Scheme of Work

Chapter 15 Calculating with Fractions

Suggested time frame: 11 periods
Each period is 40 min.

Section No. of Learning Objective(s) Resource(s) Thinking and

Periods Mathematical Skills
(TWM) / Social and
Emotional Learning
(SEL)
Chapter Opener 4  Student’s Book p. 213
 Virtual manipulative via
MCE Cambridge app
 Counters

A. 3Nf.05  Student’s Book pp. 214-216

Find Fractions of Understand that fractions (half,  Activity Book pp. 171-174
236 quarter, three-quarters, third and  Counters
Numbers
tenth) can act as operators.

B. 3 3Nf.07  Student’s Book pp. 217-219  TWM:

Add Fractions Estimate, add and subtract fractions  Activity Book pp. 175-176 Specialising
with the same denominator (within  Fraction circles or bars Convincing
one whole).
C. 3 3Nf.07  Student’s Book pp. 220-222  TWM:
Subtract Fractions Estimate, add and subtract fractions  Activity Book pp. 177-179 Convincing
with the same denominator (within  Fraction circles or bars
one whole).
Chapter Wrap-Up 1  Student’s Book pp. 223-224  SEL:
 Activity Book p. 180 Relationship management
 TR15A
 Fraction circles or bars
(optional)

236
237
 Find Fractions of
Section A Number of Periods: 4
Numbers

Learning Objective Expected Prior Knowledge

 3Nf.05 Understand that fractions (half,  Understand that fractions can describe equal
quarter, three-quarters, third and parts of a quantity or set of objects.
tenth) can act as operators.  Understand that half, quarter and three-
quarters can act as operators.

Note

In this section, students are expected to find fractions of numbers. Use counters to represent
the number of objects. You may also use paper plates to show the grouping of the objects.

Students use counters as concrete manipulatives to work out the problem. You may arrange
for them to work in pairs or small groups if you do not have enough counters for every student.
Relate the counters to the diagrams in the Students’ Book to further scaffold the abstract-
pictorial aspect. Write out the fractions to relate the diagrams to the abstract element.

Language Support

Vocabulary: numerator, denominator

Write a fraction on the board and ask students to label the numerator and denominator.

Common Misconceptions

Misconception:
1
To find of 6, students may calculate 3 ÷ 6 instead of 6 ÷ 3.
3

How to address the misconception:

1
Explain to students that means 1 out of 3 equal groups. This means that the objects in
3
question need to be divided into 3 equal groups. Therefore, the 6 objects need to be divided
into 3 equal groups. Hence, students need to calculate 6 ÷ 3.

1
At the end of the lesson, have students show the steps to find of 6 = 2 to check if they have
3
cleared the misconceptions.

238
Lesson Plan
The lesson plan below will be available online for you to edit and customise according to your
requirements.

Lesson 1 (40 min)

Warm-up Chapter Opener

(10 min)  This scene provides a context for students to calculate fractions.
1
 Show students 6 counters and ask: What is of the counters? (Expected
2
answer: 3.)
 Repeat the question using 8, 10 and 12 counters.
1
 Show students 8 counters and ask: What is of the counters? (Expected
4
answer: 2.)
 Repeat the question using 12 counters.
 Draw students’ attention to the different crops in the picture.
 Facilitate a class discussion by asking:
- What fraction of the plot is used to grow spring onions? (Expected
4 2
answer: or .)
10 5
- What fraction of the plot is used to grow tomato plants? (Expected
3
answer: .)
10
- What fraction of the plot is used to grow brinjal plants? (Expected
2 1
answer: or .)
10 5
9
- What fraction of the plot is used? (Expected answer: )
10
1
- What fraction of the plot is left? (Expected answer: )
10
 Use the MCE Cambridge app to launch the virtual manipulative* on page 159
of the
Student’s Book and elicit students’ responses.
1 1
 Have them visualise as 1 out of 3 equal parts and as 1 out of 10 equal
3 10
parts.
 Then go through the objectives of the chapter.

*This material has not been through the Cambridge International endorsement
process.

Lesson  Go through the learning objectives that students will learn in this section.
Introduction
(10 min) Look Back
 Get students to recall prior knowledge on understanding that quarter can act
as an operator.
 Provide 12 counters to students in groups.
 Encourage them to use the counters to find the answer.
 Ask: How many apples does Ralph eat? (Expected answer: 3)
 Invite a student to explain the answer using counters.

Lesson Thinking Cap

development:  The objective is to have students use their prior knowledge to explore new

239
Anchor Task ideas and possible solutions through critical and creative thinking.
C-P-A  Use the Think-Pair-Vote-Share strategy. See page xii for detailed steps.
(20 min) - In the “Think-Pair” stage, give students five minutes to go through the
questions in the Student’s Book.
 Have students explain why their answer is correct.
1
 Encourage them to use the counters to find of the apples.
3
- In the “Vote-Share” stage, have pairs share and discuss their answers
with another pair.
- Select a few pairs to explain their answers using counters. (Expected
answer: 4.)
 At the end of the lesson, revisit the problem to have students revisit their
thinking and apply their new knowledge and skills to solve the problem.

240
Lesson 2 (40 min)
Lesson Let’s Learn (a)
development:  Use counters to represent the students. Alternatively, you may invite six
Learn students for this exercise.
C-P-A  Relate the concrete manipulatives to the diagram.
(25 min) 1
 Explain that to find of the students, divide the students into three equal
3
groups.
 Use counters to show students how this can be done. Alternatively, divide
the student volunteers into three groups.
 Explain:
1
- Each group is of the total number of students.
3
1 11
- + +
equal to one whole, which is the total number of students, six.
3 33
1
- To find of the students, divide the students into three equal groups.
3
- There are six students so, 6 ÷ 3 = 2.
 Have students to fill in the blanks in the Students’ Book.
1
 Have students find of 9 using counters for further practice.
3

Lesson Let’s Learn (b)

development:  Read the problem with the class.
Learn (b)  Ask students: How many equal groups must the beads be divided into to find
C-P-A 1
of the 100 beads? (Expected answer: 10)
(15 min) 10
 Guide students to fill in the blanks.
 Ask: How can we find the fraction of beads that are not orange? (Expected
1
answer: We can take 1 and subtract the fraction of orange beads ( ) to get
10
the answer. We can also divide the beads into 10 equal groups and count
how many groups are not orange)
 Encourage students to use the diagram to find the answer.

Lesson 3 (40 min)

Lesson Let’s Practise

development:  Allow students to try the questions independently. Assess students as they
Independent work. Give assistance if help is required.
Practice  Go through the questions and encourage students to explain their answers.
(35 min) Have students check if their answers are reasonable. Select students who
have different answers and have the rest of the class discuss if it can be an
alternative answer.
(1) This question requires students to use counters or draw to find the
number of banana and blueberry muffins. Ask: How many equal groups
should we divide the muffins into? (Expected answer: 4)

- (2) This question requires students to count the number of rectangles

1
that make of the shape. Ask: How do we divide the paper into thirds?
3
(Expected answer: Two of the rectangles make a third)

241
 1
- (3) This question requires students to find of 50. Ask: How many
10
equal groups should we divide 50 into? (Expected answer: 10)

(4) This question requires students to find the number of girls in the
class and the number of students that take the school bus. Have them
use counters or draw to solve the question. For part a, ask: How many
equal groups should we divide the students into? (Expected answer: 2)
For part b, ask: How many equal groups should we divide the students
into? (Expected answer: 3)

- (5) This question requires students to find the number when a fraction
of the number is given. For part a, ask: How many equal groups of 20
are there? (Expected answer: 5) For part b, ask: How many equal
groups should the number be divided into? (Expected answer: 2)

- (6) This question requires students to find the number of butterfly

stickers when the fraction is given. Ask: How many equal groups of
stickers are there? (Expected answer: 4) How may stickers are there in
each group? (Expected answer: 4) Students are to draw to solve the
problem.
 Make a note of the gaps in students’ learning. Revisit the sections that they
need more help with.
 Have students check if their answers are reasonable and to share if they
have different answers from their classmates.
 Refer students back to Thinking Cap. Allow them to revisit the responses that
were noted on the board at the beginning of the lesson to address
misconceptions, if any.

Lesson I Can…
Wrap-up  Have students reflect about what they have learnt.
(5 min)  Ask students the difficulties they face in finding equivalent fractions. Invite
volunteers to share how they overcome their difficulties.

Activity Book
 Assign Worksheet 15A for students to complete at home.

Lesson 4 (40 min)

Activity Book
 Go through the questions and encourage students to explain their answers. Have
students check if their answers are reasonable. Select students who have different
answers and have the rest of the class discuss if it can be an alternative answer.
 Make a note of the gaps in students’ learning. Revisit the sections that they need more
help with.

Differentiation

For support:
 Encourage students to use counters or draw it out so that they can visualise and solve
the problems.
 Invite them to think of the number of equal groups before dividing the objects.
1
1. of 18 (9)
2

242
 1
2. of 18 (6)
3
1
3. of 20 (5)
4
3
4. of 20 (15)
4

For challenge:
 Have students attempt to find fractions of numbers without referring to any diagrams.
They can try these questions:
1
1. of 46 (32)
2
1
2. of 56 (14)
4
3
3. of 32 (24)
4
1
4. of 72 (24)
3
1
5. of 80 (8)
10

243
Section
Add Fractions Number of Periods: 3
B

Learning Objective Expected Prior Knowledge

 3Nf.07 Estimate, add and subtract  Understand that two fractions can be
fractions with the same denominator combined to create new fractions.
(within one whole).  Add fractions with the same denominator.

Note

In this section, students are expected to add fractions of the same denominator.

In order to add fractions, start with concrete manipulatives, such as fraction circles or bars.
Relate the concrete manipulatives to the diagrams in the Students’ Book. Have students
draw diagrams to represent the fractions to provide pictorial support. Remember to write out
the fraction when you use concrete manipulatives or pictorial support to link back to the
abstract.

Language Support

Vocabulary: numerator, denominator, add

Write the words on word cards and place them on the wall. Include an example to explain
the meaning of the words. Refer to the word cards often to help students become familiar
with the words.

Common Misconceptions

Misconception:
Students may add both the numerator and denominator when adding fractions.

How to address the misconception:

Remind students what the numerator and denominator represent. The numerator represents
the number of parts while the denominator represents the total number of parts in a whole.
Therefore, it does not make sense to add the denominator because there can only be one
whole.

1 3 4
At the end of the lesson, have students add fractions such as + = correctly to check
10 10 10
if they have cleared the misconception.

244
Lesson Plan
The lesson plan below will be available online for you to edit and customise according to your
requirements.

Lesson 1 (40 min)

Warm-up  Have students work individually for this activity.

(10 min)  Prepare and provide students with fraction circles or bars.
 Use The Answer Is…strategy to revise fractions. See page xiii for detailed
steps.
 Have students present the following fractions using fraction circles or bars.
Students may also draw the fractions.
1
-
2
1
-
4
3
-
4
2
-
3
4
-
5
4
-
6

Lesson  Go through the learning objectives that students will learn in this section.
Introduction
(5 min) Look Back
 Get students to recall prior knowledge on adding fractions with the same
denominator.
 Have students use fraction bars to show adding the fractions.
 Ask students: What fraction of a cake do Eddy and Caz have? (Expected
2 1
answer: or .)
4 2
 Invite a volunteer to present their answer.

Lesson Thinking Cap

development:  The objective is to have students use their prior knowledge to explore new
Anchor Task ideas and possible solutions through critical and creative thinking.
C-P-A  Prepare fraction circles as concrete manipulatives.
(10 min)  Use the Think-Pair-Share strategy. See page xii for detailed steps.
 Give students five minutes to go through the questions in Student’s Book.
 Have them show their solutions using the fraction bars.
 Encourage students to share their solutions with their partners.
 Have students practise convincing (TWM.04) to explain why their answer is
correct.
 Select a few pairs to share their answers and get them to explain how they
2 2 4
arrive at their answers. (Expected answer: + = .)
5 5 5
 At the end of the lesson, revisit the problem to have students revisit their
thinking and apply their new knowledge and skills to solve the problems.

Lesson Let’s Learn (a)

development:  Prepare fraction circles or bars as concrete manipulatives to demonstrate

245
Learn (a) the problem.
C-P-A 1 2
 Read the problem as a class and show students and using the concrete
(15 min) 4 4
manipulatives.
 Ask students to estimate the answer to the problem first.
- Is the answer more than or less than one? (Expected answer: Less than
one.)
- What fraction of apple pies do they have altogether? (Expected answer:
3
4 .)
 Relate the concrete manipulatives to the bar diagram in the Student’s Book.
 Explain:
- When adding fractions, add only the parts (numerator).
- There is no need to add the whole (denominator).

246
Lesson 2 (40 min)

Lesson Let’s Learn (b)

development:  Read the problem as a class.
Learn (b)  Relate the fractions to the diagram in the Student’s Book.
C-P-A  Ask students to estimate the answer. Is the answer more than or less than
(15 min) one?
(Expected answer: Less than one.)
 Relate the fraction of pizza to the bar diagram.
 Encourage students to use the bar diagram to find the answer to the sum of
2 1
∧¿ .
5 5

Lesson Let’s Practise

development:  Allow students to try the questions independently. Assess students as they
Independent work. Give assistance if help is required.
Practice  Go through the questions and encourage students to explain their answers.
(20 min) Have students check if their answers are reasonable. Select students who
have different answers and have the rest of the class discuss if it can be an
alternative answer.
- (1) This question requires students to use the diagram to add fractions.
Ask: Do we add the numerator or denominator? (Expected answer:
Numerator. The denominator remains the same)
- (2) This question requires students to use the diagram to add fractions.
- (3) This question requires students to find two fractions that add up to
1. Have students specialise (TWM.01) by asking: What are some
equivalent fractions of 1?
2 3 4
(Expected answer: Answers vary, examples: , , )
2 3 4
- (4) This question requires students to find the fraction of the cake at
first. Have students practise convincing (TWM.04) by drawing diagrams
to help them solve the problem.
 Make a note of the gaps in students’ learning. Revisit the sections that they
need more help with.
 Have students check if their answers are reasonable and to share if they
have different answers from their classmates.
 Refer students back to Thinking Cap. Allow them to revisit the responses that
were noted on the board at the beginning of the lesson to address
misconceptions, if any.

Lesson I Can…
Wrap-up  Have students reflect about what they have learnt.
(5 min)  Ask students the difficulties they face in adding fractions. Invite volunteers
to share how they overcome their difficulties.

Activity Book
 Assign Worksheet 15B for students to complete at home.

Lesson 3 (40 min)

Activity Book
 Go through the questions and encourage students to explain their answers. Have students
check if their answers are reasonable. Select students who have different answers and have
the rest of the class discuss if it can be an alternative answer.
 Make a note of the gaps in students’ learning. Revisit the sections that they need more help

247
with.

248
Differentiation

For support:
 Encourage students to use concrete manipulatives or draw bar diagrams to represent the
fractions before adding.
1 1 2
1. + ( )
5 5 5
1 4 5
2. + ( )
6 6 6
1 6 7
3. + ( )
10 10 10

For challenge:
 Have students add more than 2 fractions:
1 1 2 4
1. + +
( )
5 5 5 5
2 1 2 5
2. + + ( )
6 6 6 6
3 2 1 6 3
3. + + ( or )
10 10 10 10 10
3 1 2 6 3
4. + + ( or )
8 8 8 8 4

249
Section C Subtract Fractions Number of Periods: 4

Learning Objective Expected Prior Knowledge

 3Nf.07 Estimate, add and subtract  Understand that two fractions can be
fractions with the same denominator combined to create new fractions.
(within one whole).  Subtract fractions with the same denominator.

Note

In this section, students are expected to subtract fractions of the same denominator.

In order to subtract fractions, use concrete manipulatives, such as fraction circles or bars.
Then relate the concrete manipulatives to the bar diagrams in the Students’ Book. Have
students draw bar diagrams to represent the fractions as pictorial support. Remember to have
students write out the fraction when they use concrete manipulatives or pictorial support to
link back to the abstract.

Language Support

Vocabulary: numerator, denominator, subtract

Ask students to explain what numerator and denominator mean. They should be able to
explain them verbally or through drawings.

Common Misconceptions

Misconception:
Students may subtract both the numerator and denominator.

How to address the misconception:

Remind students what the numerator and denominator represent. The numerator represents
the number of parts while the denominator represents the total number of parts in a whole.
Therefore, it does not make sense to subtract the denominator because the whole remains the
same.

4 1
At the end of the lesson, have students show the steps to subtract fractions such as –
10 10
3
= correctly to check if they have cleared up the misconception.
10

250
Lesson Plan
The lesson plan below will be available online for you to edit and customise according to your
requirements.

Lesson 1 (40 min)

Warm-up  Use the Teacher-Pose-Pause-Pounce-Bounce strategy. See page xv for

(10 min) detailed steps.
 Facilitate a class discussion by asking students these questions:
1 1 2 1
- + (Expected answer: or .)
4 4 4 2
1 2 3
- + (Expected answer: .)
4 4 4
2 2 4
- + (Expected answer: .)
5 5 5
2 3 5
- + (Expected answer: .)
6 6 6
2 4 6 2
- + (Expected answer: or .)
9 9 9 3

Lesson  Go through the learning objectives that students will learn in this
Introduction section.
(5 min)
Look Back
 Get students to recall prior knowledge on subtracting fractions with the
same denominator.
 Go through the problem as a class.
 Provide students with fraction circles or bars for this activity.
 Ask students: What fraction of the pie does Ron have left? (Expected answer:
2
or half.)
4
 Invite a volunteer to present their answer to the class.

Lesson Thinking Cap

development:  The objective is to have students use their prior knowledge to explore new
Anchor Task ideas and possible solutions through critical and creative thinking.
C-P-A  Prepare concrete manipulatives, such as fraction bars.
(10 min)  Use the Think-Pair-Share strategy. See page xii for detailed steps.
 Give students five minutes to go through the questions in the Student’s Book.
 Have them show their solutions using fraction bars.
 Encourage students to share their solutions with their partners.
 Have students practise convincing (TWM.04) to explain why their answer is
correct.
 Select a few pairs to share their answers and get them to explain how they
3 1 2
arrive at their answers.(Expected answer: – = )
5 5 5
 At the end of the lesson, revisit the problem to have students revisit their
thinking and apply their new knowledge and skills to solve the problem.

Lesson Let’s Learn (a)

development:  Prepare fraction circles or bars to demonstrate this problem.
Learn (a)  Read the problem as a class.
C-P-A  Show students one whole divided into quarters using the concrete
(15 min) manipulatives.

251
 1
 Elicit from students that Holly has eaten of the cake by taking away a
4
piece.
 Encourage students to estimate the answer to the problem first.
 Ask:
- Is the answer more than or less than 1? (Expected answer: Less than 1)
3
- What fraction of the cake does Holly have left? (Expected answer: )
4
 Relate the concrete manipulatives to the bar diagram in the Student’s Book.
 Explain:
- When subtracting fractions, subtract only the parts (numerator).
- No need to subtract the whole (denominator).

252
Lesson 2 (40 min)

Lesson Let’s Learn (b)

development:  Read the problem as a class.
Learn (b)  Relate the fractions to the bar diagram in the Student’s Book.
C-P-A  Ask students to estimate the answer: Is the answer more than or less than
(15 min) one?
(Expected answer: Less than one.)
 Relate the fraction of chocolate bar to the bar diagram.
 Guide students to fill in the blanks.
 Encourage them to use the bar diagram to find the answer to the difference
3 1
between ∧¿ .
5 5

Lesson Let’s Practise

development:  Allow students to try the questions independently. Assess students as they
Independent work. Give assistance if help is required.
Practice  Go through the questions and encourage students to explain their answers.
(20 min) Have students check if their answers are reasonable. Select students who
have different answers and have the rest of the class discuss if it can be an
alternative answer.
- (1) This question requires students to use the diagram to subtract. Ask:
Which do you subtract, numerator or denominator? (Expected answer:
Numerator. The denominator remains the same)
- (2) This question requires students to subtract by drawing a diagram.
Have students practise convincing (TWM.04) by asking: How many equal
parts does your diagram have? (Expected answer: 8)
- (3) This question requires students to find the missing fraction in
the number sentences. They can use fraction bars or draw
diagrams to help them.
- (4) This question requires students to subtract fractions to solve the
problem. Ask: How many equal parts is the wall divided into? (Expected
answer: 8) Students can use fraction bars or draw diagrams to help them
solve the problem.
 Make a note of the gaps in students’ learning. Revisit the sections that they
need more help with.
 Have students check if their answers are reasonable and to share if they
have different answers from their classmates.
 Refer students back to Thinking Cap. Allow them to revisit the responses that
were noted on the board at the beginning of the lesson to address
misconceptions, if any.

Lesson I Can…
Wrap-up  Have students reflect about what they have learnt.
(5 min)  Ask students the difficulties they face in subtracting fractions. Invite
volunteers to share how they overcome their difficulties.

Activity Book
 Assign Worksheet 15C for students to complete at home.

Lesson 3 (40 min)

Activity Book
 Go through the questions and encourage students to explain their answers. Have students
check if their answers are reasonable. Select students who have different answers and have

253
 the rest of the class discuss if it can be an alternative answer.
 Make a note of the gaps in students’ learning. Revisit the sections that they need more help
with.

254
Differentiation

For support:
 Encourage students to use concrete manipulatives or draw bar diagrams to represent the
fractions before subtracting.
4 1 3
1. – ( )
5 5 5
5 3 2 1
2. – ( or )
8 8 8 4
6 5 1
3. – ( )
7 7 7

For challenge:
 Students can subtract more than 2 fractions. They can try out these questions:
4 1 2 5
1. – + ( or 1)
5 5 5 5
5 1 2 2 1
2. – – ( or )
6 6 6 6 3
7 2 3 2 1
3. – – ( or )
10 10 10 10 5
5 1 1 3
4. – – ( )
8 8 8 8

Lesson 4 (40 min)

Maths Champions
 Prepare a set of 18 fraction cards (TR15A) for each pair of students.
 Invite a volunteer to play the game with you.
 Distribute the materials to each pair.
 Have students play one round.
 Have students practise SEL (Relationship management) by cheering up your partner up
when he or she does not get the correct answer.

Maths Words
 Go through the Maths Words.
 Use the Artist and Communicator strategy (see page xv for detailed steps)
 Have students make pictorial representations of each vocabulary word.

Activity Book
 Assign What I Can Do Now and Maths Journal for students to complete at home.

255