EDUC 361:Middle Years Methods

5E Lesson Plan Template

Sean McCole
Your Name
Lesson Subject Area 4th Grade Math

Specific Topic Numbers & Operations - Fractions

Appropriate CC.2.1.4.C.1 - Extend the understanding of fractions to show

Standards being equivalence and ordering.
addressed
Instructional At the end of this lesson the students will be able to:
Objectives (Bloom 1. Compare fractions with like denominators
Level) 2. Compare commonly used fractions with common numerators
Minimum of three (halfs, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, eighths)
3. Ordering these fractions from smallest to largest (and vice
versa)
ENGAGE Opening activity
Activities ● Students come to the rug with a whiteboard and marker.
● Students are told to draw a “pizza.”
● “What are your favorite pizza toppings? How many slices
are in a pizza?”
● Students are instructed to draw lines and split the pizza
into eight equal parts.
● “What fraction represents one slice of pizza? Write down
a guess on your board” Field answers, write on board ⅛.
● What is the top number called here (numerator)? The
bottom number (denominator)?
● “Are three pieces of pizza more food than one slice of
pizza? How do you know?”
● “If we know one slice of pizza is ⅛ as a fraction what are
three slices of pizza as a fraction? Write down a guess on
your board.”
● Write ⅜ on the board. “What is the same between these
two fractions?”
● “If we know that three slices of pizza are bigger than one
slice of pizza that must mean that the ⅜ is greater than ⅛
right? Raise your hand if you agree.”

Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.

There must be a will to produce a superior thing.
John Ruskin
 EDUC 361:Middle Years Methods
● ‘What this example tells us is whenever we are comparing
fractions with like denominators, that the fraction with the
higher numerator is larger.”
EXPLORE Fraction bars activity
Activities ● Students go back to their desks and grab their fractions
bars for an activity.
● They are giving a handout with ten problems on it. They
are supposed to use their fractions bars to make the
fractions in the problems and use that to decide which
fraction is larger.
● Students may collaborate with their neighbors.
● Meant to give the students some they can physically
manipulate and see to get their answers.
EXPLAIN Direct instruction
Activities ● Reinforce comparing fractions with like denominators.
● Do a practice problem comparing fractions with like
denominators (which is bigger ¼ or ¾?).
● Introduce comparing common fractions with different
denominators .
● “Now you just saw by using your fraction bars that
fractions with different denominators can be compared
too.”
● Show how the larger the denominator is the smaller it is
(ex 1/100 is much smaller than 1/10). Use the pizza as a
point of reference again.
● More example problems are given, then students try one
on their own.
ELABORATE Student play “compare” game to get more familiar with
Activities comparing fractions.
● Students split into pairs and are given decks of cards with
fractions (and the number 1) written on them.
● Rules are the same as the card game “war.” Students play
one card at a time and the person who plays the card with
the higher value wins.
● Students have to figure out which fraction is larger
themselves, if they can’t figure it out they may refer to the
fraction bars.
Afterwards students go back to their own seats and get asked
questions about the game.
● “Who won the game? Was there anytime you and your
partner didn’t know what fraction was bigger? Did you

Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.

There must be a will to produce a superior thing.
John Ruskin
 EDUC 361:Middle Years Methods
use the fraction bars to help solve the problem?” Go over
any of the problems on the broad.
Introduce the concept of ordering a set of fractions.
● “Know that you know which fractions are bigger than
each other, we can sort them.”
● Do a practice problem on the board. (Which of these
fractions is the largest, smallest?”)
● Put another question on the board and let students
independently try to solve it.
● After two minutes, students can share their answer with a
neighbor and discuss for a minute. They can then
volunteer their solutions to the entire class and ask any
questions they have.
● Repeat the process with a question with “from smallest to
largest” instead of “from largest to smallest.”
EVALUATE Students are given an exit ticket to complete to show
Activities understanding.
● Three questions, one for each objective.
● Must be done independently.
● Students may use their fraction bars if they want.
References “Multi‐Age Made Me Do It A Teacher Tackles Differentiation in
Math Instruction” by Melissa Kobelin

Materials & Handheld Whiteboard and Dry Erase Marker

Equipment Fractions Bars
Notebooks and Pencils
Fraction Cards for Compare
Handouts (attach) Fraction Bars Worksheet
Exit Ticket - Comparing Fractions
Fraction Cards (fraction-games-2.pdf)

Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.

There must be a will to produce a superior thing.
John Ruskin