Algebra Intervention-Fractions

Why a Fraction Intervention?:

Fractions are the second of three critical foundations to Algebra. If students in Algebra do not
grasp the idea of fractions they struggle with Algebra concepts.
http://sstage.org/WP/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Final_Math_Manual_Curry_Gormley.pdf

Overview:
Because this is made to be taught as an intervention, lessons have been broken down to take
30 minutes.
Lesson 1 and 2: The Unit--Teachers should spend time developing the understanding of a unit
because it will help with the basic conceptual understanding of a fraction. It will help them
understand the meaning of a fraction.
Lesson 3: Fraction Kit-- Teachers need to prepare the materials for fraction kit, but it is
important for the students to make their own kits so that they get the conceptual feel of the
fractions.
Lesson 4: Equivalencies--Teachers will develop the definition of simplest form with the students
using the fraction kit.
Lesson 5: Comparing fractions-- Teachers will helps students see that you can compare
fractions by using benchmark fractions and seeing how close or far away a fraction is from 0, ,
and 1. You can also look at the size of the piece, knowing that if you have more pieces in a
unit, your unit fraction becomes smaller.
Lesson 6: Parts of a Whole--Teachers will help students understand that you can find fractional
parts of a unit.
Lesson 7: Change of Unit--Teachers will help students understand that when your unit
changes, so do all your fractional pieces.
Lesson 8: Parts of a Whole Greater than 1-- As the unit changes to an integer greater than one,
students will learn that your fractional piece is dependent on dividing the unit into fractional
pieces.
Lesson 9: Fraction Addition and Subtraction--Students will learn that in order to add or subtract
fractions, one must add the same size pieces. IN order to do this, they must find a piece to fit
both, and swap out some fractions for equivalent fractions. Students can use fraction kit or
branch method to show their thinking.
Lesson 10: Dividing Fractions--- Students will understand the algorithm of the division of
fractions by fractions without needing to know the tricks.









Lesson 1- A Unit Explored and Defined
Concept: A unit can be anything, and it can be shown in different ways. Units can be divided
into fractional pieces.
Materials: Fraction kit, Math Notebooks, Pencil, Unit Items, Basket, Chart Paper
Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Engage


Distributes a
container of 3 or 4
items to a group of
students. Each
group should have at
least one single item
and one grouped
item (eg. binder, pack
of binder clips).
Decide whether each
item is or is not a unit.
Write objects name
on a post it note.

Possible Questions
How would you defend
your position
about____?
What evidence can you
offer of this being a
unit?
How would you define
unit in your own terms?

At this point, do no
clarification. Let them
show what they know,
and reason on their
own using their prior
knowledge.

Discusses whether
each is a unit, or is
not a unit. They will
write objects on post
it notes, and place
them on chart paper
at the front of the
room based on their
group discussion.







It has mixed colors.
It has many parts.
It can break into pieces.
It is in a box that says
unit.
It is one thing, and one
thing is a unit.

A unit can be
anything.











continued Lesson 1- A Unit Explored and Defined
Concept: A unit can be anything, and it can be shown in different ways. Units can be divided
into fractional pieces.
Materials: Fraction kit, Math Notebooks, Pencil, Chart Paper, Unit reading examples
Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Explore


Show examples of
units students see in
everyday life.

The first article you
have to read (on
Lincoln) describes
one use of the word
unit, as a unit of
time. What do you
think that means?

In class we are
reading The Cay
and doing a unit of
study on it. What is a
unit of study?

This Office Depot
order displayed
shows unit price.
What do you think
that means?



What do you think of
units know after
studying these
examples?








A unit of time is like a
part of like an hour,
or year.
A unit of time is a
time in history.



A unit of study is
when you learn about
a lot of things, but
their is a big idea.

It means you know
the price of one item,
and you have to
multiply it times the
number of items you
buy to find the real
price.

Units can be a lot of
things.
Units have parts.
Units can be
grouped.
We have to move
some post-it notes.









continued Lesson 1- A Unit Explored and Defined
Concept: A unit can be anything, and it can be shown in different ways. Units can be divided
into fractional pieces.
Materials: Fraction kit, Math Notebooks, Pencil, Colored Pencils, Chart paper
Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Explain


Give students a box
of colored pencils,
which they will be
using a lot during
Fraction Camp
Intervention.

Now lets look inside
the box. If the unit is
the things inside the
box, what do you
observe?

Describe the
fractional parts of the
unit.
How many fractional
parts are there?
Take out the red
pencil. How can we
represent this?

How many shades of
blue are there?















Pencils are the
fractional parts (# of
pencils).
They are diffent color
but the same size.

One out of twelve
pencils are red.

There are 2 blues out
of 12 colored pencils.

A unit is made up of
many parts, each of
the same size.

Poster the definition:
A unit is one or more
things that can be
split into equal
groups or equal
smaller pieces. A
unit can be anything.











Lesson 2- Fractional Parts
Concept: You can split a Unit into fractional parts. The fractional parts plus the missing parts
will equal the whole unit.
Materials: Strip of paper with fractional part, pencil, math journal, colored pencils, ELMO
Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Engage








Explore




















Explain











If our class is a unit,
how would you
describe the
fractional parts?




We are going to
collect data around
the class. Each
student will recieve a
strip of paper that
asks you to find the
fraction of the
students that fit that
description. For
example

students
are boys.
When you have your
data, record it on
your paper, and the
chart paper in front of
the class.



Debrief your chart
paper as a whole
group.
Now what do you
think of a unit now?







Students answer the
following in their
Some students are
boys and some or
girls.
There are # __th
graders.
There are 8 tables.
There are different
races.

Examples:
brown hair

glasses

short hair

blue eyes

jeans

etc

Students write the
fractional part,
missing part, and
whole part.

A unit is everything
because everything
has parts.
We can split up a unit
into various kinds of
parts.
You can write those
parts of a unit as a
fraction.
You can write 1 unit
as a fraction.
i.e.

= 1


Units can be split into
parts, dependent on
what information you
want to find.


Evaluate
journal: If we
changed the unit to
your group, Write
the fraction that
describes:
1. has long sleeves
2. wears glasses
3. has Elite socks on







































Lesson 3: Fraction Kit
note: this may take more than one period
Concept: If you start with a unit, and cut it into a number of equal parts, you can create
fractional pieces of that unit.
Materials: Colored Pencils, Fraction Kit, Pencil, Math Journal, scissors
Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept










Engage
Prepares the
construction paper
strips for unit, halves,
thirds, fourths, fifths,
sixths, eighths, tenths,
and twelfths.
(cuts twelfths and fifths
for students, the rest of
the fractions can just be
the strip...students will
do the rest)

Pass out kits to
students and have them
open their math
composition book to
two side by side pages.
One page will be the
picture page where they
illustrate the fraction
strip. The other page
will explain in words
how they got that piece.
They will also need
their colored pencils,
and they need to color
coordinate their pencils
with the construction
paper.

We will start with one
unit. Write 1 unit on
that strip. Draw the unit
on your picture page of
your composition book.

Next we will move on to
half unit (different
color). How do I make
that fractional piece?



Next we will move to



































Take one whole unit
and divide into 2 equal
pieces. Students do this
and draw the halfs on
their picture page.

You can make
fractional pieces of a
unit by folding and
cutting a unit into
equal number of
pieces.
thirds. (different color).
How do I make that
fractional piece?


Next we will move to
fourths (different color).
How do I make that
fractional piece?








Do this continually until
you finish twelfths.
Record all ideas by
students.

Take one whole unit
and divide into 3 equal
pieces. Students do this
and draw the halfs on
their picture page.

Take one whole unit
and divide into 2 equal
pieces. Then divide
each of those pieces
into 2 equal pieces.
or Take one whole unit
and divide it into 4
equal pieces.
Students do this and
draw the halfs on their
picture page.



























Lesson 4: Equivalencies
Concepts: Simplest form is an equivalent fraction that uses the fewest number of pieces.
Materials: Math journal, colored pencils, pencils

Stage of Lesson Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Engage








Explore












Explain


















How do you know two
fractions are
equivalent






Can you show me a
fraction that is
equivalent to

?

Can you develop a
model that shows
fraction equivalent to

?




What are the
equivalent fractions?
Record student
observations on the
board writing that
those fractions are
equal to each other
(with equal signs)

How do you know
that all these
fractions are
equivalent?

How are they similar
and different?



Equivalent fractions
are the same size.







Students will
probably show

or

.

Students will set up
the fraction kit
showing all fractions
in the kit equal to

.

Have students record
a drawing of the
equivalent fractions in
their math notebook.

They are the same
size.



They are the same
size, but they have
different number of
pieces. The pieces
are different sizes.

Simplest form is an
equivalent fraction
that uses the fewest
number of pieces.








Evaluate
What do you think is
a reason we refer to

as simplest form?
Find all fraction
equivalents to

.
Model your solutions
with fraction strips, a
picture in your
notebook, and a list
of all fractions equal
to

.
It has the fewest
number of pieces. It
is the largest piece in
the equivalent
fraction.

Lesson 5: Comparing fractions--
Concept: You can compare fractions by using benchmark fractions and seeing how close or far
away a fraction is from 0,

, and 1. You can also look at the size of the piece, knowing that if
you have more pieces in a unit, your unit fraction becomes smaller.
Materials: Math journal, colored pencils, pencils
Stage of Lesson Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Engage









Explore





























Is

a big or small
fraction?








Give groups of
students a list of the
following fractions:

, and

.

Have them chart all
these fractions on a 3
column chart that
they created in their
notebook. The title of
the 3 columns are:
Close to 0, Close to

, Close to 1.
Students can use
their fractions strips
for help.

Possible questions
for groups or group
debrief on the board
when groups share
their answers:

What evidence can
Small because it only
1 piece out of 5
possible pieces that
make up the unit.





Student group should
have discussions on
where to place each
fraction.
Some discussion may
include:

is closer to 0
because it is only 1
piece.

is closer to 1
because it is only one
piece away from 1,
and it is 3 pieces
away from

is closer to

because it is only

away from

and it
is

away from 0.








Fractions can be
compared by the
amount of space they
take up relative to 0,

, and 1. Fractions
can also be
compared by looking
at the size of the
pieces.


The smaller fraction
takes up less space
of the unit.












Explain

































Evaluate
you offer?
How can you
demonstrate that with
your model?
How would you
defend your position
about____?


Students may need
extra explanation on

and

Is

closer to 1 or

?
By how much?
Always start by
drawing the unit.

Demonstrate how to
show this answer with
fraction strips, asking
kids what pieces we
can swap out for

in
order to better see
the solution.


Which is smaller?

or

? How do you
know? By how much?













Is

closer to

or 1?
Show your solution
with your strips and a











You can swap out

for

.
When you do this,
you can see that

is

away from 1, and

only

away from

.
Therefore,

is closer
to

Students make these
fractions then say
that

is smaller
because it takes up
less space.
Students will swap
out sixths for thirds
and find that

is
smaller by

.






Students will show
picture.




Which is smaller?

or

? How do you


that you can swap
out fifths with tenths.
Then you can see
that

is

away from

, and

away from 1
unit.

After building this and
drawing this in their
notebook, students
see that

is smaller
by

.




























Lesson 6: Parts of a Whole
Concepts: Fractional parts of a unit can be found by dividing the unit into equal parts.
Materials: Math journal, colored pencils, pencils
Stage of Lesson Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Explore




































Evaluate
What is

of a

of a
unit? Show and draw
a model exhibiting
your solution.

Debrief with students
and write the
notation.

Have students
explore more of this
by giving them more
exploration problems.
Students will model
this with their kits (if
they can) and draw it
in their journal.
What is

of

or 1?
What is

of

of 1?
What is

of a third of
a half of one?

Teacher will debrief
with class.
How did you
demonstrate that?
How would you
defend your solution
using a model?

In your journal, draw
fraction strips to show
the following.
1. What piece is a
half of a fourth of a
unit?
2. What piece is a
half of a fifth of a
Student draws one
unit. Under that they
draw thirds, then
under that they bring
down the thirds, and
split those in half. As
a result they have
created sixths.

of

is

of

of 1 is

of

of 1 is

of

of

of 1 is

unit?
3. What piece is a
third of a half of a
unit?

Lesson 7: Change of Unit
Concept: When your unit changes, so do all your fractional pieces.
Materials: Math journal, colored pencils, pencils, pattern blocks baskets for each group
Stage of Lesson Teacher Does Student does Concept
Expected Student
Response
Engage






















Explain











Explore











Give kids pattern
blocks and 2 minutes
to play with them.
Instruct kids that we
are changing our unit
to a hexagon. Now
have them play with
their pieces with the
intent of finding the
fraction represented
by each pattern block
in relation to the unit
of the hexagon.

Sample question:
How much of the
hexagon is
represented by the
triangle?

Debrief discussions
with students. In their
journal kids will copy
the t-chart of pattern
blocks. One column
of the t-chart will say
pattern block. the
second column will
say relationship to
unit.

Change the unit to
Double Pink
Hexagon.
Have students
recreate the chart,
and find the
relationship of each
pattern block to the
new unit.


What kind of patterns
do you notice?

What changes
occurred?




The trapezoid is

of
the hexagon. The
triangle is

of the
hexagon
The rhombus is

of the hexagon.The
chevron is

of the
hexagon.






















Trapezoid is

of unit.
Triangle is

of a
unit. Rhombus is

of
a unit.
Chevron is

of the
unit










Extend:





Evaluate




If I said my unit was
the triangle, what
fraction would the
other pattern blocks
represent?

Fractions- The Whole
Story Worksheet.
Page 5 on this link:
http://www.neisd.net/
curriculum/SchImprov
/math/elem/3rd_new_
web_page/fractions_t
he_whole_story.pdf

Hexagon is

of the
unit.

The number of pieces
needed to fill the unit
doubled in each
fraction when we
changed our unit
from the hexagon to
the double pink
hexagon.

rhombus:

chevron:

hexagon:

trapezoid

1.

2.

3.

4.

6.

7.

8.

Lesson 8: Parts of a Whole Greater than 1
Concept: As the unit changes to an integer greater than one, your fractional piece is dependent
on dividing the unit into fractional pieces.
Materials: Math journal, colored pencils, pencils
Stage of lesson Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Concept
Response
Engage




























Explain














Explore



Propose students
with a question to
investigate:
Molly had 9 cats.

of
them were kittens.
How many were
kittens? Draw a
model to show your
solution in your
journal.



Debrief with the
class, and have them
share solutions.
How do you know 3
cats are kittens?
What was the unit
you started with?
How does the unit
affect your solution?





What is

of 18?
Show your solution
with a model you
create in your journal.

What 3 equal pieces
do I put here to equal
18?
What do 2 equal
pieces (or two-thirds)
make?


Pass out post-it notes
with problems on it
for groups to work
out.

Possible questions:
Students may draw a
fraction bar model
with 9 as the unit,
then splitting the 9
into thirds. Then
each third, is 3.
Students may also
draw 9 cats and find
that if you split the
groups into three
equal groups (thirds)
there will be 3 cats in
each group.



We started with 9.

When the unit was
one and we divided
that, we made
fractions. Now we
are making whole
numbers.



Students draw the
unit as 18. The
second strip will be
divided into thirds.
Then the third strip is
adding two thirds,
which is going to
make 12.

6.

12.



Students will model
solutions on the
document camera in
front of the class.


When you multiply
fractions with whole
numbers, you are
finding a fractional
part of that whole
number.












Extend






























Evaluate




How would you
illustrate that
solution?
How do you know
your solution works?
Can you show me
your solution?


Draw a circle. What
is

of the circle.
Shade this.
Is there another way
you can show

?







One unit is 3 circles.
Show

.









One unit is 4 circles.
Show

In your journal, do the
following problems.
Use a drawing to
prove your answer.
What is

of 24?










Students will shade

of the circle.

Students can divide
the circle into sixths
and shade two of
them. They can also
divide the circle into
twelfths and shade 4
of them.

Students can
shade one circle
...or they can shade
two halves
...or they can shade

in one circle, and in

the other two

.or many more


Students can draw 4
circles, and split them
all in thirds. Then
they can shade one-
third of each one.

of 4 is 1 and

16
9

What is

of 12?
What is

of 25?

5


































Lesson 9: Fraction Addition and Subtraction
Concept: Students will learn that in order to add or subtract fractions, one must add the same
size pieces. In order to do this, they must find a piece to fit both, and swap out some fractions
for equivalent fractions. Students can use fraction kit or branch method to show their thinking.
Materials: Math journal, colored pencils, pencils
Stage of Lesson Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Engage









Explain



































Play Fringo.

Start with 1 unit.
Teacher rolls two
dice. Students
choose whether they
want to use that
piece to cover up
their unit.
Ex: Teacher rolls an
8, students can
use

or wait until the

next roll. Once they
choose to use that
piece, they cant put it
back.
Goal: To cover up 1
unit exactly.
Class has to prove it
equals a unit.



Just like when we
played Fringo, we
swapped out
fractions to see if all
the fractions added
up to 1
When we add
fractions that are
different sized pieces,
we need to swap out
for the same size
pieces.

Lets work on the
fractions

. Show
them the process with
fraction kit on the
board and with
branch method. Let
them aide in the
process by asking


























Students record and
take notes on the

in their math
notebook.















Swapping out unlike
fractions (different
size pieces) for like
fractions (same size
pieces) can help you
add fractions.


















Explore and Evaluate
questions like:
Which piece should
we swap out for

that
can match up nicely
to

?

When we swap out
sixths for two-thirds
we get four-sixths.

Have them try with

.





Give students
problems so that they
can explore the
process of branching
and swapping.

Note that they will
need a lot of practice
with this, so you can
continue giving them
problems, and you
can also start
incorporating mixed
numbers into the
branch method,
because it helps
students make sense
of it.


We should use

because there are

in

is

because I
swapped out two-
fourths for

or

Lesson 10 - Division of Fractions - Concept: Dividing a fraction by another fraction
Materials: Math Journal, Fraction Tool Kit, Colored Pencils
Stage of Lesson Teacher Does Student Does
Expected Student
Response
Concept
Explore






Explain





































Evaluate
Review what
equivalent fractions
are and how to swap
out fraction pieces.



Write

____

Ask the students to
find equivalent pieces
from their fraction kit
and place over their
above division
problem.

At this point, teacher
asks students to
count how many

pieces are on the top
and how many

pieces are on the
bottom.



Teacher will asks Do
we have more than
one unit?

Write

____

Using the above
strategies, students
and teachers will
Have students come
up with as many
equivalent fractions
by swapping fraction
pieces.


Students will use their
fraction strips to
model the division
problem using two

pieces over one

piece.

Students will use four

pieces over three

pieces.




Students will count
that they have four

pieces on top and

three

pieces on the
bottom, then make a
new fraction of

In their journals,
students will illustrate
the steps used in
solving the division
problems.


Yes, because three

s is equal to one and
then

is left over.

Responses should be
similar to those
above.

Fractions can be
shown in multiple
ways.










































Students will
understand the
algorithm of the
division of fractions
by fractions without
solve the above
problem.

Write

___________

Students will write in
their journals using
words and pictures
the concept of
dividing fractions by
fractions.
needing to know the
tricks.