Lesson Plan

Lesson Topic: Equivalent fractions Year Level: 4 Time: 8:30-9:15am Date:10/10/18

Learning Area: Mathematics Students’ Prior Knowledge:

Strand/Substrand/Content Descriptor from the West 1. Having knowledge on performing tasks using shapes
Australian Curriculum: that represent halves, quarters and eighths (i.e. pizza,
quadrant squares)
Number and Algebra : Fractions and Decimals
- Main Focus 2. Have experience in representing common fractions
- Investigate equivalent fractions used in contexts (1/2, 1/3, 1/5, 1/8), and their associated multiples to
(ACMNA077) complete whole numbers

- Consideration of other Content Strands

(extension task) Point 1 and point 2 are derived directly from the Western
- Describe possible everyday events and order Australian scope and sequence. Point 1 and point 2 are
their chances of occurring (ACMSP092) ‘fractions and decimals’ content descriptors from year 2 and
year 3, respectively. Therefor, this is the expected prior
knowledge of the students.

General Capabilities (that may potentially be covered in the lesson)

Literacy Numeracy ICT competence Critical and Ethical Personal and Intercultural
creative thinking behaviour Social understanding
competence
Cross-curriculum priorities (may be addressed in the lesson)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Asia and Australia’s engagement with Sustainability
histories and cultures Asia
Proficiencies:(Mathematics only)

Understanding Fluency Problem Solving Reasoning

Lesson Objectives (i.e. anticipated outcomes of this lesson, in point form beginning with an action verb)

As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:

- Identify what an equivalent fraction is (2 fractions with different parts, equalling the same amount).
- Represent equivalent fraction(s) in the cutting-out activity
- Represent equivalent fractions through the concrete, ‘folding and shading’ initial activity

Teacher’s Prior Preparation/Organisation: Provisions for Learner diversity (G&T, SWD, EALD, SAER)

- A4/A5 paper is ready - Leave a drawing on the board that highlights the
- Assessment rubric relating to the 3 objectives is principal of equivalent fractions i.e. 2 quarters of
printed and ready for marking students work. football is equal to 1 half.
- YouTube Video is ready - If understanding the concept of equivalent fractions
- All supporting documentation is ready is difficult, use the ‘open ended’ colour chart with
- Pens, pencils, scissors and glue are ready all the numbers of equivalent fractions present, and
- Read scope and sequence for prior knowledge simply shade the corresponding values to the
shape. This will hopefully show how equivalent
fractions can have different numbers, however be
valued the same.
- Extension task: ask G&T students to use their
equivalent fractions made, and link it to possible
everyday events occurring.

LESSON EVALUATION (to be completed AFTER the lesson)

Assessment of Lesson Objective and Suggestions for Improvement:

1. Did all students understand the principal of equivalent fractions?
2. Were the open ended questions beneficial to understanding the concept of equivalent fractions?
3. Does more explicit teaching need to be implemented before moving onto the activities?
Teacher self-reflection and self-evaluation:

1. Was the delivery clear, and was the correct mathematical terminology used to convey important messages?
2. Was the time management efficient? Was there enough time designated to the end to re-establish the main
objectives of the lesson

[OFFICIAL USE ONLY] Comments by classroom teacher, HOPP, supervisor:

LESSON DELIVERY (attach worksheets, examples, marking key, etc, as relevant)

Time Stages of the Lesson Resources/References
Align these with the segment where
they will be introduced.
Stage 1 Introduction
8:30am Students are sat at their desk, and the following discussion question is
posed to the students

- “can you tell me where someone uses fractions in their life?”.

If students struggle with this, suggest the concept of a pizza
having eight slices and/or a football game having 4 quarters.

- Ask the students if the know what the term ‘equivalent’ is

and clarify it if the students are unsure of this. Before the Understanding proficiency is used here to check
explicit teaching begins, represent two objects that are if students understand the term equivalent
(School Curriculum and Standards Authority,
equivalent, before representing equivalent fractions, to [SCSA], 2014)
firmly express the definition of equivalent.

- Show the students the modified Taylor Swift song ‘Fractions’.

This fun and energetic song combined with pop culture star
Taylor swift will intrigue the students on the topic. Also, the
catchy song is a great form of students recalling essential https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNCfrlVl3tA
rules of equivalent fractions. (Martin, 2016)

- Inform the students that today’s lesson is about equivalent

fractions.

Stage 2 Body of lesson

8:35am Explicit Teaching Stage

Hand each student 4 pieces of A5 pieces of paper.

- Tell students to fold 1 piece of paper in half, and to shade 1 A5 paper
half of this sheet.

- Next, tell the students to fold another piece of paper into 4 Explicit teaching done here
This represents students ‘concrete’ learning.
quadrant parts, and to shade 2 pieces of this sheet.

- Ask students to compare the 2 sheets, and pose the

question, what is common between the 2 sheets?

- Aim to elicit the term ‘equal’ or ‘equivalent’ from the

students

- Highlight that the sheet with 2 equal parts with half of it Understanding proficiency is relevant here in
shaded, has the same amount shaded as the sheet with 2/4 regard to understanding how different numbers
in fractions can represent the same value.
quadrants shaded. This represents an equivalent fraction.
(SCSA, 2014)
Number each half/quadrant to represent this concrete
activity into number form (fraction).

- Do this same process again, but fold the paper into thirds
and sixths, and ask students to compare again between the 2
sheets. Collect this work from the students for marking
purposes.
 This exposes students to partitioning concrete
8:45am Activity objects. Therefore, this section represents the
- Pose the open-ended question to the students. How many understanding proficiency (SCSA, 2014)
equivalent fractions can you find for 1/2?

- Ask students to represent this by cutting out equal sized

Glue Sticks, Scissors, Pencils (coloured), A4 paper
pieces of paper to represent the fractions.

- Hand out, glue, pencils, scissors and A4 pieces of paper.

Reasoning Proficiency: justification of a
mathematical concept and analyses of a how the
- Monitor the students by walking around the classroom student used their specific strategy (SCSA, 2014)
Ask students to show you their progress of there work and to
justify why they have done the work in a specific way.

- Extend the task by asking the select few students to see if This reinforces the consideration to other
they can use their equivalent fractions and relate it to content strands. Refer to ‘learning area’ of
everyday every day events lesson plan

- If students struggle, perhaps introduce the colour-in-sheet

that requires students to shade in a series of paired shapes,
that have different divisions, to identify all the possible half Equivalent fraction colour chart.
combinations. Attached is an example.

- Students finish where they are, and sheets are collected for
marking. Make sure students put their name of their sheet.

- Glue sticks, pencils, scissors are returned to their location,

and students clean up their desk and wait for instructions.

9:05am Stage 3: Conclusion

1. Instruct students to write down the definition of ‘equivalent’, Scrap paper, pencil.
on a scrap piece of paper. Ensure students write their name
on this and hand it in after class.
2. Revisit the definition of an equivalent fraction (popcorn
discussion): this is the key take home message. Be clear, and
confident on the delivery of this definition.
3. Instruct students to tell their partner 1 equivalent fraction of
1/2. (ask 4 partners, to gauge the students understanding)

9:15am Transition: (What needs to happen prior to the next lesson?)

(finish)
1. Students have already cleaned their desk and returned all
stationary used for the lesson.
2. Grading of the material needs to happen before the next
allocated maths lesson, to see whether students need
further teaching on the content, or if we can move on from
this topic, as it is too simple for the students.

Assessment strategies:

Objective 1: Checklist: to determine whether students now know the

definition of ‘equivalent’. Observation: to see whether students
Assessment of objectives document
copied off other students or were looking for assistance.

Objective 2/3: collect student work and use the grading matrix to
assess student work
 References

Martin, A. (2016, January 23). Equivalent Fractions (Taylor Swift “Bad Blood”) [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNCfrlVl3tA

School Curriculum and Standards Authority. (2014). Mathematic v8.1: Year 4 Syllabus. Retrieved from
https://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/teaching/curriculum-browser/mathematics-v8