lenny

Fraction Frenzy

user image

Lesson Plan

Fraction Foundations: Parts of a Whole

Students will be able to identify, represent, and compare fractions, as well as understand the concept of equivalent fractions through hands-on activities.

Understanding fractions is a fundamental building block for higher-level mathematics and is essential for everyday tasks, from cooking to budgeting. This lesson helps students struggling with these concepts build a strong conceptual foundation.

Audience

Elementary School Students (Small Group - Tier 2)

Time

45-60 minutes

Approach

Hands-on activities, visual aids, and problem-solving.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Markers, Slicing Up Success: Understanding Fractions, Fraction manipulatives (fraction circles, fraction strips), Pre-cut paper circles or squares for pizza activity, Pizza Party Fractions, and Fraction Feud: Equivalent Challenge

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: What's a Part?

5 minutes

  • Begin by asking students: "What does it mean for something to be a 'part' of a 'whole'? Can you give an example?"
    * Discuss student responses, guiding them towards understanding that a 'part' is a piece of a larger 'whole'. Examples could include a slice of pizza from a whole pizza, or one student in the whole class.

Step 2

Introduction to Fractions (Slide Deck)

10 minutes

  • Present the Slicing Up Success: Understanding Fractions to introduce fractions, numerators, and denominators.
    * Use visual examples from the slides and fraction manipulatives to demonstrate how a whole can be divided into equal parts.
    * Pose questions such as: "If I have a whole apple and cut it into two equal pieces, what fraction represents one piece?"

Step 3

Hands-On Fraction Exploration

15 minutes

  • Distribute fraction manipulatives (circles or strips) to each student or small group.
    * Guide students through creating different fractions (e.g., show me 1/2, show me 1/4, show me 3/4).
    * Discuss how the denominator tells us how many equal parts the whole is divided into, and the numerator tells us how many of those parts we are considering.
    * Introduce the concept of equivalent fractions using manipulatives (e.g., showing that 1/2 is the same as 2/4).

Step 4

Pizza Party Fractions Activity

15 minutes

  • Introduce the Pizza Party Fractions. Explain that they will be imagining different pizzas and dividing them into equal slices to represent fractions.
    * If using pre-cut paper, have students draw and divide their
lenny
0 educators
use Lenny to create lessons.

No credit card needed

Slide Deck

Slicing Up Success: Understanding Fractions

How do we talk about parts of a whole? Let's find out!

Introduce the lesson and ask students what they think "parts of a whole" means. Encourage them to share examples from their daily lives.

What is a Fraction?

A fraction represents a part of a whole.

Explain that a fraction is a way to show part of a whole. Use a simple example like a pizza or an apple.

Numerator and Denominator

The Numerator is the top number: How many parts you have.

The Denominator is the bottom number: How many equal parts the whole is divided into.

Introduce the numerator and denominator using a visual example. Explain that the numerator is the 'parts we have' and the denominator is 'how many parts make the whole'.

Example: 1/2

One out of two equal parts.

Show an example of 1/2. Ask students how many parts are shaded and how many total parts there are.

Example: 1/4

One out of four equal parts.

Show an example of 1/4. Repeat the questions from the previous slide.

Example: 3/4

Three out of four equal parts.

Show an example of 3/4. Ask students to identify the numerator and denominator.

Equivalent Fractions: Different Names, Same Amount!

Equivalent fractions are different ways to write the same amount.

Think: Is 1/2 of a pizza the same as 2/4 of a pizza?

Introduce the idea of equivalent fractions. Use visuals or manipulatives (if available) to show how different fractions can represent the same amount (e.g., 1/2 and 2/4).

Let's Practice!

Time to get hands-on with our own fraction pizzas!

Provide an activity or prompt for students to discuss or work on in groups. This transitions to the Pizza Party Worksheet.

lenny

Game

Fraction Feud: Equivalent Challenge

Objective

To correctly identify and match equivalent fractions.

Materials

  • Index cards or small pieces of paper
  • Markers or pencils

Instructions

  1. Preparation: Have each student or pair create a set of fraction cards. Each set should include simple fractions and their equivalents. For example:
    • 1/2
    • 2/4
    • 3/6
    • 1/3
    • 2/6
    • 1/4
    • 2/8
    • 3/4
    • 6/8
  2. How to Play (Pairs or Small Groups):
    • Shuffle all the fraction cards and lay them face down in a grid.
    • Player 1 turns over two cards. If the two cards show equivalent fractions (e.g., 1/2 and 2/4), the player keeps the pair and takes another turn.
    • If the cards are not equivalent, the player turns them back over, and Player 2 takes a turn.
    • The game continues until all equivalent fraction pairs have been matched.
    • The player with the most pairs at the end of the game wins.

Example Match

Card 1: 1/2
Card 2: 2/4

These are equivalent, so the player keeps them!

lenny
lenny

Worksheet

Pizza Party Fractions!

It's a pizza party! Let's learn about fractions by slicing up some delicious pizzas.

Part 1: Slice and Shade Your Pizza!

For each pizza, divide it into the correct number of equal slices and then shade the indicated fraction.

  1. Pizza 1: Divide this pizza into 2 equal slices. Shade 1/2 of the pizza.















  2. Pizza 2: Divide this pizza into 4 equal slices. Shade 1/4 of the pizza.















  3. Pizza 3: Divide this pizza into 3 equal slices. Shade 2/3 of the pizza.















  4. Pizza 4: Divide this pizza into 8 equal slices. Shade 3/8 of the pizza.















Part 2: What Fraction is Shaded?

Look at each pizza below and write the fraction that represents the shaded part.

















  1. What fraction is shaded? ________

















  2. What fraction is shaded? ________

















  3. What fraction is shaded? ________

Part 3: Equivalent Slices!

Write an equivalent fraction for each given fraction.

  1. 1/2 = ________

  2. 1/4 = ________

  3. 2/3 = ________

  4. 4/8 = ________

lenny
lenny

Answer Key

Pizza Party Solutions!

Here are the answers to your Pizza Party Fractions worksheet.

Part 1: Slice and Shade Your Pizza! - Solutions

  1. Pizza 1 (1/2): The pizza should be divided into 2 equal halves, with one of the halves shaded.

  2. Pizza 2 (1/4): The pizza should be divided into 4 equal quarters, with one of the quarters shaded.

  3. Pizza 3 (2/3): The pizza should be divided into 3 equal slices, with two of the slices shaded.

  4. Pizza 4 (3/8): The pizza should be divided into 8 equal slices, with three of the slices shaded.

Part 2: What Fraction is Shaded? - Solutions

  1. Shaded Fraction: (Assuming the image shows a pizza divided into 4 equal parts with 2 shaded) 2/4 or 1/2

  2. Shaded Fraction: (Assuming the image shows a pizza divided into 3 equal parts with 1 shaded) 1/3

  3. Shaded Fraction: (Assuming the image shows a pizza divided into 6 equal parts with 3 shaded) 3/6 or 1/2

Part 3: Equivalent Slices! - Solutions

  1. 1/2 = 2/4 (or 3/6, 4/8, etc.)

  2. 1/4 = 2/8 (or 3/12, etc.)

  3. 2/3 = 4/6 (or 6/9, etc.)

  4. 4/8 = 1/2 (or 2/4, etc.)

lenny
lenny