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Graduate School of Education

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION PROGRAM

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Intern: Winter Sutter

Grade Level: __4th Grade___________

Title: How Many Ways Fraction Problem of the Day

Date: __4/16/15___________________

I.

Objectives
Student will know:
o How to represent a fraction in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:

Equivalent fractions

Decimals

Percentages

Sets

Measurement of length

Measurement of volume

Measurement of area

Ratios

With visuals

With manipulatives

With numbers
Student will understand:
o That fractions are used in real life to show parts of a whole or a set
o Fractions are not represented solely through numbers
Student will do:
o Visualize fractions in as many ways as possible
o Create a fraction using manipulatives, visuals, and symbols
o Work with partners to accumulate as many representations of a fraction as
possible
VA Math SOL 4.2
The student will
b) represent equivalent fractions; and
c) identify the division statement that represents a fraction.
VA Math SOL 4.3
The student will
a) read, write, represent, and identify decimals expressed through thousandths;
b) round decimals to the nearest whole number, tenth, and hundredth;

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II.

Materials for Learning Activities

Student Materials:
1. Scrap paper
2. Pencil
3. Markers
4. Easel paper or similar product
5. Manipulatives such as 100-grids, long rectangles, and blank shapes
Teacher Materials:
1. Projector/Smart board
2. PowerPoint slide with problem of the day

III.
Procedures for Learning Activities
Time
Steps
2 minutes Introduction:

Get attention
- Teacher says: class, class, class
- Students answer: yes, yes, yes
Ask students to take out a piece of paper and pencil then put pencils down
T: Today I am going to give you a problem that we call the problem of
the day. This is a word problem that you guys are going to solve alone and
then later with a partner if you want. When I show you the problem, I want
you to first think quietly to yourself about your plan to resolve the
problem. So there should be no talking for a minute. Just critical thinking.
Instructional Strategies:
Students
need:
Scrap paper
Independent Practice
pencil
T: Here is the problem of the day:
markers/cra
T: Read the problem of the day out loud while displaying the
yons
written problem on the Smart Board
manipulativ
T: Take 1 minute and think to yourself about how you would
es
resolve this problem. Go ahead and jot down your ideas on the
paper in front of you. Write down everything you are thinking.
[pause to allow for thorough brainstorming]
Teacher
Needs:
Smart
Guided Practice
Board
T: Now, when I say so, you will be able to either continue
PowerPoint
working alone, work with a pair, or a group of no more than three.
Again. You can choose to work by yourself, with one other person, with
Problem of
or with two other people. There should not be a group bigger than
the Day
three.

20-25
minutes

Materials

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T: Before you continue, I want you to each pass by the table in the
back which has several tools you can use to help you resolve this
problem. Take as many as you feel you will like or need. If you are
working with others, you will want to pair up and discuss each
others ideas so you know what you want to do. Each person, pair,
or group will be creating a poster with your solutions. When you
feel that you have discussed and thought through the solution and
want to begin making your poster, your whole group should sit
quietly and raise your hand so I know you are ready. Listen for the
bell, because I will give you several time warnings so you know
how long you will have. Alright, ready? Quietly take your paper
you took notes on and slowly find a partner or group if you choose
to do so.
Teacher observes students as they work in pairs/groups/solo.
Teacher should take notes on interesting comments that children
make that they might want to discuss afterwards, on struggles the
children are having, how the students are using the manipulatives,
and on the methods the children are choosing to resolve the
problem. Teacher should also be asking questions such as:
What other ways can you show that?
How do you use fractions in real life?
Can you explain what you have done so far?
What is confusing you? Why do you find that confusing?
How do you know that there are no more ways to show 2/3?
How would you prove that?
Can you make a model to show that?
Why did you decide to organize your results like that?
How can you be sure you thought of all the possibilities?
Would it help to create a diagram? Make a table? Draw a
picture?
What ideas that we have learned before were useful in
solving this problem?
Teacher is looking for specific examples to showcasespecifically
how did children use each manipulative provided to them to resolve
the problem? Are children finding one more difficult to apply than
others?
T: Give the children a notice when they should all be working on
their posters, another notice when they have ten minutes left, and
another when they have one minute left to post their work.
T: Have students post their work at the front of the class when they
finish.
As some children finish, have them begin to walk around the room

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15-20
minutes

and check out the posted work of others. Ask them to look for
things they did not think of or found interesting.
Once everyone is done, ask if everyone has walked around and
checked out their peers work for things they did not think of or
thought was interesting. Make sure that everyone has before
continuing to discussion.

Summary/Closure:
For this problem, the discussion can be about how each child used each
manipulative and which were easier for which methods of representation. An
anticipated discussion is as follows:
T: I have listed the manipulatives that were offered to you up here.
What I want you to now do is think of which tools you used, if any,
and how they were helpful to resolve the problem. [Pause]. Now, Im
going to take a count. You can vote as many times as you want. Who
used the 100-grid and found that to be useful? [pause, count, note the
amount]. Continue taking count for each tool that was offered.
I expect that the least amount of children would use the 100-grid tool,
so I would begin my discussion there by asking questions such as:
o I noticed that not many (or none) of you said that you used and
found this tool to be useful, does anyone want to tell me why they
did not find it be useful for this problem? (I think that some might
have tried but found that it was hard to divide 100 into thirds)
o When do you think it would be helpful? (when you can more easily
divide 100 by the denominator of a fraction)
I expect that the middle used tool to be used is the shapes, so I would
follow with a discussion on it by asking questions such as:
o How was this tool useful to resolve the problem? (they could
visualize the fraction, they could use it to create a fraction or a set)
o Why was this tool more useful than the first one? (You can easily
divide the shape into thirds)
o Would this tool be useful with all fraction problems like this?
(Harder to do with large denominators, like 60ths)
o When would this tool not be useful? What tool would be best in
that situation? (Numbers with large denominators; 100 grid may be
better, or fraction bars because you can make them really long)
I expect that the tool that most children use will be the fraction bars
tool, so I would follow with a discussion on it by asking questions such
as:
o I see most chose this tool, why would you say that this tool was

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o
o
o

useful to resolve the problem? (Most children use this; they each
have their own set for classwork. They are most familiar with it. It
is easy to use and/or create)
Why was this tool more useful than the other ones? (You can easily
divide the rectangle into as many pieces as you want and replicate
it because you can stack them or line them up to repeat cuts.)
Would this tool be useful with all fraction problems like this?
(Most, could become time consuming with large denominators)
What other problems would this tool be helpful with? (comparing
fractions, finding equivalent fractions)
Is there a problem where this tool might not be useful? What tool
would be best in that situation? (large denominators; butterfly
method might be more useful)

Closing Statement
o T: This is a problem where there is no one right answer. What I
hope that you saw here is that 2/3 can be represented in many ways.
You can show 2/3 of a whole, a specific distance, and of a given
time. You can find equivalent fractions, look at a ratio, and find its
decimal and percentage representation. I also wanted you to take
advantage of the tools you had in order to help you resolve the
problem. When you encounter a problem, there is almost always a
tool that can help you solve it; it is important to know which tools
are more useful in which situations. Thumbs up if you feel that you
can pick a helpful tool for a problem when you need one.
Extensions/Connections Describe extensions or connections to other lessons.

IV.

Assessment
Students will be informally assessed based on pair, group, and class discussions.
Students will be informally assessed based on the displayed work they produce
individually or with their peers to determine their understanding of the concept.

V.

Differentiation
Accommodations:
1. Students who need it will be provided with a paper copy of the problem
Students will be able to draw and write on the written problem.
2. Manipulatives such as the following can be included to help those who need it:
Calculator
Fractions bars that are labeled and/or cut

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Circle fraction pieces that are already cut/separated and/or labeled
3. If the class is having difficulties, there could be a class review of fractions and
their uses

VI.

Modifications:
1. Tiered Up: you could change the fraction to a more difficult to represent fraction
such as 10/12 or a decimal such as 0.65 or a percentage such as 54%
2. Tiered Down: you could change the fraction to a simpler or easier to identify
fraction such as 1/2 or 1/4

Technology Integration
Smart Board to show the problem
A teacher could choose to allow children to use virtual manipulatives on the computer
to solve the problem if they are able.

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Anticipated Student Responses:

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Student Work Samples:

Student Work Sample 1 (SW1)

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Student Work Sample 2 (SW2)

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Student Work Sample 3 (SW3)

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Student Work Sample 4 (SW4)

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Student Work Sample 5 (SW5)

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Student Work Sample 6 (SW6)

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Student Work Sample 7 (SW7)