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LESSON RATIONALE
BIG IDEA: “Plan for what you can predict, but expect the unexpected.” There are patterns in our world that help us predict
what is going to happen, but there are also so many things that are out of our control in the world. If we examine what we
can control in different areas of our lives, we can prepare for the future and expect that the unexpected will happen.
The goal of this lesson is to help students develop a deep conceptual understanding of whole numbers in fraction form
and how a whole can be broken up into several parts. This is the foundation for understanding mixed numbers and
fractions and will later impact how they understand adding and subtracting fractions. This will also help them identify
how to break things into equal parts in their own lives. This lesson will give students a mathematical framework to help
them better understand the world around them just a little bit more. This connects to the big idea as well because when
we see how many parts make up a fraction (the denominator) and we look at how many parts we have (the numerator),
we can predict we have a whole. And if we eat or take away part of the whole fraction, we can predict that we will no
longer have a whole.
(CAEP K-6 1.a)
READINESS
I.Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal— Students will write and identify whole numbers as fractions.
B. Objective—
When given a set of fractions, students will be able to identify whole numbers.
When given a real-world example, students will write a whole number as a fraction that describes the
example.
C. Standard—4.NS.3: Express whole numbers as fractions and recognize fractions that are equivalent to whole
numbers. Name and write mixed numbers using objects or pictures. Name and write mixed numbers as
improper fractions using objects or pictures. (CAEP K-6 3.c)
II. Management Plan- Time per lesson element, use of space, list of materials. Describe expectations and procedures.
Time: 40 – 46 minutes
o Anticipatory Set: 5 minutes
o Instruction/Exploratory Discussion: 7 – 8 minutes
o ‘Items as Wholes’ Group Activity: 7 – 8 minutes
o Debrief and Discussion: 7 – 8 minutes
o ‘Whole-d ‘em Up’ Game: 11 – 14 minutes
o Closure: 3 minutes
Use of Space:
o Carpet area with whiteboard for Ant. Set and all discussions
o Desks for both activities
Materials:
o Two Pizzas (or pizza boxes to pretend with)
o Giant sticky note
o Items for Group Activity (6 – one for each group)
Puzzles
Quarters
Pack of crayons
Base-Ten Hundreds Block
Deck of cards
o Math journals (they already have these)
o Whole-d ‘em Up’ Game Sheet
o Dice (13)
Expectations and Procedures:
o Think, Pair, Share will be a common format in my classroom and students are expected to whisper
answers to their ‘shoulder partner’ or the person sitting next to them on the carpet.
o Students will be expected to raise their hand if they have a question or something to say. Other
students will know to listen quietly when peers or the teacher is talking.
o Students will be expected to listen to directions, but I will also provide visuals and written directions
for anything I ask them to do, such as when they complete a task, game instructions, etc.
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III. Anticipatory Set
“Man, I am hungry!! Would anyone care if I ordered a pizza real quick?” I would pretend to talk on the phone, and then
walk over to the door or the window and pull out a pizza box. (It would be most fun to have an actual pizza, but if there
are any allergies and now because of COVID, I could just pretend.) I would bring it over to the class. If it was a real
pizza, I would want one that was NOT cut into pieces. Then I would proceed to get ready to eat it, then I would pick up
the whole pizza and try to eat it. I assume my students would laugh and tell me I couldn’t do that. “What’s wrong?!
What’s wrong with the pizza?” I would take answers from the class and come to the conclusion that it needs to be cut
into pieces before I can eat it. “But I can still have the whole thing, right?!” They will probably try to convince me to
share, and I will say “I guess if it was cut into pieces, I could share. That’s a benefit of cutting it too!” “Does it change
the pizza if we cut it into pieces? Do I still have the whole pizza if I cut it into pieces?” I would direct them to the
conclusion that the pizza is the same; there is the same amount of pizza, but it is just broken into parts. “This idea
actually connects with what we are going to explore in math today. Tell your shoulder partner how you think this pizza
could relate to a math lesson. I would call on students for answers, and I would guide their ideas toward the concept of
fractions and whole numbers.
• Purpose: “Today we are going to investigate what whole numbers look like as fractions and why it is helpful to
look at them in this way. One of the things you mentioned when I wanted to eat the whole pizza myself was that
if we cut it into pieces, we could share. Fractions are essentially the same concept. If we can understand fractions
and how they relate to a whole, then we will be able to share evenly or divide ANYTHING into equal groups.”
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hundred pieces to ONE WHOLE puzzle.” As I am saying this, I am writing 100/100 = 1 whole puzzle on the board
as a boosted visual. I want them to see that 24/24 equals one whole and so does 100/100. “When all the pieces
or parts are present, we have a whole!”
7-minute activity: “We are going to take a few minutes to investigate this concept. At your table groups, you are
going to find a box of items. Each of the items are made up of smaller parts or pieces.” I will pull out a giant sticky
note that has been drawn to look like a piece of notebook paper. “In your math journals, you are going to write
the name of the item, such as a puzzle. You are going to write how many parts make up the whole and then how
many parts are actually there. Write it in fraction form like this:” I will point out these instructions in the
example I made on the giant sticky note. I will model one example for them. Each table will have 5 items: a
puzzle, four quarters= 1 dollar, pack of crayons, base-ten hundreds block, and deck of cards. “Work as a group to
investigate these items, but each of you will record your answers in own math journal. When everyone is
finished in your group, clean up your items, put them back in the box, then come back over to whiteboard and sit
in your square. But everyone in your group must be done writing before you come back over to the carpet. Bring
your journals back over to the carpet with you as well. When you get to the carpet, I want you to discuss with
your group things that can be broken into parts.” I will write these steps on the board where they can be seen
throughout the room so that if students forget what they are supposed to do, they can just take a look at the
board.
Once everyone is back to the carpet, we will discuss our findings. I will have students come up to the giant sticky
note and write their answers. The class will compare their answers to their peers’.
“Well, I still have this pizza, but I just think it would be really hard to cut it into 24 equally sized pieces and the
pieces would be very small. How could we solve this problem? I have an answer in my head, but I want to know
what you think. Whisper with your shoulder partner about how we can solve the problem of our pieces being
too small.” I will ask for some responses and lead them to the conclusion that we need to get a another pizza.
Then I would pull out another pizza from somewhere! “So now we have two pizzas! Neither of them are cut. We
need 24 equal pieces. Do you know a way to solve this problem? What could we do? That’s right, we can divide
24 by 2! When you have the answer, whisper it to your shoulder partner.” Then, everyone would tell me twelve.
“That’s right! We need twelve pieces from each pizza! Now we have two whole pizzas, what would our fractions
for each pizza look like now? Write your answer in your math journal. I know you’re done when you’re looking
at me. Would someone like to share their answer?” I would have a few students share their answers and explain
how they came to the conclusion that they did, whether it was right or wrong. I mostly want to hear their
thinking. We would come to the conclusion that one whole (12/12) plus another whole (12/12) equals two
wholes.
I would then send students back to their desks and explain what they are going to do next, and then I would cut
the pizzas and prepare any allergy-friendly snacks necessary. I would also make sure everybody sanitized their
hands before eating. “Now, you can eat your snack once I have given it to you, and you’re going to play a game
with your desk partner. You can eat and play at the same time. There is a stack of worksheets on your desk with
the game instructions on them, but what you will be playing is a game I’ve created called, “Whole-d ‘em Up!” In
this game your partner will tell you a number between 1 and 12. You are going to write that number as the
bottom number for that round. Then you will roll two di. You will then write the number that you rolled above
the number your partner said. If it is the same number, then congratulations! You made a whole number and win
that round! If it was not the same number, then your partner wins that round. Take turns calling out the
numbers and rolling the dice. Once you each have filled up your recording sheet, count how many whole number
fractions you made and circle them. When you are done, turn your game sheets into the green bin, put your math
journals in their spots, and then you can play the math app on your iPad at your desk.
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When everyone is done, I will use an attention grabber to get everyone’s attention. “To review: what were some
things we used today to look at the parts that made up a whole?” Answers could be pizza, puzzles, crayons, etc.
And as they talk about them, I will rewrite the whole numbers that make up those items. “What are some things
we use every day that is made up of multiple parts or pieces or is a group of things?” Students will share answers
with me. “I want you to keep an eye out for whole numbers this week in the things you use every day. See if you
can figure out what it would look like as a fraction. During the game today, you may have gotten fractions where
the top number was bigger than the bottom number, and you maybe have never seen that before. But this week
we are going to learn what kind of special fraction that is and why it is important.”
Readiness
The Beginning The Developing The Competent The Accomplished
Candidate Candidate Candidate Candidate
Goals/ Lesson objectives are Lesson objectives are The lesson plan contains The lesson plan contains
Objectives/ poorly written and/or correlated with learning objectives that connect clearly stated content
Standards have little or no goals and standards. The goals and standards with objectives. Objectives are
connection to learning connection between lesson activities and logically connected to
goals or standards. Little objectives and lesson assessments. appropriate goals and
connection exists activities and standards and are
INTASC 4 between objectives and assessments is weak or consistent with lesson
lesson activities and unclear. activities and assessments.
CAEP K-6 3.c
assessments. Instructional planning is
based on individual
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student needs.
The anticipatory set is The connection between The anticipatory set is The anticipatory set
missing or has little or no the anticipatory set and clear and direct and connects the current
connection to the goal or lesson objectives and focuses students’ lesson with previous and
Anticipatory Set content of the lesson. content is weak or attention on the lesson. future learning and
unclear. focuses students’ minds
InTASC 8 and attention on the day’s
lesson.
The statement of purpose A statement of purpose is The statement of purpose The statement of purpose
is ambiguous or worded included in the LP, but is clearly connected to has the power to capture
so generally that the has little power to the content of the lesson the imaginations of
Purpose connection with the motivate students and and is presented in terms students and motivate
content of the lesson is capture their that are easily them to accomplish the
not apparent. imaginations. understood by students. expected learning.
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depth, or complexity of
materials.
Little or no provision is A guided practice section The lesson plan includes a Plans to check for student
Check for included to check for is included in the lesson plan and the means to understanding of the
Understanding student understanding plan, but the connection check for student content are an integral
or to reteach concepts with the lesson understanding of the part of the lesson, and
InTASC 4 that elude students presentation is weak lesson. A provision is include frequent questions
during the initial and/or unclear. included to reteach all or and other actively
presentation. part of the lesson to all or engaging forms of
part of the class. formative assessment
during guided practice.
Review Lesson closure is not Lesson closure is weak Lesson closure relates Lesson closure is clearly
Learning included, or is not and/or poorly written. directly to the lesson correlated to the content
Outcomes/ related to the goals purpose and/or objective. of the lesson and actively
Closure and/or content of the engages students in
lesson. summarizing the essential
InTASC 4 elements of the lesson.
Independent No independent Independent practice Assignments or activities Independent practice
Practice/ practice activities are activities are not well are included that provide activities are highly
Extending the included in the lesson, conceived and/or written; students with the correlated to lesson
Learning or activities are student accomplishment opportunity to practice objectives and content and
unrelated to the content of IP activities is not likely learned skills; All activities lead to student mastery.
InTASC 5 of the lesson. to result in lesson mastery match lesson objectives.
Instructional Technology
The candidate seeks appropriate ways to evaluate and employ technological tools, resources, and skills as they apply to
specific content and pedagogical knowledge, assessment practices, and student achievement. The selection of
appropriate technological tools reflects the candidate’s ability to make sound instructional decisions that enable all
students to achieve the expected outcomes. InTASC Standard 7
The Beginning The Developing The Competent The Accomplished
Candidate Candidate Candidate Candidate
Integration of The lesson plan reflects The lesson plan reflects The lesson plan reflects The lesson plan reflects
Technology educational decision insufficient or misaligned educationally sound educationally sound
making regarding decision making regarding decisions regarding decisions regarding
InTASC 7 available technology that available technology; available technology available technology
adversely impacts statements indicating the (including, but not limited (including, but not limited
Technology
Thread student learning and/or use of instructional, to, instructional and to, instructional and
fails to engage students assistive, or other assistive technologies) to assistive technologies)
at the necessary level to technologies are written support learner needs and that engage students,
meet lesson objectives. in general terms or in the curriculum. enhance the learning
terms unlikely to impact process, and/or extend
student learning. opportunities for learning.
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Evaluation
The Beginning The Developing The Competent The Accomplished
Candidate Candidate Candidate Candidate
Reflection and Self-answer questions Self-answer questions are The lesson plan includes Additional self-answer
Post-Lesson are not included in the included, but do not fit all required self-answer questions are included that
Analysis lesson plan. the content or purposes questions. Questions are specifically address unique
of the lesson. included to plan, monitor, lesson content and
CAEP K-6 3.b and adapt instruction methodology. Questions are
based on the lesson included to plan, monitor,
InTASC Standard 9
assessments. and adapt instruction based
on the lesson assessments.