Rubicela Chavez

Steven Saladino
Education 201
April 24, 2016

Lesson Planning

(1) Name of lesson: Piece of Pie 



(2) Grade Level: This lesson is intended for a 4th grade class.
(3) Suggested group size: I would teach this lesson to a group of about 20 students separated
into 5 small groups (4 people per group).
(4) Subject: Mathematics – Numbers, Number Sense, and Computation
(5) Standard: Standard 1.14 – Identify and compare fractions with like denominators, using
numbers, models and drawings (NS/PS 1.4.9)
(6) Objective: The student will work in a group to learn how to create pie models to understand
the value of fractions containing the same denominator and think critically about the role of
fractions in other everyday life situations.
(7) Materials needed to facilitate the lesson:
Playdough
Circle stencil
Plastic knife
Paper Plates
Place mat (to put pie on)
Markers
Poster board
Pencils
Note Journal
(8) Procedures:
I would start the lesson by giving the students a short lecture about what fractions are and giving
them examples of fractions with like denominators. I would go over some of the examples in
their math textbook in which they compare fractions with like denominators and show them how
to use the greater than, lesser than, and equal to symbols to compare them.
I would then explain to my students that fractions are very important. We use them regularly in
everyday life. A whole item might be too much for us so instead we ask for a fraction of it,
which is more practical. I would ask them to think about eating a pie for example, most of us
love pie but if we ate a whole one all by ourselves we would probably end up with a tummy ache
right after and it would not be good for us. Instead we ask for a slice of pie, in other words a
fraction of the pie. The number of slices we cut our pie into is actually our denominator and the
number of slices we take is our numerator.
This is where I would present their exercise for this lesson: The students will be randomly
broken up into five groups. On their tables I will place 4 medium playdough containers (1 per
student) for them to use to “make” their pies. I will give each student in the group a number: (2,
4, 8, or 16) and they will create a pie with that number of “slices”. I’ll give them a little time to
decorate their pies however they want, as long as all the slices are equal in their pies.
In their group poster board they will separate it into four sections and include a drawing of each
pie, and as a group decide on the numerator and denominator of each whole pie (i.e., an 8 slice
pie should be 8/8) and include that number below their drawing.
Each student will have a plate and will take turns asking the other members of their group for
different fractions of their pies (example, take two slices of one pie, three of another, and 1 of
another). They must ask for the slices in fraction form before their classmates place them on their
plate. They must record all these numbers in the corresponding section of the poster (if they took
2 pieces of the 8 slices pie, 2/8, include that in the section of the poster with information for the
8-slice pie) and compare/contrast how many slices each student took of each pie. They should
use greater than, less than, and equal to symbols to show the value of the slices they took.
Students will write a journal assignment at the end of the lesson to show what they have learned
and do some self-reflection.
Depending on the school policies and whether or not I could get permission to do it, I would
bring in actual pie so that my students could enjoy a fraction of it as a reward for completing the
lesson.
(9) Assessment: I will grade my students on their work by asking them to write a journal entry in
which they write a short paragraph/essay about what they learned from this lesson and how they
can apply it to their everyday life. What else can they use these types of fractions for? I want to
give them a more authentic assessment to really see what they took out of the lesson and make
sure that they can think critically about it. I would also include 5 math questions for them to
answer:
Compare these sets of fraction using the symbols <, =, or >.
1. 3/8 and 3/8
2. 4/4 and 1/4
3. 5/16 and 8/16 and 2/16
4. 2/2 and 1/2
5. 1/8 and 5/8 and 2/8