Content Areas:  Mathematics

Description/Abstract:  Reducing fractions using visual manipulation

Timeline:  45 minutes

Goals/Content and Cognitive:

Students will be able to demonstrate a better understanding of reducing fractions. Students will be able to demonstrate various ways to reducing fractions. (GCF, visual manipulatives)

Links to Curriculum Standards:

NCTM Standards Number and Operations: Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems: Compare and order fractions, decimals, and percents efficiently. Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates: Select appropriate methods and tools for computing with fractions and decimals from among mental computations, estimation, calculators or computers, and paper and pencil, depending on the situation, and apply the selected methods.

Guiding Questions: 

When do you think we use fractions? Can you think of a time in your life when you would need to know how to reduce fractions? Can you name some ways we can reduce fractions?

Assessment: 

Observation and Teacher Assessment: Were students attentive and involved in the activity? Did they seem to grasp the concept being taught based on the lesson presented? Students will be assessed based on classroom participation in the activity, class work given out, and homework sent home to be completed on their own. The homework will offer insight to the teacher as to whether or not they understood the concepts taught in class. They will be required to show their work and hand in with their completed homework.

Learning Connection:

Children at this age seem to associate quite a bit with food. By connecting this activity with their favorite foods such as pizza or a candy bar, they will be motivated to make the connection of learning to reduce fractions. Along with this activity, there are several reducing fraction activities that can be accessed through their school website. This will give them added practice through the use of technology.

Learning Activities or Tasks:

Introduce myself to the class. Ask guiding questions as first worksheet is being passed out. Students will work as a class with the teacher demonstrating on the board and guiding them through the first activity. Each number in this activity will be associated to something in their every day lives; the first problem being compared to a pizza to be shared. Once the first worksheet is completed, students will be given a second worksheet to work on either in pairs or individual, whatever they are comfortable doing. Teacher will be available to help and guide students when they get stuck. On the second worksheet, students will shade in the portion of the square that is associated to the given fraction. Then they will reduce the fraction. Homework will be given where students will be given a worksheet of 20 fractions and a sheet of graph paper to take home. They will be asked to reduce the fraction by drawing out the fraction on the graph paper similar to classroom activities. They will turn in their homework the next day with their work provided.

Teaching Strategies:

The teacher will be a facilitator and a guide, asking questions to encourage the students to think about the problems set before them. Teacher will guide the students in an activity to give them a better understanding of the mathematical equations they will be working on before allowing them to work together in groups of 2-3. Groups will be reminded of what is expected of them while they work in their groups. Groups that complete the assignment in class will be allowed to explore additional websites to give them more practice and a better understanding of reducing fractions.

Management:

Students will begin working as a whole class with the teacher to complete an activity together. Then students will pair up in groups of 2-3 to work together on an additional activity. Those students who seem to be struggling more will be paired with students who have a better grasp on the concepts and can lead and guide them to a better understanding. The teacher will be wandering around the room observing the work the students are doing and directing them.

Materials and Resources:

Various worksheets provided by the teacher. Computers used in the classroom to offer additional reducing fraction help if needed. Internet access and homework help sited provided by the school’s website.

Lesson Evaluation and Teacher Reflection:

Questions:

Was the lesson worth doing?

This lesson was well worth doing. It allowed the students more practice with a more visual and hands on approach to learning how to reduce fractions.

In what ways was this lesson effective?

This lesson broke down the fractions so the students could see how 6/36 also equaled 1/6. Each fraction was drawn out in a block and shaded in to make the fraction. Students could then draw lines to show how the reduced fraction could be made.

What evidence do you have for your conclusion?

I sent home a sheet of fractions and graph paper for each student so they could draw out and shade in the given fraction. They then had to show how they accomplished the reduced fraction by drawing in the darker lines and writing in the answer on the fraction worksheet. They turned this in to be graded. This helped to show their understanding of the lesson.

How would you change this lesson for teaching it again?

Next time I would want to take at least two class periods to teach the lesson, possibly three. The 45 minute time period was too short and I felt both I and the students were rushed through the lesson. I feel they would have taken more away from the lesson given more time with it.

What did you observe your students doing and learning?

Students were working together and seemed interested in the given assignment. Walking around the room and observing the students, I noticed that the visual aspect of the lesson and being able to draw it out seemed to make a difference. Those students who are visual learners seemed to grasp the concept being taught.

Did your students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?

I believe the students found this lesson meaningful and worth completing. They had been struggling with the reduction of fractions for quite some time and seemed to leave my lesson with at least a different way for now to figuring out how to reduce fractions.