Equal Groups of Non-unit Fractions
10 min
Narrative
This Warm-up prompts students to examine a diagram representing equal groups of non-unit fractions. The understandings elicited here allow students to discuss the relationship between the product of a whole number and a unit fraction and that of a whole number and a non-unit fraction with the same denominator.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
Teacher Instructions
- “What do you notice? What do you wonder?”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Share and record responses.
Student Task
What do you notice? What do you wonder?
Sample Response
Students may notice:
- There are 4 wholes.
- 4 rectangles, each partitioned into 3 equal parts.
- Each whole has 2 shaded parts.
- There are 4 groups of 32 in each rectangle.
Students may wonder:
- Are we going to work with fractions?
- Will we work with fractions with more than 1 in the numerator?
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- If no students notice or wonder about equal groups, ask, “What groups do you see and how do you see them?” (4 wholes, each whole is 32 shaded)
- “How many thirds do you see?” (8 thirds)
- “How are these diagrams different than those we've seen so far in this unit?” (Previously, each whole has only 1 shaded part. These have 2 shaded parts each.)
- “Today we will think about situations that involve equal groups but now each group has non-unit fractions.”
Standards
Addressing
- 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.
15 min
20 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
Equal Groups of Non-unit Fractions
10 min
Narrative
This Warm-up prompts students to examine a diagram representing equal groups of non-unit fractions. The understandings elicited here allow students to discuss the relationship between the product of a whole number and a unit fraction and that of a whole number and a non-unit fraction with the same denominator.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
Teacher Instructions
- “What do you notice? What do you wonder?”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Share and record responses.
Student Task
What do you notice? What do you wonder?
Sample Response
Students may notice:
- There are 4 wholes.
- 4 rectangles, each partitioned into 3 equal parts.
- Each whole has 2 shaded parts.
- There are 4 groups of 32 in each rectangle.
Students may wonder:
- Are we going to work with fractions?
- Will we work with fractions with more than 1 in the numerator?
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- If no students notice or wonder about equal groups, ask, “What groups do you see and how do you see them?” (4 wholes, each whole is 32 shaded)
- “How many thirds do you see?” (8 thirds)
- “How are these diagrams different than those we've seen so far in this unit?” (Previously, each whole has only 1 shaded part. These have 2 shaded parts each.)
- “Today we will think about situations that involve equal groups but now each group has non-unit fractions.”
Standards
Addressing
- 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.