Project 3

Group Members:
Maddie Johnson, Evan Woody, Danielle Tkac, Erin Thompson, Han Nguyen-Tran

Topic: Fractions

Grade: 2nd Grade

Teaching Dates:
4/20/2016: Erin Thompson at St. Thomas Parish School
4/22/2016: Evan Woody at Pinecrest Elementary School

Total Lesson Duration: 45 minutes

Part 1

We are a group of student teachers who will be presenting a lesson on fractions to two different
2nd grade classrooms. Our mathematical topic of this lesson study is fractions, and we will be
focusing on the mathematical concept of the meaning of fractions. Within this lesson study, we
will have the research focus of attending to precision. The strand of the Common Core that our
lesson relates to is “CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.G.A.3. Partition circles and rectangles into two,
three, or four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of,
etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths.” Erin Thompson is
teaching on Wednesday, April 20th at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School from 10:45a.m. to
11:45a.m. and Evan Woody is teaching on Friday, April 22nd at Pinecrest Elementary School
from 12:30p.m. to 1:30p.m.

Part 2

High Level Task: This task will be presented to the students. Students will work with a partner
to complete the task.
 Ben has one brownie and wants to share it with his one friend. How can you split up the
brownies to share in between him and his friend equally?
 Susie has one brownie and wants to share it with two friends. How can you split up the
brownies to share in between her and all the friends equally?
 José has one brownie and wants to share it with three friends. How can you split up the
brownies to share in between him and all the friends equally?
Anticipated Responses to the Task: Responses stated below are both correct and incorrect
answers that students may present.

*Problems with the blue asterisk are incorrect as they do not have equal parts*

Lesson Goals:
 Students will be able to divide rectangles into equal parts of halves, thirds, and fourths.
 Students will be able to use the terms wholes, halves, thirds and fourths.

Common Core State Standard:

 CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.G.A.3: Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or
four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of,
etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths. Recognize that equal
shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape.

Common Core State Standard Practice:

 Attending to precision
 Rationale: It is important for students to understand the idea behind fractions as a part of
their foundational mathematical knowledge to build upon later on in their education. We
are focusing on the meaning of fractions as our students have had limited experience with
fractions in their schooling so far.
Materials and Supplies:

Students: Teacher:
 Pieces of brown paper (3 per group)  White board
 Pieces of sandwiches (1 per pair)  Notebook
 Scissors  Document camera
 Pencils  Prompts for Launch and Explore
 Rulers parts (see pictures in Part 3)

Part 3

LESSON PLAN

Group Members:
Maddie Johnson, Evan Woody, Danielle Tkac, Erin Thompson, Han Nguyen-Tran

Topic: Fractions

Grade: 2nd Grade

Teaching Dates:
4/20/2016: Erin Thompson at St. Thomas Parish School
4/22/2016: Evan Woody at Pinecrest Elementary School

Total Lesson Duration: 45 minutes

Learning Targets/Goal(s):
Goals within this lesson plan with allow students to be able to:
● Students will be able to divide squares into equal parts of halves, thirds, and
fourths.
● Students will be able to use the terms wholes, halves, thirds and fourths.

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.G.A.3. - Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or
four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of,
etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths. Recognize that equal
shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape.

Practice: Attend to precision

Instructional Materials & Resources:

Students will have:

● Pieces of brown paper (3 per group)
● Pieces of sandwiches (1 per pair)
● Scissors
● Pencils
● Rulers

Teacher will use:

● White board
● Notebook
● Document camera
● Prompts for Launch and Explore parts (see pictures in each part below)

Sequencing Group Work:

Whole Group → Pairs → Whole Group → Small Groups → Whole Group

Whole Group: Introduction to Launch Activity -

During this time together, we will be able to make connections to students’ prior
knowledge about sharing and allow them to make connections to the real world and
circumstances where they need to share things. We will go about this by asking questions
about times in which they had to share and how they went about it. By having an activity
that involves sharing, this will allow them to recall prior knowledge of how to equally
share something. Having students sitting together will also allow us to give directions
easily, as well as provide a smooth transition for students to grab their own supplies when
going back to their desks. At this time on the rug, we will also be able to answer any
questions that students may have about what they are supposed to do.

Pairs: Launch Activity with Sandwich Activity –

Having students work in pairs during the sandwich activity will allow students to help one
another. Students can support each other as they work through the task of figuring out
how they can share a sandwich fairly with another friend. As students are helping each
other, we can make sure that they are communicating with each other to gather a solution.
During this time, we can also monitor the work that students are doing to see how they are
making sense of the problem and the solutions that they are coming up with. We have
anticipated possible answers, both correct and incorrect, that may be given as solutions to
the problems being explored. We can make a selection of students sequenced from less
sophisticated to most sophisticated answers for sharing how they are fairly sharing their
sandwiches.

Whole Group: Discussion Sandwich Activity and Introduction to Task -

After students have figured out how they are going to fairly share their sandwich with
their classmate, we will come back together as a whole group. Coming back to whole
group will allow students to hear how their peers shared their sandwiches fairly and make
connections between those solutions shared. This will also allow us to provide instruction
for our next activity.

Small Group: Exploring and Conducting Task -

*Students will be working in pairs* Moving back into groups will allow students to work
together in order to divide brownies into different fractions. We will be able to monitor
students to see how they are making sense of the problem and the solutions that they are
coming up with. We also have anticipated possible solutions, both incorrect and correct,
for how students will solve the task. We will make a selection of solutions sequenced
from less sophisticated to most sophisticated for how they divided their brownies. Less
sophisticated: unevenly divided or incorrectly divided brownies. More sophisticated:
evenly divided brownies, equal parts. (See photo of examples above). We will be looking
for groups who may not have divided parts equally, to students who have made sure that
all brownie pieces are equal size for each person. Once groups are done dividing their
brownies, students will conduct a gallery walk. This will help students to see similarities
and differences between their work and other groups.

Whole Group/Pairs: Discussion about Task -

After students have compared and contrasted their work with others, we will have them
come back to whole group. Those students whom we select to share their solutions
(sequenced from incorrect to correct) will draw their solutions on the board and students
will be able to make connections between those solutions. This will allow students to
share out their ideas while allowing other students to see and hear how their peers are
comparing and contrasting their ideas in dividing the brownies. This will also allow us to
ask other questions about how they decided to divide the brownies, and introduce
vocabulary terms that align with their solutions. Before answering the last question that
requires students to reflect on what they have learned and connect it to real life, students
will share their answers in pairs before sharing with the whole group.

*For each activity and question that we propose we will have anticipated answers already
in mind and in the lesson plan.*

Academic, Social and Linguistic Support:

Academic:
We will write our learning goals and objectives (refer above to Learning Target/Goals)
on the board in “kid-friendly” language, which will allow students to understand what we
want to achieve today. Throughout the lesson, we will monitor students and take notes as
they are working to determine if they understand the task. If they are stuck, we will use
anticipated probing questions to guide student thinking such as, “How did you decide to
split up the pieces?” “What do you notice about the size of each piece?” “How do
different pieces compare to one another?” Which piece would you rather have? Why?”
We will explicitly teach vocabulary and connect students’ solutions to vocabulary terms
(in the discussion). Throughout the discussion and activities, we will ask students to
share their thinking and clarify their answers or ideas (in the launch and discussion). We
will help students read the instructions if they struggle with reading, or make sure their
groupmates can help them read or read out loud.

Linguistic:
We will provide visuals and instructions on the board for students, as well as pair English
speaking students with peers who are ELLs. We will highlight and display keywords and
provide comprehensible input to help students throughout the lesson. Students will also
have support from their peers in terms of working in pairs and groups. This will allow
language support for children in terms of answering questions and formulating their own
ideas.

Social: We will pre-plan student groups and pairs so all students of various proficiencies,
languages, ethnicities, etc. will be mixed and working together. Allowing students to
work in groups and pairs challenges their thinking and increases their opportunities to
communicate about math and build new understandings of the concepts that they may not
have come up with individually (in the explore).

LAUNCH/BEFORE PART (per Van de Walle): 10 minutes

The teacher will have the students gathered around the carpet or at their tables for a whole
group discussion:

 Learning goals will be stated: “We will be working on splitting things up into two,
three, and four equal pieces. Some of the words we will be talking about today
are: wholes, halves, thirds and fourths.”
 “Tell me what you have been doing in math class the last couple of days?”
(Answers will differ depending on the class that the lesson is being presented to.)

 With the students’ attention, discuss the activity. “Does anyone remember a time
when they were in a situation that involved sharing? What did you do in that
situation and how did it make you feel?” (Call on students to share their answers).
 Anticipated Answers:
o Shared with a sibling because I had to and I was mad. I had to break
my candy bar in half even though I wanted the whole thing.
o I shared a handful of goldfish crackers with a friend, which made us
both happy.

● “Suppose that you and your classmates were on a field trip. During lunch, you
noticed one of your classmates forgot their sandwich. How could you equally
share your sandwich with your classmate so the both of you get the same amount
of sandwich?”
● “In a minute, you and a partner are going to get a paper model of a sandwich.
 With a partner take your ‘sandwich’ and work to find a way that you can share it
fairly. Draw a line first where you think it will cut the sandwich equally in half,
Then, when you’re sure that’s what you want, cut it in half with your scissors.”
● Pass out paper “sandwich” squares to each pair (1 per pair).
● Display the prompt on the document camera for linguistic support for students as
shown below:

● Pass out scissors and “sandwiches” to each group of students. Allow students
time to work.

● Anticipated Answers:

 Select pairs to share answers. Ask students, “Who has a solution to splitting up
your sandwich?” Once they’ve shared, ask, “Did anyone split it up a different
way?” Get as many different answers as you can and make sure you discuss with
the students about the equality of the sandwich division. If students have split up
their sandwiches unequally, point this out and ask students what they think about
solutions like that: “Is this equal?” “Do both students get the same amount of
sandwich?”
EXPLORE/DURING PART (according to Van de Walle): 15 minutes

Students will be split up into pairs for this task. The pairs will be already assigned for both classes.

 “We are going to continue to think about and work on sharing things. In a minute you and
your partner will be given some sharing problems to solve. You will also be given some
brown paper to help you think about the sharing and to model what you would do. The
brown paper represents a brownie. I bet we all love brownies but in these problems we are
going to share these brownies. You will get into groups of two and will work together to
figure out how to divide the brownie in equal pieces to share for the following situations.
Make sure you talk and decide on how you want to share it, draw it out and then when you
are sure, you may cut it into pieces to share.”

● Ben has one brownie and wants to share it with his one friend. How can you split up the
brownies to share in between him and his friend equally?
● Susie has one brownie and wants to share it with two friends. How can you split up the
brownies to share in between her and her two friends equally?
● José has one brownie and wants to share it with three friends. How can you split up the
brownies to share in between him and his three friends equally?

The task will be on a sheet of paper that we will put underneath the document camera so all of the
students can see it and refer back to it as needed. Picture of what will be displayed underneath the
document camera is shown below:

We will provide a worksheet for each pair that will have the different problems spaced out on the
page. The teacher will say: “I am going to give you and your partner one brownie to start with.
After you have drawn your line and cut it into the pieces you drew for one problem, place your
pieces underneath the problem on the worksheet. Then, raise your hand and I will give you
another brownie. After you have drawn your line, cut this brownie into the pieces you drew, and
placed the pieces underneath the problem on the worksheet for a different problem, raise your
hand and I will give you your last brownie to draw, cut into pieces, and place on the worksheet for
the last problem.” The worksheet that will be given to each pair to display their brownie pieces is
shown below:

1. Ben and one friend are sharing one brownie equally.

2. Susie and two friends are sharing one brownie equally.

3. José and his three friends are sharing one brownie
equally.

 Regroup once all pairs have solutions for all three prompts and take a gallery walk. We will
give the students 1 minute (with a timer displayed on the board) to view other students’
work.

 “We will have one minute to all take a walk around to visit every pair to see what they
have done to solve the problems! Look at how they split up their brownies and compare it
to your own strategies.”

Monitoring Chart
Student Solutions
 Group 1 Ex: Students have cut brownies into equal parts
and correct number of parts.

Group 2 Ex: Students split brownies in half equally, but not

equally in thirds. One section is bigger than the
other.

Group 3

 We will observe how students are approaching and solving the task and record their
solutions. We will write their names next to each solution recorded to keep track of which
student came up with which solution.

Student Solutions Specific Questions

1. How did you decide how to split up the

pieces?
2. What do you notice about the size of
each piece?

1. How do the different pieces compare to

one another?
2. Which piece would you rather have?
Why?

1. What do you notice about the size of

the pieces?
2. How can you prove that all of the
friends get a fair share?

● What will you do if a student doesn’t understand the task at all (e.g., cannot seem to get
started)?
○ “We are splitting the brownie up between [insert number of friends] friends, how
many pieces do we need? How do you think we might be able to split it up
equally?”
 ○ “Would one piece be bigger than another? Would they be the same size?”

● What will you, the teacher, do to keep students engaged?

○ To keep students engaged, we will walk around the room and observe students as
they work. If they come up with any of the solutions we anticipated above, we will
ask the specific questions we have prepared for each solution to probe their
thinking. If they are struggling, we will help assist them with probing questions
above.

● What would you do if a student finishes early?

○ “How can you split the brownie between 6 people equally?”

DISCUSS/SUMARIZE/AFTER (per Van de Walle) (20 minutes)

The teacher will go over incorrect and partially correct solutions before the correct ones
for halves, thirds and fourths. Our reasoning in doing this is to correct any misconceptions
of what equal parts and equal divisions are before we go into discussing the different
possible solutions the students have come up with. Throughout the discussion, we give
opportunities for students to share their own solutions and work in pairs to stay engaged
and actively participating.

● Choose incorrect ideas first for halves, then thirds, and fourths and draw them on
the board. Talk about halves—incorrect, partial correct to correct—and then move
to thirds and do the same thing. By doing it this way, we may find students who
self-correct after hearing about how to make equal size halves and we will then
talk about the multiple ways one can make halves.

● “What do you think about this solution? Did this student fairly cut up their
brownie? Does everybody get an equal piece? Why or why not?”
● Anticipated Answers:
 “No, everyone does not get an equal piece.”
 “This piece was cut up bigger than the other piece so one friend will be
a small piece and one will get the big piece. That isn’t fair.”
 “Yes, the brownie is cut up equally because there are 2/3/4 pieces and
there are 2/3/4 people.”

● “Does everyone get the same sized piece?”

● “How can this be divided up equally so that all friends get the same sized piece of
the brownie?”
● Choose correct solutions for halves, then thirds, and fourths and have those
students noted during the task (noted on the monitoring chart) draw them on the
board.

● “What do you think about this solution? Did this student fairly cut up their
brownie? Does everybody get an equal piece? Why or why not?”
● “What were your thoughts when you were cutting up your brownie? Why did you
choose to cut it up the way you did?”
 Anticipated Answers:
 “We wanted to make sure that everyone had a piece to eat.”
 “We wanted to make sure that everyone had a piece that was the same
size so no one would get a bigger piece than someone else.”
 “We cut it in half perfectly.”

 Teacher: “How can you tell?”

● Teacher: “How many pieces of brownie did you start with?” Students: “1 piece.”
Teacher: “Mathematicians call this a whole.”
● Teacher: “How many pieces did you need to cut your brownie into to share
equally among Ben and his friend? Students:“2 pieces.” Teacher: “When you
divide a whole into two equal pieces, do you know what number name you give for
 each of those pieces?” If they do know “half/halves,” say, “How do you know
what a half is?” If they do not answer “half/halves,” say, “Mathematicians call
these halves. Each piece is called a half. How many halves do we have to make a
whole?” Students: “2 halves.”

● Teacher: “How many pieces did you need to cut your brownie into to share
equally among Susie and her two friends?” Students: “3 pieces.” Teacher: “When
you divide a whole into three equal pieces, do you know what number name you
give for each of those pieces?” If they do know “third/thirds,” say, “How do you
know what a third is?” If they do not answer “third/thirds,” say, “Mathematicians
call these thirds. Each piece is called a third. How many thirds would we need to
make a whole?” Students: “3 thirds.”

● Teacher: “How many pieces did you need to cut your brownie into to share
equally among José and his three friends?” Students: “4 pieces.” Teacher:
“When you divide a whole into four equal pieces, do you know what number name
you give for each of those pieces?” If they do know “fourth/fourths,” say “How
do you know what a fourth is?” If they do not answer “fourth/fourths,”
say,“Mathematicians call these fourths. Each piece is called a fourth. How many
fourths would we need to make a whole?” Students: “4 fourths.”

● “Has anyone ever heard of fractions or the word fraction before?”

● Teacher: “These halves, thirds, and fourths are called fractions. Can you think of
anything in your everyday life that you can relate to fractions?”

● “What are somethings that you have shared or have gotten half of something?
How did you know you had a fair share, a half?”

● “Has anyone ever gotten a third or a fourth of something? If so, what? How did
you know you had a fair share?”

 Have students share in pairs and then return to the whole group to share their
brainstormed ideas.
Data Collection and Debriefing Plan

Data Collection Plan:

To ensure that our research goals and questions will be addressed, members not facilitating
instruction will carefully observe the students by focusing on small group interactions. All of the
student groups will be equally divided amongst each observer so that we cover all of student
work throughout the tasks. Observers will pay close attention to the ways in which the groups
collaborate with one another, what ideas they share, and what their final solution is. Observers
will take notes when witnessing any/all of these components. In addition to this, observers will
want to pay close attention to the pictures they draw as a means to gauge how they are
representing and making sense out of the task assigned. Observers will record these observations
on their notes as well. Observers will be seen throughout the classroom but will not engage in
any such interactions with students to prevent disruptions of the sense making component of the
lesson. Each observer will be equipped with their own note taking worksheet and clipboard.
These observations will be compared during the debriefing portion that follows.

Each observer will have one of these charts displayed below:

Group #_____

Specific Observation: Notes:

Ways in which the groups collaborate with

one another

What ideas they share

What their final solution is

Debriefing Plan:

The moderator will be responsible for proactively keeping the debriefing session on track.
The timekeeper should help manage the group’s time so that aspects that people want to discuss
can receive adequate time. It is crucial that the timekeeper ensure there is time at the end so that
the group can meaningfully wrap up their debriefing session and summarize suggestions for
revisions. If an outside advisor is present, the feedback session should end with general
comments from that person.

Recorders should take notes about the questions and comments made and any resolutions or
suggested modifications for the lesson.

The moderator/ facilitator should begin the feedback session by:

Outlining the agenda for the discussion:

1. Erin will share thoughts on the lesson first.
2. Observers will take turns discussing their notes making reference to the chart used during
the lesson. Others in the group can provide feedback if needed.
3. As a whole group we will then establish a plan for what revisions we will make in
preparation for the next lead teacher.

After the debriefing:

The recorders synthesize their notes and e-mail a copy to the group. The group arranges for each
individual’s notes (with names of the observer) taken during the lesson to be scanned and shared
with all group members.
 References

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http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002127/212781e.pdf

Gabriel, F., Coche, F., Szuchs, D., Carette, V., Rey, B., Content, A. (2013). A Componential
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fractions-in-elementary-grades

IES: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (2010). Developing
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Kent, L., Empson, S., Nielsen L. (2015). The Richness of Children’s Fraction Strategies.
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McGuire, K. (2004). Exploring an Interdisciplinary Strategy for Teaching Fractions to Second

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NRICH (2011). Teaching Fractions With Understanding: Part-Whole Concept. Retrieved from
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Sparks, S. (2013). Scholars Craft New Approaches to Teaching Fractions. Retrieved from
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