Vocabulary Posters

Although I didn't specifically review each of the following vocabulary posters, students referred to them throughout this math period. Once in a while, I'd ask questions like: What is a fraction again? Other times, students would refer to the posters and say, "That's decomposing!"

Lesson Preparation: Google Presentations

For today's lesson, I created four Google Presentations for representing Examples of 1/8, Examples of 1/9, Examples of 1/10, and Examples of 1/100. I wanted to continue providing students with an avenue to share their thinking and an opportunity to collaborate and comment on each other's work.

After creating the above presentations, I shared each of them with students. Here's further information on How to Create a Google Presentation for Student Practice. Sometimes I have students copy the presentations in order to make them their own. However, for today's lesson, I wanted all students to collaborate and work together on the same presentation (all at one time).

Prior to today's lesson, I assigned each student a slide number in order to provide each child with a workspace. For example, Student A was assigned the first blank slide, #4. Student B was assigned slide #5. Students used the same slide with each presentation. In order to communicate assigned numbers quickly, I created and shared the following Google document with students: Student Numbers.

Ultimately, the goal was for students to follow this process:

1. Represent unit fractions (such as 1/8) by choosing appropriate tools.

2. Take a picture of their representation using their computers.

3. Insert the picture on their assigned slide.

4. Use arrows and text boxes to show how many 1/8 units are equal to one whole.

5. Collaborate with other students to make their work better.

Goal & Introduction

Once students had opened all the shared documents, I asked them to join me on the front carpet.

To begin, I reviewed our math Goal: You have now investigated how to represent several unit fractions, such as 1/2 and 1/5. Today, we are going to continue working toward the same goal: I can show and explain how many unit fractions are in a whole. Only this time, we are going to move on to representing unit fractions with larger denominators, 1/8, 1/9, 1/10, and if you have time... 1/100!

Just like yesterday, we will all be working on the same presentations. Each of you will continue using your assigned slide number.

I referred to the pictures drawn below the Goal to review the individual tasks to complete for each unit fraction presentation:

1. Show: the unit fraction, such as 1/8, by choosing an appropriate tool, representing the unit fraction, taking a picture, and inserting the picture on your slide of the class presentation.

2. Explain: your representation by labeling the unit fraction and using an equation to show how many of this unit fraction equals a whole.

3. Make Comments: on other student work that are mathematical, thoughtful, respectful, and helpful.

4. Respond to Comments: and clarify your thinking so that others can understand your work better.

Math Tool & Math Talk

In order to review how to strategically choose appropriate tools (Math Practice 5) and critique the reasoning of others (Math Practice 3), I used the Appropriate Tools Anchor Chart as well as the Math Talk Anchor Chart.

Just like yesterday, I selected two students to watch for and eventually celebrate students choosing appropriate tools and making thoughtful comments by giving the Outstanding Tool Selection Award or the Exceptional Collaborator Award. Here are printable versions of these awards: Tool Awards and Exceptional Collaborator Award.

In this video, Reviewing Tools & Comments, you'll hear a class discussion about choosing tools and collaborating effectively. I explained that I was looking for students to look for comments made on their work (by me or by other students). This was an important teaching point today because I wanted students to not only comment on others' work, but to also respond to comments by changing their thinking, changing their representation, or by simply replying back.

Modeling with Student Examples

At this point, I wanted to recognize students' work: Modeling Using Student Work. I specifically focused on what I wanted to see more of:

I wanted students to try using a number of items or parts greater than the denominator. For example, instead of using 8 pennies to represent 1/8, I wanted students to experiment with using multiples of 8, such as using 24 or 16 sticky notes.
I liked seeing students specifically naming the whole, such as "5 wiggle cushions equals one whole."
I also wanted to see students using an addition and a multiplication equation to show the number of unit fractions in one whole (1/8 x 8 = 8/8 and 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 = 8/8 = 1). Some students chose to use simpler addition equations, such as 5/8 + 3/8 = 8/8 = 1.
I pointed out the importance of labeling, such as 1/5 of 20 books is 4 books.

Challenge Items

Finally, I wanted to inspire students to use new and more challenging tools so I held up several "challenge items," such as a clock, money, a box of 1000 staples, a gallon jug, a graduated cylinder, a 21 oz bottle of lotion, a protractor, a can of pop, and art supplies.