Grade: 4 Lesson Title: Comparing Fractions Date: March 26

Strand / Curriculum Expectations Compare and order fractions by considering size of denominators

What do students need to know and be able to do? (consider prior knowledge based in curriculum) Identify the denominator and what it represents Identify the numerator and what it represents Fractions are parts of a whole Fractional names (halves, quarters,...) Simple benchmark fractions: ½. ¼, 1/10

Learning GoalsContent:Compare fractions by considering the size of the number of fractions parts.

Process:Develop and apply reasoning skillsCreate a variety of representations of math ideas, make connections among them to apply to solve probelms

Oral Communication:

Do the math (anticipate different strategies students may try) Anticipated Consolidation Highlights and Summary (what skills does each strategy emphasize)

-understanding what the whole is, is essential to comparing fractions (the whole must be the same)

Lesson Components Anticipated Student Responses and Teacher

Prompts / QuestionsDuring / Action / Working On It

Students work in desk partners.They are provided with:

paper strips of different colours, but all the same size

Fraction circles (paper version) Chart paper and markers

Task:

What is greater 2/3 or ¾? Show how you know.

Look for understanding that the whole has to be the same to compare.Are they comparing the numbers in the fraction or the representation of the fraction?

Scaffolding Questions How else can you represent this?How are these ___the same or different?If I do ____, what will happen?How can you prove your answer or verify your estimate?How do you know?Have you found all the possibilities? How could you arrive at the same answer in a different way?

Before / Minds-on / Getting Started

1. Review what is meant by the terms numerator and denominator. Record student thinking.

2. On SMARTBOARD, have students show:

¼, 2/4, ¾

1/2, 1/3, ¼, 1/5

What do you notice about denominators? What happens as numerators increase?

Scaffolding Questions:

- Support students as they try to create fractional parts that are equal. Stress that it is important, but remind them that for tricky ones like thirds and fifths, we sometimes have to work to be close, not exact

What do you notice about numerators? What happens as denominators increase?

Lesson Components Anticipated Student Responses and Teacher Prompts / Questions

After / Consolidation / Reflecting and ConnectingWhat work will be shared?What skills will be highlighted?How will connections be explicitly emphasized?

1. Group to discuss what happened with the first representation they created, when they used a very quick guess to show their thinking

2. Look at word “against” from explanation of this group – how did putting one representation “against” another help your thinking?

3. Look at labels to support thinking.

4. How can you use what is left over from your wholes to compare the size of two fractions?

Scaffolding Questions:How is this solution similar or different from this one?What have you learned today?

Create a class Anchor ChartTo Compare Fractions:

1. Pieces of the whole need to be the same size (be as careful as you can to create as exact a picture as you can).

2. Line up or overlap the representations to compare them

3. Labelling the parts can help you to compare fractions

4. You can compare the leftovers

* The wholes need to be the same to compare fractions!

Why might the 4 quarters of a whole each be called ¼ and not ¾?

Consolidation Exit Card/ReflectionHow will we know who really learned this?

Which is greater: 2/4 or 3/10? Prove your answer 2 different ways.

Students provided with fraction strips and circles to represent their thinking.

A few student need to continue to develop the idea that the wholes need to be the same size to compare fractions.

Further opportunities to compare fractions are needed. Some students look at the numbers within the fraction to determine what is greater rather than the quantity it represents.