MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH

GREATEST COMMON FACTORS, FRACTIONS & MOTIVATION

Hannah Macanas
 MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Public 6-8 school in

Humboldt County
• Dedicated Principal
• Some public embarrassment
• Total enrollment: 221
• 6th grade enrollment: 73
 MR. P’S CLASS

• Class size: 14 – 5 boys, 9 girls Class content:

• Prime Numbers
• Calming environment: Morning mindfulness
• Number Lines: greater than, less than
• Motivational Posters • Place Value – Base 10 system
• Growth Mindset • Fractions: Greatest common factor, Mixed
• “I don’t care if you guys don’t learn anything, I just numbers, improper fractions, simplifying,
want to see that you’re trying.” multiplication and division
-Mr. P • Algebraic equations
• Group work • Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication,
Division with decimals
TUTORING EXPECTATIONS

• Worried about middle school:

attitude, lack of motivation

• Planned strategies:
• guided questions,
• CRA methods
• Drawings
 MY STUDENT

• 6th grade boy

• Slightly unmotivated, easily distracted

• Prone to procrastination

• Gets excited by “getting it”

• Eager to please
• Enjoys the one on one attention
 THE PROBLEM: FRACTIONS

• Multiplying, dividing, and simplifying fractions

• Cross simplification of fractions (prior to multiplication)
• Improper understanding and application of Greatest Common Factor
• KCF Model for dividing fractions (Keep, Change, Flip)
𝟑𝟑 𝟑𝟑
÷
𝟒𝟒 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
 STUDENT’S MISCONCEPTIONS: GREATEST COMMON WHAT?
MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING FRACTIONS

“Keep, Change, Flip” (KCF)

Incomplete process: forgot(?) to multiply across

-Flipping back the second fraction, incorrect cross
simplification
STUDENT’S MISCONCEPTIONS: GREATEST COMMON WHAT?
MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING FRACTIONS
1
• “First we Keep, so what are we keeping?”
2

• “Okay so for C, what are we changing?” division  multiplication

2 13
“So, what do we flip?” →
13 2
1 13
• “Can this be simplified?” ⋅
2 2

• Yes, they both have 2s.”

• “Are they reciprocal?” “So what do we do next?”
1 13 13
• “Multiply across” and then correctly multiplied: ⋅ =
2 2 4

• “How many “wholes” of 4 are in 13/4 and how many “pieces”

1 13 1
would be left over?” ⋅ = 3
2 2 4
 STUDENT’S MISCONCEPTIONS: GREATEST COMMON WHAT?
MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING FRACTIONS

3 3 3 16
÷  ⋅
4 16 4 3
Misconception
A factor is a number that “goes into” another number; you don’t have to use the same factor for each number.

He knows that numbers have factors and that they can be used to
simplify. I believe that he doesn’t quite understand that each
3 4 I asked why he simplified it that
⋅
number is a factor of itself and that sometimes that is the greatest
way and he said, “because 2 goes common factor. He only seems to understand this when the
2 3 into 4 and 4 goes into 16” numbers are the same. For example, in similar problems, he would
cross out the 3s (like in this problem) and put ones there instead.
 CRA STRATEGIES

• Concrete: No opportunity for concrete strategies

In the future: use counters to show how numbers can be broken down by their different factors, and how
they relate to each other.
• Representational: No real opportunity or representational strategies (with this problem).
In the future: Draw pictures or diagrams to show how factors relate to each other, use factor trees.
• Abstract: 4 is a factor of 4, because we can multiply 1 x 4 = 4.
4 is a factor of 16 because we can multiply 4 x 4 = 16.
4 is the greatest factor possible for 4, so we can use it as the greatest common factor of 4 and 16
𝟑𝟑 𝟒𝟒
to be able to reduce the problem to: ⋅
𝟏𝟏 𝟑𝟑
 REFLECTION

Challenges Concerns Take Aways

• Motivation • Time to talk • Classroom Management
• Concentration • Lack of manipulatives/drawings • Mindfulness

• “copying” • “Zombie Math” • Growth Mindset

• “Drawings are for babies” • “Math Experiments!”

• One minute warnings (gather
your thoughts)
QUESTIONS?