mixed numbers using regrouping. My students did much better than
expected and truly gave their best effort throughout the lesson. I am pleased with the
scores on the assessment because I feel like four out of the five students truly gave
their best effort. I pulled the student who scored a three out of five and a zero out of five
just to touch base and ensure that they knew how to solve the problems. The student
who answered three out of five correctly understands the concept and simply made a
few careless mistakes while multiplying and subtracting. She is going to work on taking
her time on assessments and rechecking over her answers once she thinks her
assignment is complete. The student who failed to answer any problems correctly had a
difficult time behaving during day 2 of this lesson and ended up having to leave the
classroom; therefore, the assessment is not a true measure of his ability because he
was angry and simply writing down random answers while the assessment was being
given. I am looking forward to reviewing each of the skills with my students tomorrow
and preparing them for the unit assessment.

Lesson Title: So What Have We Learned?
Date: 12 March 2015
Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned
into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts and size
1/b. [3-NF1]
Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, e.g., by
creating common denominators or numerators or by comparing to a benchmark fraction
such as 1/2. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to
the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with symbols >, =, or <, and justify
the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. [4-NF2]
Learning Objective:
When given five addition and subtraction problems, students will add and subtract
fractions and mixed numbers with common and differing denominators with 75%
accuracy.
Students will add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers.
Students will be given an exit slip with five addition and subtraction problems. They will
solve a variety of problems with fractions and mixed numbers and common and differing
denominators. Students will correctly answer at least four out of five math problems.
Engagement:
Good morning, boys and girls! I am sad that today is the last day of our unit, but I am
so excited to see everything you have learned.Today we are going to spend our entire
time reviewing so that you will be ready for your fractions unit test tomorrow. I want
everyone to tell me your favorite activity that we have done during the unit, and then I
want you to tell me what that activity taught you. For example, someone might choose
Fraction Man. You will tell us that Fraction Man was your favorite activity, why you liked
Fraction Man, and what you learned from creating Fraction Man. We will start with C
and move around the kidney table towards T. The instructor will allow each student to
share and offer ideas if necessary.
Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
Our lesson today should be all review so be sure to stop me if there is something
you dont understand or feel like you need to work an extra problem or two. As we
go throughout our lesson today, I will work one problem from each section in our
fraction unit, and then I will give you a problem to work from the sections and we
will go over them together.
On the first day of our fraction unit, we learned what a fraction is, how to write
fractions for visual models, and how to draw visual models to represent a fraction.
To start, will someone remind me of the definition of the term fraction? The
instructor will allow a couple of students to share. A fraction is a part of a whole. For
example, if we had this fraction, 4/5, we could say that we have 4 of the 5 parts that
make a whole. I am now going to draw a visual model on the board to represent the
fraction 4/5. I begin by splitting my circle into 5 equal parts because I have a
denominator of 5 which tells me that 5 parts make up the whole circle. I look at the
numerator in order to determine how many parts of the whole I have or how many I
am supposed to shade. Because my numerator is 4, I will shade four of the parts on
the circle. I now have a visual model to represent the fraction 4/5. I know that my
model is correct because there are 4 parts shaded, to give me the numerator of 4,
and there are 5 equal parts in all to give me a denominator of 5.
I want you to try one. I want you to take a look at the visual model that I have
drawn on the board and use your board and marker to write a fraction to represent
this model for me. I will give you about 30 seconds to write your fraction. When I
count to three, please turn your board around. One, two, three. The instructor will
take a moment to look at each students board to monitor their understanding.
_________, you wrote a correct fraction to represent the visual model. Would you
like to share how you determined you numerator and denominator? Very good. You
saw that there are 2 parts shaded; therefore, your numerator is 2. You determined
your denominator by counting the total number of parts, which is 5. The correct
fraction to represent this visual model is 2/5. Does anyone have any questions
about writing a fraction to represent a visual model? Very good!
Lets move on to equivalent fractions. Lets look at 2/3. If I want to write an
equivalent fraction for 2/3, all I need to do is select a multiple to multiply both the
numerator and denominator by. I am going to use 3 as my multiple. Watch how I do
this. I currently have 2/3. I am going to place a multiplication sign beside 2/3 and
then write 3/3 next to the multiplication sign. This shows me that I am multiplying
both the 2 in the numerator and the 3 in the denominator by 3. 2 times 3 equals 6,
giving me a numerator of 6, and 3 times 3 equals 9, giving me a denominator of 9.
Because I multiplied the numerator and denominator by the same multiple, 2/3 and
6/9 are equivalent fractions. Remember that you can pick any multiple you would
like, but what is the main thing you must remember? You must multiply the
numerator and denominator by the same number! I want you to try one. Write 3/5
on your board and then create an an equivalent fraction using what you know. I will
give you a minute to do this. When I count to three, please turn your board so that I
can look at your work. One, two, three. The instructor will take a few seconds to
look at each students work and monitor understanding. ________, would you like
to show us your work on the board? The instructor will clarify where needed. Very
good! _______ created a fraction equivalent to 3/5 by multiplying the numerator and
denominator by 4. 3 times 4 equals 12. 12 is our new numerator, and 5 times 4
equals 20. Our fraction is 12/20, which is equivalent to our original fraction of 3/5.
Does anyone have a question about generating equivalent fractions?
During the next fractions lesson we covered, we learned how simplify fractions,
mixed numbers, and improper fractions. Lets take a look at the fraction 6/8. I know
that this fraction can be simplified immediately after I look at it because the
numerator and denominator are both even and can be divided by at least the
number 2. Keep in mind that just like when we are generating equivalent fractions, if
we do one thing to the numerator, then we have to do the same thing to the
denominator. Therefore, I need to divide the numerator and denominator of 6/8 by
2. I will write my fraction horizontally like this: 6/8 divided by 2/2=. Now, all I have to
do is divide. 6 divided by 2 is 3, making my simplified numerator 3, and 8 divided by
2 is 4, making my simplified denominator 4. The simplest form of 6/8 is 3/4. I know
that this is in its simplest form because there is no number other than 1 that both 3
and 4 could be divided by. Remember that you can draw your factor trees when
working on simplifying fractions if you cant think of a common factor to divide by
right off the bat. I want you to simplify this fraction on your white boards. 6/9. I am
going to give you one minute to simplify and then I am going to pick someone to
share on the smartboard, so be sure that you do your best! Remember that it is
okay to draw factor trees if you need to in order to help you simplify. Turn your
boards on the count of three please. One, two, three. The instructor will survey the
responses and select a student to share on the board. _______, would you please
make your way to the smartboard and show us how you simplified 6/9. The
instructor will intervene or clarify where necessary. Thank you! That was a
wonderful explanation. Now I want to ask you all a question really quick? We know
that the simplified form of 6/9 is 2/3, but what would the simplified form have been if
I had started with 2 6/9? Write your answer on your board. The correct answer is 2
and 2/3. The whole number does not affect simplifying because it is already in its
simplest form; however, we must still reduce the fraction part of the mixed number
to simplest form. Finally, I want us to review changing mixed numbers to improper
fractions and vice versa. If I gave you the improper fraction 14/3 and asked you to
put the fraction in simplest form, you would begin by drawing your division bar and
placing 14 under the bar and 3 to the left side because we are dividing by 3. I know
that 3 cannot go into 1; therefore, I need to figure out how many times 3 will go into
14. If you know your multiplication facts, then you think that 3 times 4 is twelve and
3 times 5 is fifteen; therefore, our the mixed number to represent 14/3 in simplest
for must be between 4 and 5, meaning that our whole number and the number of
times 3 can go into 14 is 4. I write 4 above the division bar and multiply 4 by 3. 4
times 3 is 12. I now subtract 12 from 14 to give me 2 leftover, meaning that the
fraction part of my mixed number will be 2/3. The simplified form of 14/3 is 4 2/3. I
want you to work one of these on your boards. Please simplify 9/4. I will give you a
couple of minutes to do this and then I want you to turn your boards on the count of
three. One, two, three. Who would like to take a shot at this one on the board? The
instructor will intervene or clarify if necessary in places. Thank you for sharing!
Does anyone have a question about simplifying fractions, improper fractions, and
mixed numbers before we move on to comparing fractions and mixed numbers by
finding common denominators.
We are now moving on to common denominators and comparing fractions. Who
can tell me what two fractions must have in order for you to be able to compare
their values? The instructor will call on a few students. Very good! They must have
common denominators. Watch me. I want to compare the fractions 2/4 and 4/6
(This problem will be written on the smartboard with a large circle in between the
fractions.) using greater than, less than, or equal to. As I am sure you recall, there
are a couple of ways to begin this problem. Some of simply like to to multiply the
numerator and denominator on the left (2/4) by the denominator on the right and
vice versa. This is fine as long as you remember to always do the same thing to the
numerators that you do to the denominators. Another way is to have a good grasp
on our multiplication facts and know that 4 and 6 share a multiple of 12. 12 would
become the denominator for each of the fractions and you would multiply the
numerators by the same number you would have to multiply the denominator by to
equal 12. Since most of you prefer to switch the denominators and multiply, I will
multiply 2/4 by 6/6 and 4/6 by 4/4. This gives me fractions of 6/12 and 8/12. I now
have common denominators and can fill in the comparison circle with a less than
sign because 6/12 is less that 8/12. I want you to do one on your own now! Work
this problem on your board. Compare 2/5 and 3/7 using greater than, less than or
equal to. You will turn your boards on the count of three. One, two, three. Who
would like to have a turn at explaining a problem on the smartboard? The instructor
will intervene or clarify if necessary in places. Very good. Lets keep moving.
Now we are going to review adding and subtracting fractions and mixed
numbers. Just like with comparing fractions, what must we have in order to add or
subtract fractions and mixed numbers? The instructor will take answers from a few
students. Very good! We must have a common denominator in order to add and
subtract fractions and mixed numbers. This means that I must find common
denominators for fractions and mixed numbers if an addition or subtraction problem
is given to me without them. Watch me. If I want to solve the problem written on the
board, 2/6 + 3/6, all I need to do is add the numerators to get a total of 5. My sum is
5/6. Keep in mind that when adding and subtracting fractions, we only add or
subtract the numerators. The denominators remain constant. Watch me as I solve
this subtraction problem. 3 5/6- 1 2/4=. When I first look at this problem, I notice
that my denominators are not the same; therefore, I must find common
denominators before I can subtract. I will do the way that you guys prefer and
multiply each numerator and denominator by the other fractions denominator. I
begin by multiplying 5/6 by 4/4, which gives me 20/24 and 2/4 by 6/6, which gives
me 12/24. My new problem is 3 20/24- 1 12/24. 3-1=2. Because I have a common
denominator, all I need to do now is subtract the fractions. 20-12=8. My difference is
8/24, but I cannot leave it in this form because it needs to be simplified. I know that
8 and 24 can both be divided by 8; therefore, I will write 8/24 divided by 8/8= 1/3.
1/3 is my final answer. I want you to write the following two problems on your
boards. 3/8 + 4/8= and 2 3/5 - 1 1/4=. Be sure to show your work and be prepared
to share with the group. Circle your final answer for both after you have completely
simplified them. You will have about 4 minutes to complete this. The instructor will
walk around and offer guidance if needed. You have one minute remaining. One,
two, three. The instructor will take a look at each students answers monitor
progress before selecting one person to work each problem. _______ and
________ are coming to the smartboard to work these problems. When you share
your problem, please be sure that you explain your thinking as you go. The
instructor will offer feedback and clarity where necessary during student
explanations. Great work!
Now we are moving on to our final unit topic: subtracting with renaming. Can
anyone remind me when we use renaming to subtract mixed numbers? Very good.
We use renaming whenever the numerator of the first mixed number is larger than
the numerator of the second mixed number. Watch me solve one problem, then I
will let you try one on your own. When given the problem 3 1/4 - 1 3/4, I begin by
renaming. Remember that in order to rename, we place a multiplication sign in
between the whole number and the denominator of the fraction and an addition sign
in between the whole number and the numerator. I will write these symbols on each
of the mixed numbers and then begin renaming. 3 1/4: 4 times 3=12 plus 1=13,
and our denominator is 4, giving us a renamed fraction of 13/4. In order to rename
the second mixed number, I multiply 4 by 1 to get 4 and add three for a total of 7
and a denominator of 4. My new problem is 13/4-7/4=. Our denominators are the
same, so I can subtract. 13-7=6 and with a denominator of 4 I know that 6/4 is an
improper fraction so I need to divide 6 by 4. 4 goes into 6 one time. One times 4 is
4. 6-4=2, so our mixed number is 1 2/4, which can be simplified to 1 1/2. Try this
one: 5 2/7 - 2 5/7. You will have a couple of minutes to solve this problem. You will
be sharing your work with group so be careful. One, Two, three. Turn your boards.
the instructor will monitor student understanding by examining each board. She will
select one person to work the problem on the board and offer assistance and clarity
if needed. Does anyone have any questions about this skill? This is one of the most
difficult skills in our fraction unit; therefore, I to be sure that each of you understand
what you are doing on each problem.
Wow, boys and girls! I am so prod of you guys. We just reviewed an entire units
lessons. I think it is time for some fun with the fractions system.
Boys and girls, today we are going to play one of my absolute favorite game
shows, and I am so excited! We are going to play a game of jeopardy to help us
review and get ready for our test. In order to play, you need to know that it is your
goal to get the most points. We will start off with a question for 200 points. You will
have either 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes to complete each problem based on
the difficulty. The first person to correctly solve each problem will get to pick the
next category and point level. The questions get more difficult as the point values
get higher. As you can see, our topics for today are visual models; equivalent
fractions; simplify me; greater than, less than, or equal to; addition and subtraction;
and subtraction with renaming. Lets get started with visual models for 200. I will be
keeping up with each of your points, so you just focus on completing the problems.
Remember, the first person to correctly solve each problem will get to pick the next
category and point level, but everyone who answers correctly during the time limit
will receive the points for that level. Does anyone have any questions? Lets get
started!
III. Assessment:
Wow! That was such a fun game and you guys worked so hard to try to have the
most points and solve all of the math problems! That was a great review for our test
tomorrow, but I want to give you one more opportunity to review. I am going to give
each of you a study guide that has questions on it just like the questions that will be
on your test tomorrow. I am going to give you about 5 or 10 minutes to work on it
now, but this is your math homework tonight. I need everyone to do it and bring it
back tomorrow, so that I can see that you are ready for your test.
IV. Closure:
We had such a fun day today reviewing and playing jeopardy. I want each of
you to know that I am so proud of you for working so hard on fractions over the past
two weeks. I know that fractions can be difficult, but each of you have proven to me
that you understand and can use fractions. I believe that each of you have the
potential to do a great job on the test tomorrow, so i want you to spend a good
chunk of time solving the problems on and reviewing that study guide tonight. Lets
have a great remainder of the day and I will see you here ready to ace that test
tomorrow, correct? Awesome!
Smartboard
Expo Markers
White Boards
Jeopardy game
Study guide
Data:
Four out of five students turned in the study guide. Out of these four students, two
reached proficiency by scoring above seventy five percent, and two students scored
below proficiency level with scores in the fifties and sixties.
Reflection:
Today I reviewed each topic covered in the unit and allowed students to practice solving
problems. I was impressed by the percentage that they were getting correct after I
worked one example problem to quickly reteach each lesson. However, this accuracy
did not necessarily transfer into their assessment as only two of them reached the
proficiency level of seventy-five percent. I am worried that their inability to take
everything we have learned and use the information on a test is going to negatively
affect their grades on the unit test tomorrow. However, I feel like this has been a
successful unit overall as my students have demonstrated tremendous progress and
now possess knowledge and skills that were absent when they completed the pretest.

Fractions Intervention Unit Lessons

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Fractions

Unit lessons included. Full unit available upon request.

Instructor: Victoria Bye

Instructor: Victoria Bye

Instructor: Victoria Bye

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 5th/Mrs. Walker

Bye, utilizing manipulative to develop a better understanding equivalent fractions and

Instructor: Victoria Bye

Materials and Resources:

Instructor: Victoria Bye

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 5th/Mrs. Walker

Instructor: Victoria Bye

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 5th/Mrs. Walker

Bye, utilizing manipulative to develop a better understanding equivalent fractions and

Instructor: Victoria Bye

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