Lesson Plan (50 minutes long)

Launch: (15 minutes)

-Go over norms
-HOOK: Individual share out loud in group: Which fraction is larger? How do you know?
*cant use proceduralmaking the same denominator, use binder paper to show work Commented [CE1]: You also may need to mention not
1. Read aloud: There are 2 pies. Malalu ate 5/8 of the her pie. Adam ate 7/8 of using cross multiplication or the butterfly method
Sometimes this gets taught in 5 th-6th grade
his pie. Who ate more of their pie?
a. 5/8 & 7/8 write on board to scaffold
b. model using 2 pie pan diagrams. Divide up the circles into 8 parts. Commented [CE2]: I like the problem youve chosen. Just
Shade 5 pieces in one circle, 7 pieces in the other and explain the use of be careful about modeling a pie diagram because its not the
most useful for the other problems. Can you model this as a
the denominator and numerator for shading. rectangle as wellor maybe make it a chocolate bar?
c. When students say 7/8 is bigger, rephrase their reasoning to include unit
fractions. 5 1/8s is smaller than 7 1/8s.
i. Define unit fraction: 0:13-1:18 seconds
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-unit-fraction-definition-examples.html
2. Read aloud: Saahir and Grace both made slime. Saahir filled 7/11 of his
Tupperware. Grace filled 7/9 of her Tupperware. Who made more slime? Can
you prove your answer in a drawing?
a. 7/11 & 7/9 write on board to scaffold
b. turn and talk about reasoning
c. come together as a group and share 1-2 strategies, drawings encouraged
and replicate on the white board
i. encourage them to use unit fractions Commented [CE3]: And here you want to elicit the idea
d. Watch video 1:15-1:54 that the pieces are smaller when its 9ths
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-unit-fraction-definition-examples.html Commented [CE4]: Does this really add anything that you
a. Draw connections to their prior knowledge couldnt bring out through discussion. Watching a video is
passive and I dont know that the video really illustrates
i. "Turn and Talk": Encourage students to make personal connections focusing anything meaningful
on how fractions are used in their lives.
Commented [CE5]: What is the question that you are
b. Introduce the focus of the lesson: written on the board, have student read aloud asking them to turn and talk about?
Learning Target: Students will use reasoning strategies to compare fractions.
i. Me: The concepts you will learn are: advancing your understanding of
fractions as numbers, understanding a fraction as a number on a number line,
and compare fractions by reasoning about their size
ii. Me: I chose this lesson because we are focusing on fractions and will quickly
move onto decimals. So, I want to make sure we understand how fractions are
parts of a whole and a measurement strategy because as we discussed we use
fractions in life more than we realize!
During: Partner work (15 minutes)
Work with a partner on worksheet: Which fraction is larger? How do you know? You have to
prove it to me Commented [CE6]: Think a little more about how you will
*cant use proceduralmaking the same denominator set this up. For example, you will want to tell them that they
will need to reason about the size fractions as they just did,
1. 5/6 or 7/8 (benchmark 1 unit fraction away from whole) and you might suggest that they can draw pictures to help.
2. 3/4 or 1/2 Also tell them to be ready to explain not just the answer, but
3. 25/50 or 10/30 (benchmark ) the strategy.
4. 31/50 or 33/64
 5. 13/12 or 12/11 (benchmark 1 unit fraction away from whole + whole,
improper fraction)
6. 28/25 or 16/15
Me: I will be walking around checking work using my checklist
2) Debrief: Discuss as a group (20 minutes) Commented [CE7]: I think itsalso important to have them
a. Me: what kind of strategies did you use for the first 2 problems? share the actual strategies.e.g., can you show me how you
compared 5/6 and 7/8. This is like a number talk here
i. Anticipated response: Drawing, splitting into parts a circle by the
denominator, shading the numerator
1. Me: So you used unit fractions to draw how many parts and then
shaded based on the numerator to see what this fraction looks like?
b. Me: what kind of strategies did you use for the 3 & 4?
i. Anticipated response: simplified fractions
1. Me: Anyone not simply the fractions and got the same answer?
ii. Anticipated response: 25 is half of 50, 15 is half of 30 so 10 is less than half
1. Me: so you used as a benchmark to compare both fractions to see if the
fractions are greater or less than ?
c. Me: what kind of strategies did you use for the 5 & 6?
i. Anticipated response/Me rephrasing their response: they are improper
fractions. So, both are greater than one. Took away the one and compared the
leftover fractions
ii. Me: The benchmark for these two problems is 1. The you compared the unit
fractions sizes.
d. Each partner group share at least 1 strategy and important ideas (10 minutes)
3) Close: Exit Slip (10 minutes)
a. Write 3 fractions on a number line (0-1) in order
1/5

1/8
*Me: does not have to be an accurate measurement of distance, but must be in order

ASSESSMENT: checklist

who talks to whom? Student-student (pairing will be made based on seating choice)
what is the student's role? Discussion leaders, answering my questions
what is the teachers role? Facilitating discussion, ask questions, monitor their workwhat they
write down. Take pictures of their models.
Materials & Preparation
Instructor will need: white board, pens, eraser
Each student will need: pencil, worksheet, binder paper
Location: end of the hallway at open tables
Write on white board before class: learning target

Anticipating Students Responses and My Possible Responses:

Possible points of confusion:
-not understanding the denominator determines the size= drawing to show two same size
circles (wholes) can be divided up by the denominator numbers and still be the same amount.
The same size circles represent the 1 on the number line and the fraction is how much of the
circle is filled (0-1).
-not understanding the numerator is the number of pieces of the denominator=the fraction
line is like a division sign but we arent solving.

Management issues:
-Students finish work quickly and are distracting other students
Accommodations:
For students who find the material too challenging: Give them the fractions and to
compare. Remind them of everyday life examples. Why is bigger? Give them scaffolding:
draw 2 circles, represent and , ask them to show me what these fractions would look like
representing pizza. Commented [CE8]: Who is doing the hard work here? Just
What would of a pizza look like? ? make sure they are doing the thinking and representing. You
can guide them through questioning.
Explain why I shaded certain number of pieces using the numerator. Have them practice with
before moving onto the original task with less scaffolding.
For students who need a greater challenge/finish work early: Give them another set of
fractions on and ask them to write on a number line (similar to exit slip but more difficult). Less
scaffolding.
7/8
2/7
3/4
NAME:____________________

Which One Is Larger?

Show your work
Explain your reasoning
Ex: vs.
I think is larger than because.
*Cant use proceduralmaking the same denominator
1) 5/6 vs 7/8

2) 31/50 vs 33/64

3) 13/12 vs 12/11
Exit Slip
Write 3 fractions on a number line (0-1) in order
1/5

1/8

0 1
 Resources

1) Chapin & Johnson, Math Matters, Understanding the Math You Teach Grades K-8. Math
Solutions Publications, 2006. (Available many places; be sure to get the 2006 edition)
2) http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdf
3) http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/PA_CC_Standards_PreK-HS.pdf
4) OGAP Fraction Framework