Fractions: Find the Common Denominator

Date: October 20th 2017

Room: 2216 12:00 pm 50 minutes

Instructor: Learning Outcomes

Miss. General: Develop number sense
Matheson Specific: 5. Demonstrate an understanding of adding and subtracting positive
Grade: fractions, with like and unlike denominators, concretely, pictorially and
Seven symbolically (limited to positive sums and differences).
Subject: ICT Outcomes:
Mathematics General:
(Numbers) C6:Students will use technology to investigate and/or solve problems.
Specific:
C6: 3.4 Pose and test solutions to problems by using computer applications,
such as computer-assisted design or simulation/modelling software.
C6: 2.5 Solve problems requiring the sorting, organizing, classifying and
extending of data, using such tools as calculators, spreadsheets, databases or
hypertext technology
Purpose:
For students to understand how to add together numbers that are not whole.
Find common denominators

Prior - Students will know adding and subtracting of whole numbers

Knowledge: - Students will know how to add fractions with like denominators
- Students should understand what fractions are and what they mean
- Understanding of improper fractions to mixed fractions and vice
versa
- Understanding of multiples of, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.

Materials, Teacher: Smart board, poster board, markers, graphing paper, Macbook cart,
Resources, Fraction Game 1 & Game 2, Multiplication tables, WORKSHEET, video:
Technology: Fraction Jackson,
Text: MathFocus 7 (Hope, J., Small, M., Martin, C., Tonner, J., Wills, M., &
Zimmer, D. (2008). MATH FOCUS 7. Toronto: Nelson Education.)

Students: Macbooks, Pencil, calculators, worksheets, Markers,

Multiplication tables, Math Textbooks.

Learning Activities

Lesson Objective:
-Add fractions with unlike denominators.
-Find a common denominator for equations.
- Find the lowest common denominator.
- Explain how you found your answer by using pictures, grids .
Lesson Overview:
Today we will quickly recap what we have already discussed about fractions and how to add
and subtract them with the same denominator. We are then going to talk about how to add
fractions with unlike denominators by exploring how to find a common denominator using
different methods as well as finding lowest common denominators.

Total Time: Learning Activities Assessment

Anticipatory Set:
Show funny video to get the class going, Fraction
Jackson.
0-5 min
Get students thinking by asking them how they use
fractions in everyday life, buying things, sharing a
chocolate bar, etc?)

5-15min Previous Classroom Work/Lesson (bridging): Formative:

- State Lesson overview -Have students answer
Recap- questions out loud and
- Ask students: on the board:
- What do you guys remember about
fractions? Formative:
- What is the top number called -Walk around class and
- What is the bottom number, assess what students
- What does an improper fraction remember the material
look like. and who is struggling,
- What does a mixed fraction look get students to volunteer
like. to answer the questions
- Numerators and denominators
- Adding & subtracting fractions with like
denominators
- equivalent fractions
- Fractions in lowest terms and improper
fractions into mixed fractions.
 Body of Lesson: (Finding a common Formative:
Denominator) -Ask questions
15-30 min Independent/ Guided Practice: throughout lesson to
*handout worksheet of equations for the students class and make sure
practice: WORKSHEET * everyone is following
Discuss common multiples with the class along.
(what is a common denominator?)
Guided Practice: explain LCMs and Create -Walk around class
Posters for their studying using question - + checking in on students
& 4/6 + 6/8) (4 square example) and Assessing where
Have students use the 4 square method to answer they are at and seeing
the first 2 questions from the worksheet to test what needs to be
their learning. explained in more detail
or in another way.
- Explain Adding fractions using drawings:
Grids/ visuals -Ask students if they
Guided Practice: Hand out scrap paper for have questions, get
students to show their work on. Model two them to show with their
equations using grids to show students (1/2 + 3/4 hands from 0-5 how
& 4/6 + 2/3), then get students to draw graph/ grid they are feeling with the
themselves for the next 2 equations on their concept to see if i
worksheet, walk around assess learning. should explain further.
- Show students that by multiplying
denominators or using grids you must put it
into lowest terms in the end. if you find the
lcm with common multiples you will not
have to do that.
- Explain LCM and how we find it using
multiples of the denominators.
Guided Practice: Explain the butterfly method and
how what you do to the denominator you must do
to the numerator. - + & 4/7 + (students may
use calculators for this, However i would prefer a
multiplication chart to visually show where its
coming from) get them to answer the next two
questions. Formative:
-Worksheets will be
Independent Practice -Have students answer the handed in as a formal
last four question on the worksheet using assessment to see where
whichever method they prefer. each student is at and
- Go over questions they did independently, what may need to be
together as a class with a different colored touched on again.
pen, students will correct their mistakes
and their worksheets will be taken in for a
formal assessment to see what needs to be
further explained. Students will receive
 them back for study purposes.

Collaborative Practice:
Get into partners on a computer:
30-45 min Game 1 ------Game 2
Students will get onto game one and answer the
equations with their partner using the butterfly
method, grids, or 4 square to solve the problems.
This is just for collaborative practice however
students can keep track of their scores to see how
their doing. If students find the questions to be too
easy then they may go to an alternative fraction
game, Game two, which is harder. this is great
practice for students and allows them to better
understand the material through their peers.

45-50min Conclusion:
Recap what we have learned,
- We have used the butterfly method, grids,
and lcm 4 square to find a common
denominator.
- Reminder that what you do to the
denominator you must do to the numerator
when adding fractions.
- Discuss what we will do tomorrow
(subtracting fractions and adding &
subtracting mixed numbers).
Ask students to pay attention to different ways
they use fractions at home.
Send home one practice question for class
tomorrow.
Add: 4/6 + 5/9 and simplify into lowest terms.
Answer: 24/36 + 20/36= 44/36 = 1 8/36 = 1 2/9

If extra time:
Students can work on homework questions for
next day, they may also choose to play fraction
games on the computer.
 Differentiation/Modifications:
Students may use a variety of methods to find their
solution. (butterfly/ calculator, Grids, 4 square/
LCM)
For the grids students can also use bingo chips to
help them better visualize the answers.
Use Multiplication chart (finding the lowest
common denominator.)
Students may also use a calculator to find a
common denominator, however i would rather
they find it manually or visually on a
multiplication chart.

Evidence of Learning:
Worksheet- Adding Fractions
Students will receive a worksheet with questions that they will do
throughout the class will the techniques they have learned. The
sheet will be gone over as a class and scores will be taken as a
formative assessment.

Reflection of lesson plan:

Explain decisions
- I chose to use a lot of guided/ independent practice to help students work on the
new skill they are learning.
- I show multiple ways of adding fractions so students could chose the one they
understood the best.
Why certain instructional strategies, learning assessment and activities?
- I wanted to incorporate a lot of individual/ guided practice for the students
because when you're learning a new concept it is good to understand it in various
ways.
What was taken into consideration?
- I was mostly focussing on different learning styles I wanted to offer a variety of
ways to find the denominator rather than just sticking to finding an LCM through
multiples.
- I decided to focus on adding fractions rather than both adding and subtracting
because I find it easier to go through the methods while just using adding and the
next day you can introduce subtracting and how you follow all the same steps
except you subtract the numerators instead of add.
-
Future Summative Assessment of Assignment:
At the end of the week students will have a worksheet of questions to answer including, adding
and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, each question will be worth 3 marks, scores
will be recorded.
10 Questions:
Found a common denominator /1
Got correct answer from adding or subtracting /1
Answer is converted into lowest terms/ mixed numbers /1 /30