Introduction to Fractions

Learning Context

This Learning Experience (LE) takes place in a first grade inclusion classroom in a suburban setting. The classroom consists of 17 students. Of these students, two have identified learning disabilities. The class is generally team taught between a general education teacher and a special education teacher.

Purpose/Rationale

Having a familiarity with fractions is an important skill for students to develop, not only for future, more advanced, work with fractions but also for use in day to day life. Through an introductory level of understanding of the fractions ½ and ¼, students can expand into more advanced learning.

Enduring Understanding

Dividing a shape into halves will result in two shares that are equal in size. Likewise, dividing a shape into fourths or quarters will result in four shares which are equal in size.

Essential Question

When partitioning a shape into a larger number of equal shares, are there smaller or larger pieces?

Guiding questions

What do halves look like?
What do fourths look like?
What does it look like to shade in a quarter of a shape?
What does it look like to shade in half of a shape?
Which is larger? One-half or one-fourth?

KEY VOCABULARY (related to the standard)

Half-one of two equal parts
Fourth- one of four equal parts
Shade- color in
Horizontal- straight across (left to right)
Vertical- straight up/down
Equal- the same as
Share- a fractional piece which is part of a whole

Overview of What Students Need to Know

Prior to Learning Experience:
Prior to this Learning Experience was a measuring unit. Students learned to measure various things using objects (paper clips, tiles, cubes, feet, etc). As a result students are aware of fractions at a very elementary level. If students noticed something fell in between two units of measure, they were to label that as a half (although it may have been more or less than a half).

Identify that a fraction is used when it is part of whole (may not know what specific fractions look like)

During and after implementation of Learning Experience:

Use a ruler to draw a straight line
Identify what half looks like
Identify what one fourth looks like
Identify that dividing a shape into a larger number of shares results in smaller shares.