Lesson Plan Outline

Subject: Math
Grade/class: 4th
Time/period: 45 min
Lesson date
Topic: Fractions
SOL: 4.2 The student will
a) compare and order fractions and mixed numbers;
b) represent equivalent fractions; and
c) identify the division statement that represents a fraction.
I.

Objective(s) of the lesson: SWBAT read, write and identify the friendly fractions
and understand fraction equivalency by using manipulatives such as Cuisenaire rods.

II.

Preparation

Purpose:
It is important for the students to learn the content that will be given so that they can have
full knowledge of math facts that will be useful in their everyday lives and so that they will
also be ready for upcoming SOL testing. There will be a small portion of direct instruction,
but there will be a great amount of indirect instruction with some guided questioning.
Students will ultimately demonstrate the process of indirect instruction by being involved in
cooperative learning.
Materials:
Lesson Reference: Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching
Developmentally By: John A. Van De Walle
Colored pencils or crayons
Math portfolio
Grid sheets
Cuisenaire rods
Play dough
counters
III.

Procedure
A. Engaging: Before Phase

Lesson Opening:
Students are coming back to the classroom from art and as they come in to sit down, they will
find their math portfolios on their desks. Welcome back everyone, I hope you had an awesome
time in art, but now we are going to start math, and today, we are going to talk
about.FRACTIONS!! You will find your math portfolios on your desk, so be prepared to

write notes today. Take out your journals and write down what you think fractions are all
about. What do they consist of? Students are now writing in their journals.
Connection:
What did you all write in your journals? Hear the students thoughts and write some on the
board. Now, to elaborate on what is said, I will also ask what types of things do they come across
daily at home, at school, or anywhere else that could represent a fraction. All of those thoughts
are some good ideas on what you think fractions are. You come across fractions everyday of
your lives, whether you know it or not! You will find fractions in your home, whether
youre at dinner, dividing the pizza slices between you and your family, or helping your
mother, father, or whoever measure the amount of butter that goes into a cake mix.
Fractions. Are. EVERYWHERE.
**Part A time duration: 5-7 minutes

B. Exploration: During Phase

1. Begin with passing out materials and manipulatives
a. Blindfolds will be passed out to students to be tied, covering their eyes.
b. Cuisenaire rods will be passed out and placed on their desks.
2. Students will be asked to touch them, and say what they think the objects might be or
what they might be used for in math. This will take one or two minutes.
3. Students will now be told to take off their blindfolds and write down in their journals
their thoughts while they had on the blindfolds. Then, we will have a class discussion on
what they thought.
4. They will be directed to the PowerPoint on the smart board. Copy the red-colored definitions
in the PowerPoint under the corresponding terms in your math portfolio on page 2(see
PowerPoint)
***Allotted Time Duration: 20 min
Class Activity:
a. Between the three movies: Frozen, Ninja Turtles, and How to Train a Dragon,
twenty of my students will raise their hands on which movie they like the most.
b. For example, here are the results:
Frozen Ninja
How to Train
Turtles a Dragon
10/20
8/20
2/20
i. Whichever movies they like, they will be sent to a designated area in the
room to be grouped together. Those that like the same movie will be
grouped and sitting together in the classroom

ii. They will have to tell me how many in their group likes that certain movie
out of the whole class. I will write the results as a table (see above) on the
board, and they will copy as well.
iii. I will then pass out grid sheets so they can shade in the corresponding
fractions in the squares. (see grid sample)
1. Grid sheets will have the color yellow shaded in all 20 squares
2. Each group will have an assigned color: Frozen (purple), Ninja
Turtles (green), How to Train a Dragon (red).
3. They will color in the number of grid squares that corresponds to
their specific group.
a. Ask each group again, How many out of the 20 students in
here like Frozen? Ninja Turtles? And so on..
b. I will say fill-in-blank-statements about the equivalence of
each fraction, and they will say the missing word
4. We will repeat this activity using play dough and counters.
a. 20 pieces of play dough will be lined up 4x5
b. Counters represent the shaded area
i. Wherever the shaded area is, they will place the
number of counters on each play dough piece (see
diagram)
c. I will repeat equivalence questions (10/20= 1/2, 8/20= 2/5,
2/20=1/10)
***Allotted Time Duration: 20-25 min
C. Closure: After Phase
1. Students will be given a worksheet called Fraction Equivalency
2. I will ask the students questions about what they learned today.
d. Exit Ticket will be given to see if they fully understand the
material
Products:
Every student will have a Math Portfolio I will put together for each of them for the
school year. As we go through this particular unit, students will be filling out the pages in
the portfolio, whether its notes, study guides or worksheets. I put their work in a
portfolio so that they will have all of their math materials they need to study for the SOL
test. They will leave their portfolio with me every day so that they will not lose them.

Journals- so that I can see what they wrote and make comments about what they said.
Their journals will be left at school
Exit Tickets

Diagram: Play dough and Counters

Counter
Play
s
dough
pieces

Name_________________________ Date_____________

Exit Ticket
Write the missing term in the blank.

1. Fractions have the _______ in the numerator and the ________ in the denominator.

___2.

5 ?
=
10 2

___3.

6 ?
=
8 4

4 ?
___4. 6 = 3

Name_____________________________ Date___________

Homework Worksheet

Find something in your house that you can cut into half.
1. What did you find?
_______________________________________________________________
2. How many pieces are there of the object that you could cut in half?
_______________________________________________________________
3. Name a type of food you can cut into an equal number of fourths.
_______________________________________________________________
4. Draw a picture of the food and cut it into fourths.

5. How much of the food do you have left over when you share half of it to your friends?

Fractions, Fractions,
Fractions!!
th
4 Grade Math
Lesson Plan
By: Kiana Darby