Lesson Plan
Fractions Through Fables
Students will be able to identify and represent fractions (halves, thirds, and quarters) using visual aids and narrative context from stories.
Understanding fractions early helps students grasp foundational math concepts, understand how parts make a whole, and see math in everyday situations like sharing snacks or reading recipes.
Audience
1st Grade Group
Time
35 minutes
Approach
Story-based learning and interactive discussion
Materials
Storybook Fractions Visuals (slide-deck), The Missing Piece Story (reading), Story's Fractions Chat (discussion), and Draw the Story's Fractions (worksheet)
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review the Fractions Through Fables Lesson Plan and all linked materials: Storybook Fractions Visuals, The Missing Piece Story, Story's Fractions Chat, and Draw the Story's Fractions.
- Ensure projector or screen is set up for the Storybook Fractions Visuals.
- Print copies of The Missing Piece Story and Draw the Story's Fractions.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Share & Show
5 minutes
- Display Slide 1: 'What's Fair?'
- Ask: "Imagine you have a cookie and you want to share it equally with a friend. How would you do it? What if you had to share it with two friends?" (Allow students to share ideas, focusing on the concept of 'equal parts').
- Transition: "Today, we're going to learn about 'fractions' which help us talk about equal parts of a whole, through a special story!"
Step 2
Read & Visualize: The Missing Piece
10 minutes
- Display Slide 2: 'Introducing Fractions'
- Distribute: The Missing Piece Story to each student.
- Read Aloud: Read The Missing Piece Story to the group, pausing at key points to display relevant visuals from the Storybook Fractions Visuals (Slides 3-5) and discuss.
- Pause at 'half': "When Barnaby shared the apple with half his friends, how many friends did he share it with? How can we show that with our apple?" (Guide students to understand dividing into two equal parts).
- Pause at 'thirds': "When Lily divided her cake for three friends, how many equal parts did she make?" (Show Slide 4 and discuss 'thirds').
- Pause at 'quarters': "And when Leo split his pizza into four equal pieces, what do we call each piece?" (Show Slide 5 and discuss 'quarters').
- Emphasize: The idea of equal parts.
Step 3
Discuss & Deepen: Story's Fractions Chat
10 minutes
- Display Slide 6: 'Let's Chat About Fractions!'
- Facilitate: The Story's Fractions Chat based on the story. Use the prompts to guide students in identifying fractions within the narrative.
- Encourage: Students to explain their reasoning using words like 'half,' 'third,' and 'quarter' and to reference the story details.
- Correct Misconceptions: Gently guide students if they struggle with the concept of 'equal parts.'
Step 4
Apply & Draw: Draw the Story's Fractions
8 minutes
- Display Slide 7: 'Draw Your Fractions!'
- Distribute: Draw the Story's Fractions.
- Explain: "Now it's your turn to draw the fractions from our story! On this worksheet, you'll see objects from 'The Missing Piece Story.' Your job is to divide them into the correct equal parts and color one part, just like in our story."
- Circulate: Provide support and clarification as students work. Observe their understanding of partitioning into equal parts.
Step 5
Wrap-Up: Quick Check
2 minutes
- Display Slide 8: 'Fraction Fun!'
- Ask: "Can someone quickly tell me what 'half' means? What about 'quarters'?"
- Collect: Draw the Story's Fractions to review student understanding.
- Praise Effort: "Great job everyone! You've started your journey into understanding fractions! We'll keep exploring them next time!"
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Slide Deck
What's Fair?
How do we share things equally with our friends?
What does 'equally' mean?
Ask students to think about sharing before introducing the term 'fraction'. Connect to real-life experiences.
Introducing Fractions!
Fractions help us describe parts of a whole.
But only when the parts are EQUAL!
Introduce the idea that fractions are how we talk about these equal parts. Keep it simple and visual.
Half of an Apple
Barnaby shared his apple with a friend.
He cut it into two equal parts.
Each part is called a half.
Show this slide when Barnaby shares the apple. Emphasize that 'half' means two equal parts.
Three Equal Pieces: Thirds!
Lily divided her cake for three friends.
She cut it into three equal parts.
Each part is called a third.
Show this slide when Lily divides her cake. Explain 'thirds' as three equal parts.
Four Equal Pieces: Quarters!
Leo split his pizza into four equal pieces.
Each part is called a quarter.
Show this slide when Leo divides his pizza. Explain 'quarters' as four equal parts.
Let's Chat About Fractions!
What fractions did we see in 'The Missing Piece Story'?
How do we know they were fractions?
This slide transitions to the discussion activity. Encourage students to recall details from the story.
Draw Your Fractions!
Now you get to be the artist!
Draw the equal parts and color one part for each object from the story!
Explain the worksheet activity clearly. Remind them to draw equal parts and color one part.
Fraction Fun!
What did we learn about fractions today?
Why are equal parts important?
Conclude the lesson by reviewing key terms and praising student effort. Collect worksheets.
Reading
The Missing Piece Story
Once upon a time, in a cozy little town, lived a friendly bear named Barnaby. Barnaby loved to share! One sunny morning, he picked a big, red, juicy apple. "This apple is too big for just me," he thought. "I'll share it with my best friend, Pip!"
Barnaby carefully cut the apple right down the middle, making two equal pieces. He gave one piece to Pip and kept the other. "Thanks, Barnaby!" squeaked Pip, munching happily. Each of them had half of the apple.
Later that day, Lily the lamb was baking a delicious berry cake. It smelled wonderful! Her three friends, a squirrel, a bunny, and a hedgehog, came to visit. "Oh, Lily, that cake looks amazing!" chirped the squirrel.
Lily smiled. "I made it to share with all of you!" She carefully divided the cake into three equal parts, one for each of her friends, and one for herself. "Yummy!" they all cheered. Each friend got a third of Lily's cake.
As evening approached, Leo the lion was enjoying a big, cheesy pizza. Suddenly, his doorbell rang! It was four of his cousins, ready for a movie night. "Can we have some pizza, Leo?" they asked with wide eyes.
Leo, being a generous lion, grinned. "Of course!" He knew he had to make sure everyone got an equal share. He cut the pizza into four equal pieces. He gave one slice to each of his cousins and kept one for himself. "Perfect!" roared his cousins. Each of them had a quarter of the pizza.
Discussion
Story's Fractions Chat
Let's talk about the fractions we heard in "The Missing Piece Story"!
- When Barnaby shared his apple with Pip, how many pieces did he make? What did we call each piece?
- Imagine you had that apple. Would you want one of Barnaby's pieces? Why or why not?
- Lily baked a cake for her three friends. How many equal parts did she divide it into? What do we call each of those parts?
- If Lily didn't cut the cake into equal parts, would it be fair? Why is making equal parts important when we share?
- Leo shared his pizza with four cousins. How many equal slices did everyone get? What do we call each slice?
- Can you think of other things you share with friends or family that you might divide into equal parts? Tell us about it!
Worksheet
Draw the Story's Fractions
Name: _________________________
Instructions: Read each problem. Draw lines to divide the object into the correct number of EQUAL parts, just like in our story. Then, color ONE of those parts.
1. Barnaby's Apple
Barnaby shared his apple with one friend. He cut it into two equal parts.
Draw the apple and divide it into halves. Color one half.
2. Lily's Cake
Lily divided her cake for three friends. She cut it into three equal parts.
Draw the cake and divide it into thirds. Color one third.
3. Leo's Pizza
Leo split his pizza into four equal pieces for his cousins.
Draw the pizza and divide it into quarters. Color one quarter.