Equal Groups of Unit Fractions
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of this How Many Do You See? is to elicit ideas about equal groups of fractional amounts and to prepare students’ to reason about multiplication of a whole number and a fraction. Students may describe the oranges with a whole number and without units or without specifying “halves” (for instance, they may say “5”). If this happens, consider asking them to clarify whether they mean “5 oranges” or another amount.
This is the first time students experience the How Many Do You See? routine in grade 4. Students are familiar with this routine from a previous grade, however, they may benefit from a brief review of the steps involved.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- “How many do you see? How do you see them?”
- Display the image.
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Record responses.
Student Task
Sample Response
Sample Responses:
- Five plates with 21 orange on each
- Five 21 oranges
- Two whole oranges and half of another orange
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “How might you describe this image to a friend?” (There are 5 plates with 21 orange on each plate.)
- “How many groups do you see?” (I see 5 plates or 5 groups.)
- “Besides describing the image in words, how else might you represent the quantity in this image?” (I might write 21 five times, or write an expression that shows five 21s added together. I might write “5 times 21.”)
- “We'll look at some other situations involving groups and fractional amounts in this lesson.”
Standards
- 4.NF.4·Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.
- 4.NF.B.4·Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.
20 min
15 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
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Equal Groups of Unit Fractions
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of this How Many Do You See? is to elicit ideas about equal groups of fractional amounts and to prepare students’ to reason about multiplication of a whole number and a fraction. Students may describe the oranges with a whole number and without units or without specifying “halves” (for instance, they may say “5”). If this happens, consider asking them to clarify whether they mean “5 oranges” or another amount.
This is the first time students experience the How Many Do You See? routine in grade 4. Students are familiar with this routine from a previous grade, however, they may benefit from a brief review of the steps involved.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- “How many do you see? How do you see them?”
- Display the image.
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Record responses.
Student Task
Sample Response
Sample Responses:
- Five plates with 21 orange on each
- Five 21 oranges
- Two whole oranges and half of another orange
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “How might you describe this image to a friend?” (There are 5 plates with 21 orange on each plate.)
- “How many groups do you see?” (I see 5 plates or 5 groups.)
- “Besides describing the image in words, how else might you represent the quantity in this image?” (I might write 21 five times, or write an expression that shows five 21s added together. I might write “5 times 21.”)
- “We'll look at some other situations involving groups and fractional amounts in this lesson.”
Standards
- 4.NF.4·Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.
- 4.NF.B.4·Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.