1

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

MIAA360: Lesson Study

Team Members: Sara Brisby, Cathe Long, Rebecca Borlik, Connie Costa

Teaching Dates: May 1

Concept for this lesson: Building Fractions, Composing Fractions, Equivalent Fractions Grade Span: 4-7

Original Lesson Study did not have viewing of pictures to compare half and other size fractions. It started with the engage being for
students to make a design that was one half blue. We decided after the first lesson, to move everything down to the next section.
Students needed more review together as the explain, before going on to do more on their own. We decided to use the first task card
for the explain. It was originally for the explore. The highlighted part is the new part we added.

Stage of Lesson Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions
Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities
Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21
st
Century
Engage

Time:
__10__ minutes


Materials:
1 inch square tiles
(red, blue, green,
yellow)

1 inch grid paper

Task Cards A-H

Crayons/Markers/Co
lored pencils

Show pictures of things in nature that can show
halves, quarters, etc.










Students look at pictures and identify
what is half: half of a color, half of a
butterfly, etc.













4.NF.1- Explain
why a fraction
a/b is equivalent
to a fraction (n x
a)/ (n x b) by
using visual
fraction models,
with attention to
how the number
and size of the
parts differ even
though the two
fractions
themselves are
the same size.
Use this
2

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study
Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd




















principal to
recognize and
generate
equivalent
fractions.

4.NF.3
Understand a
fraction a/b with
a>1 as a sum of
fractions 1/b.
a. Understand
addition and
subtraction of
fractions as
joining and
separating parts
referring to the
same whole.
b. Decompose a
fraction into a
sum of fractions
with the same
denominator in
more than one
way, recording
each
decompositions,
e.g., by using a
visual fraction
model.



3

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study
Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

Stage of Lesson Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions
Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities
Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21
st
Century
Explore:

Time:
_15__ minutes

Materials:



















Evaluate
Consider Decision
Points Assessments

Introduce what students will be doing. You will
be using the squares to create different designs
with each color needing to be a certain fraction.

Design something that is one half blue.







Does everyones design look the same? Why
not?
Did everyone use the same amount of tiles?
Why or why not? How did you decide what
you were going to do to create this pattern?

Teacher shows different designs students created
and talk about how they are different but still
follow the rule: one half blue.



Students need to see that there are many different
options for their designs. Just because a problem
asks for one half, doesnt mean they can only use
2 tiles.


Students use 1 inch squares to create a
design that is one half blue. (They can
use any fraction that represents one
half.)








Students compare designs and fractions
used.
















MPS
3. Construct
viable
arguments and
critique the
reasoning of
others.
7. Look for and
make use of
structure.
8. Look for and
express
regularity in
repeated
reasoning.














4

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study
Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

They also need to know that only part of the
information was given: one half blue. They will
need to add other colors.


Check for understanding of how to make one
half, with equivalent fractions.

Check for understanding of equivalent fractions.








Some students may be using fractions with a
common denominator, or the minimum number
of tiles.
(example: One task card says to build a fraction
that is one fourth red and one fourth green)
Encourage them to use equivalent fractions, not
just one fourth.






































21st Century
Standards:

Creativity and
Innovation

Communication
and
Collaboration

Critical
Thinking and
Problem
Solving

5

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study
Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

Stage of Lesson Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions
Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities
Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21
st
Century
Explain:

Time:
__10 minutes

Materials:














Evaluate
Consider Decision
Points Assessments

Go over task card A with the class. Talk about
ways to make one fourth red and one fourth
green. What does that mean? How could I show
that?


Show how to write the composed fraction to
make the whole.






Pass out task cards for students to work on
together.




What did you do for your task cards?
Does your design fit the description on the
card?
How can you prove it?
Compare two different designs, how are they
similar and different?


If time: Give students 8 tiles and tell them that

Students use their color tiles to make
designs that are one fourth red and one
fourth green as a class.


Students use 1-inch graph paper to
make their design. They write how their
whole unit is composed. blue +
green + red= 1 unit




Students build, draw on graph paper,
write the fractional parts for each color,
and share their designs for task cards B
and C.








6

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study
Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

they need to make a design that is red, green,
yellow, and blue.
Describe how you know how many tiles you
need to match each fraction.

Walk around and look at students designs.

How did you make the decision to use the
number of tiles you did?

Stage of Lesson Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions
Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities
Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21
st
Century
Extend:

Time:
__10_ minutes

Materials:



Evaluate
Consider Decisions
Point Assessments
Some students will continue to work in partners
on the task cards. Others can create their own task
cards for a partner to create.



Students create their own task cards.

They need to use 24 total tiles and use
the denominators: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12.

Students need to make sure the
fractions add up to 24/24ths or 1 whole.

Stage of Lesson Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions
Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities
Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21
st
Century
Evaluate:

Time:
__10_ minutes
Collect picture representations for each task card.

Review and go over with students who need more
help.
Students should be able to show
different ways to represent different
fractions of a whole.


7

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study
Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd


Materials:




















Some students may be able to use the minimum
number of times.

Others should be using different numbers of tiles,
and coming up with representations to their own
task cards they made.

Students who were able to do the extend, should
have varied designs and fractions used on their
graph paper.
Students should be able to compose
these fractions to make a whole.