Micro Lesson #1 - Fun with Fractions

Many of the ideas for this lesson come from the Illuminations website, produced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and is titled, "Making and Investigating Fraction Strips."

In this lesson, students will practice dividing a whole into fractions, by folding and cutting measured strips of paper, will label the fractions they create and will compare fractions to find equivalents. They will then practice this process on iPads by using the Educreations app. They will think of a verbal "math story" including fractions which they will tell to their partner. Their partner will create a visual representation by drawing it on their iPads. This will solidify students' understanding that fractions represent parts of a whole, and will prepare them for the operations of adding and subtracting fractions.

Micro Lesson #1 - Planning Assessment

·         This lesson will be assessed informally through observation and a review of students’ math journals.  I chose this method because I intend to teach this lesson in a small group setting.  This will allow me to watch each student’s progress. 

·         The first standard I linked to this lesson is the ability to understand fractions as part of a whole.  Students’ understanding of this will be observable as they create their fraction manipulatives.  The second standard focuses on the ability to explain equivalent fractions.  This will be measurable while students interact with their partners to compare and find equivalent fraction strips and will be documented as students record these relationships in their math journals.

·         This lesson provides students with opportunities to compare and contrast objects, and to think creatively to connect the abstract information they have learned about fractions to concrete examples visible in their lives.

Micro Lesson #1 - Designing Instruction

·         Students start with several “whole” objects of equal size to be divided into various fractions. They first divide into halves, which is likely the most familiar fraction to students, and then continue to divide different wholes into increasingly smaller fractions, labeling each as they go.  This provides a logical structure to the lesson and helps students learn in steps. 

·         Students will have the opportunities to learn visually and audibly by listening to the whole group presentation by the teacher.  They will be able to learn kinesthetically by manipulating physical objects to create fractions.  They will also be able to learn socially by working with partners to compare fractions to each other.  This comparison of fractions to find equivalents uses the higher order thinking skills of comparing and contrasting, as well as experimenting. Student have the opportunity to analyze relationships between fractions, and record their findings in their math journals. 

·         The use of technology in this lesson is primarily as a creative and engaging way to continue to practice using fractions.  It allows students to create their own fraction problem for a partner to solve.  By observing this process informally, the teacher will be able to determine the level of understanding of each student. 

·          This lesson does not address issues of safe and legal use of technology, digital etiquette or global awareness.  It does, however, use technology in a learner-centered way.  Students are able to direct part of the lesson by generating their own examples.  This lesson also makes use of a simple software program that allows students to draw on a tablet with their fingers.  It has the potential to be engaging to students of various ability levels.

Micro Lesson #1 - Plan Instruction

·         I will help students understand that the goal of the lesson is to be able to understand where fractions come from and how to create and represent them. 

·         Third grade state standards include understanding that a fraction is the quantity formed by dividing a whole into any number of equal parts (b) and representing one of those parts as 1/b.  This lesson helps students manipulate a whole into many different variations of equal parts by cutting paper into various sizes and then labeling each with its fraction name.  Students are then able to physically compare the sizes of different parts to determine which are equivalent. 

·         This will be engaging and appropriate for students because students will each have their own set of materials and will be able to participate in a whole group lesson, using technology, while still participating individually.  It will cater to multiple intelligences, including visual, kinesthetic, and social as students work with partners. 

Micro Lesson #1 - Assessing Prior Knowledge

Fun with Fractions Lesson

·         I would ask students to list ways to use fractions in their every day lives.  I would then ask them to create a visual representation of the item with colored paper, markers etc. and attach to their math journals. (For example: a pizza, an hour, their walk to school, and their bedroom (divided in half with a sibling?)

·         I would hope to determine if students understand fractions other than ½, since that is the most commonly used.  They will most likely be familiar with ½ but that may not indicate that they understand that it represents a part of a whole.

·         I could use their prior knowledge of ½ to explain the relationship between the numerator and denominator, that it represents a part of a whole.  We could then expand this idea to include other, less commonly used fractions, and to eventually generalize this knowledge to use with any fraction.