Introduction to Fractions

Lesson Plan4th Grade

iPad

LGM Learning©

Lesson Outline

Prerequisites

Ability to count from 0 to 10

Introduction to fractions

ProportionsFraction of somethingNumeratorDenominator

Identification of fractions as “a part of something”

Goal Concepts Learning Outcomes

iPad

iPad

Introduction

Annex:

Teaching Materials

Extensions

Activity in Pairs

Individualactivity

Learning as a Class

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1) IntroductionTo introduce students to fractions, we start with the most common concept: the idea of a half.

Here is an orange. I cut it into two pieces. Now, I have two orange halves.

We write one half as ½.

We can look at how many parts have been eaten compared with the total number of parts. This is a fraction.

A fraction is “part of something”.

Materials:

Slides 1 & 2

The teacher

shows the

class slides 1 &

2.

iPadThe students open myBlee and choose the “Fraction of something” lesson.

Each students listens to the 3 parts of the lesson:- a pizza cut into pieces- a chocolate bar cut into pieces- a cake cut into pieces

Then the students pause myBlee.

We are going to talk about proportions. If you take two pieces, that is two sixths of the pizza.

The teacher asks

the students if

they need to hear

the lesson again.

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2) Activity in PairsThe teacher divides the class intro pairs and the students talk about what they’ve learned.

The pair starts myBlee and works on Level 1:

- The object is, for example, a pizza cut into pieces- The “eaten” pieces are transparent- The “eaten” pieces are a fraction- The “bottom number” is given- The students count the number of “eaten” pieces- The students write the number in the top box to complete the fraction

The students need 7 correct answers to complete Level 1.

The teacher walks

through the class to

assist and monitor

the progress of the

pairs.

What fraction of the pizza has been eaten? Write your

answer.

What fraction of the chocolate bar has been eaten?

Write your answer.

The pair then works on Level 2:

- The object is, for example, a chocolate bar broken into pieces - The “eaten” pieces are transparent- The “eaten” pieces are a fraction- The “top number” is given- The students count the total number of pieces- The students write the number in the bottom box to complete the fraction

The students need 7 correct answers to complete Level 2.

The students pause myBlee.

3) Learning as a ClassThe teacher leads a group recap of the exercises: the students express their difficulties and recount what they understand about the concept of a fractionThe teacher then formalizes the concept:

A fraction is “part of something.” It’s the number of “eaten” parts on top over the total number of parts on bottom.

We will now look at how to say fractions out loud.

One over four is “a forth.”One over five is “a fifth.”One over six is “a sixth.”One over seven is “a seventh.”And so on.

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Materials:

Slides 3, 4 & 5

The teacher shows

the class slides 3,

4 and 5.

The students should read the fractions out loud that are written on each slide.

But there is an exception when the bottom number is 2 or 3.- One over two is “a half”- One over three is “a third”There is also another way to say “a forth.” A forth is also “a quarter.”

What if the top number is not 1? We say the top number then the name of the fraction:Two over five is “two fifths”Three over four is “three forths” or “three quarters” Six over nine is “six nineths”

The teacher

shows the

class slid

es 6

to 10.

Materials:

Slides 6 to 10

The students should read the fractions out loud that are written on each slide.

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4) Individual Activity

- The “top number” gives the number of parts in the fraction. You found the numerator in the first exercise.

- The “bottom number” gives the name of the fraction. You found the denominator in the second exercise.

Materials:

Slides 1

1 & 12

The teacher shows

the class slides 11 &

12.

The teacher asks the class to say which is the numerator and which is the denominator for each fraction on the slides.

The teacher walks

through the class to

assist and monitor

progress.

The teacher answers questions and reviews trouble spots.The teacher then asks the class to work individually on Levels 3 and 4. myBlee automatically adapts to the pace and level of each student to make sure that each student grasps the concept. Students with trouble can spend more time on Level 3 while more advanced students can practice Level 4.

12

Numerator

Denominator

iPad

Level 3In contrast with Levels 1 and 2 where part of the fraction was given, Level 3 asks for the entire fraction.- The object is, for example, a cake cut into pieces- The “eaten” pieces are transparent- The “eaten” pieces are a fraction- The student counts the number of “eaten” pieces and the total number of pieces- The students writes the numbers in the blanks to complete the fraction

The students need 5 correct answers to complete Level 3.

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iPad

What fraction of the cake has been eaten? Write your

answer.

What fraction of the figure is

blue? Write your answer.

Level 4 makes students find the fraction that corresponds to a geometric figure instead of a pizza or cake.- The object is a geometric figure (rectangle, disc, segment, etc.) divided into blocks - The blue blocks are a fraction- The students count the number of blue blocks and the total number of blocks- The students write the numbers in the blanks to complete the fraction

The students need 5 correct answers to complete Level 4.

Level 4

5) ExtensionsThe teacher can bring up various topics for extension:

LGM Learning©

Introduction to fractions greater than 1:

What is five forths?We cut the first cake into 4 pieces. We take all the pieces. To get a fifth fourth, we need one more piece. So, I need another cake. I take a forth of a the second cake, and I have five forths.

When the numerator is bigger than the denominator, we need more pieces than we have. So, the fraction must be greater than 1. 5/4

If I eat half of a cake or two forths of a cake, it’s the same thing! Some fractions are equal, even if they aren’t written the same way.

There are ways to “simplify” fractions to see if they are equal or not.

Introduction to simplifying:

Introduction to operations with fractions:

We took one out of four pieces. Then, we take another piece. We have taken two out of four parts in total.

As long as the denominator is the same, we know how to add fractions.

½

2/4

½ = 2/4

+ =

¼ + ¼ = 2/4

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The following slides are to be printed on cardstock, cut, and shown to the

class as part of the lesson.

Annex

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ONE ORANGE

1Two halves One half

1

2

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12110

1546

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1813

1423

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348

12

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