Professional Portfolio

Unit Plan on Fractions

Home > CI-4000 > Unit Plan on Fractions

Unit Plan on Fractions

NC- (2008) North Carolina Standard Course of Study

Subject: English Language Arts

Grade: Third Grade

Students in third grade apply the foundational skills learned earlier automatically and flexibly to decode and comprehend fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. They use critical thinking skills which they apply strategically across the disciplines to comprehend and clarify information and ideas. They compose fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama for a variety of purposes and audiences. Third graders become increasingly independent and flexible in their use of communication skills and strategies. The learner will:

Read with fluency and comprehension fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
Apply strategies flexibly and strategically for recognizing words, learning new words, and constructing meaning from text(s).
Expand vocabulary through wide reading, word study, and discussion.
Write for a variety of audiences and purposes using appropriate formats.
Use active listening and effective oral communication.
Use media, a variety of information sources, and technological resources as tools for learning.
Apply grammar and language conventions to access and communicate information and ideas.
Reflect upon and make connections among language, texts, and personal experience.
Apply comprehension strategies and skills to a wide variety of genres

Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed

Standard 2.02 : Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, or viewing by

Benchmark or Practice: making predictions

Benchmark or Practice: asking questions

Benchmark or Practice: locating information for specific purposes

Benchmark or Practice: making connections

Benchmark or Practice: using story structure and text organization to comprehend

Subject: Mathematics (6-12)

Grade/Topic: Grade 3

Competency Goal 1: The learner will model, identify, and compute with whole numbers through 9,999.

Objective 1.01 : Develop number sense for whole numbers through 9,999.

Example: c) Compare and order.

Objective 1.03 : Develop fluency with multiplication from 1x1 to 12x12 and division up to two-digit by one-digit numbers using:

Example: a) Strategies for multiplying and dividing numbers.

Objective 1.05 : Use area or region models and set models of fractions to explore part-whole relationships.

Example: a) Represent fractions concretely and symbolically (halves, fourths, thirds, sixths, eighths).

Example: b) Compare and order fractions (halves, fourths, thirds, sixths, eighths) using models and benchmark numbers (zero, one-half, one); describe comparisons.

Example: c) Model and describe common equivalents, especially relationships among halves, fourths, and eighths, and thirds and sixths.

Example: d) Understand that the fractional relationships that occur between zero and one also occur between every two consecutive whole numbers.

Competency Goal 5: The learner will recognize, determine, and represent patterns and simple mathematical relationships.

Objective 5.01 : Describe and extend numeric and geometric patterns.

NC- North Carolina DPI Elementary Education Specialty Area Standards

Standard: Standard 1: Elementary teachers have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in English Language Arts and Literacy.

Indicator: Indicator 6: Teachers understand the importance of literacy for personal and social growth.

Standard: Standard 2: Elementary teachers have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in mathematics.

Indicator: Indicator 1: Teachers have knowledge of number sense, numeration, and numerical operation. Teachers:

Detail: Illustrate, explain, and demonstrate prenumeration, numeration, fractions, decimals, rational numbers, integers, ratio, proportion, and percentages, and

Standard: Standard 7 : Elementary teachers use developmentally appropriate strategies to design and deliver instruction in all areas of the elementary curriculum.

Indicator: Indicator 1: Teachers develop and implement the pacing and alignment of curriculum that is consistent with the NC SCOS, LEA standards and pacing guides, and national standards in all subject areas.

Indicator: Indicator 3: Teachers promote new learning by using students’ prior knowledge, misconceptions, and interests when designing lessons.

Indicator: Indicator 4: Teachers implement a variety of teaching and communication strategies for instruction.

Indicator: Indicator 5: Teachers assist students in developing multiple learning strategies to address discipline specific content, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.

Indicator: Indicator 6: Teachers modify instruction and assessments to meet the needs of individual students.

Indicator: Indicator 7: Teachers develop and use a variety of formal and alternative assessment strategies as an integral part of instruction and learning appropriate for assessing individual, peer, team, and collaborative skills.

Standard: Standard 9: Elementary teachers understand and use the processes of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connection, and representation as the foundation for the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Indicator: Indicator 1: Elementary teachers develop instruction in problem solving that enable all students to:

Detail: Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving;

Detail: Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts;

Detail: Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems;

Indicator: Indicator 3: Teachers develop instruction in communication that enable all students to:

Detail: Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication;

Detail: Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others;

Detail: Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others;

Detail: Use the language of mathematics to express mathematical ideas precisely.

Indicator: Indicator 4: Teachers develop instruction in making connections that enables all students to:

Detail: Understand how mathematical ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole;

Detail: Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics

Standard: Standard 15: Elementary teachers encourage underrepresented groups to engage in the schooling process, especially math and science.

Indicator: Indicator 1: Teachers use a variety of strategies to encourage underrepresented groups to engage in the schooling process, especially math and science. They:

Detail: Give personal attention and encouragement to underrepresented groups of students

Detail: Use relevant and real-world applications that interest a diverse population

Detail: Encourage underrepresented groups to assume leadership roles.

Context:

I taught a fraction unit to third graders at Mountain View Elementary during my Block II internship. The unit consisted of an introduction to fractions, naming fractional parts, comparing and ordering fractions, and equivalent fractions. Students are introduced to fractions at the end of second grade, but it is just the basics such as ½ and ¼. In third grade, they focus on reviewing fractions from second grade and building upon the knowledge to go beyond the basics. Fractions are a hard concept for students to grasp because they need some background knowledge on division. Fractions are also very hard for students to do without using visuals because they just cannot put the image in their head when you say ¼. Fractions are used in many life experiences and many people do not even realize they use fractions. We use fractions when we share food, with age (2 ½), cooking, and weighing things in the grocery store, and in height. Fractions are on rulers and students do not even realize it until they are introduced to it, they can be used in measuring things. Fractions are all around us and they needed to be learned to function in society. Students learn about fractions every year and depend on the knowledge from the prior year. The only difference is the content and level of difficulty. Most students have learned division in third grade before they do fractions because they are related, so this helps students with fractions. The third grade class I taught remembered some prior knowledge of fractions from second grade such as halves and fourths. They had not gotten into division much at all, so it made this unit more difficult. I tried to integrate division as much as possible, so they could see how they relate and learn about both concepts. Many of the students in the class are visual learners and learn by the act of doing instead of just listening. I learned this through observation of the class during math before I taught my unit. Fractions are in the third grade curriculum, particularly halves, fourths, thirds, sixths, and eighths. The only topic on the fractions I did not get to cover was mixed fractions due to lack of time.

Impact: Please see content area named Impact for Fraction Unit

Alignment:

I met Standard 1, Indicator 6, by reading children literature in three of my math lessons to the students. Students predicted what would happen in some of the books and answered discussion questions.

I met Standard 2, Indicator 1, by creating a lesson on fractions.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 1, by planning my lessons with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study so every lesson met an objective.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 3, by getting students to use their prior knowledge of fractions and designing lessons that would be interactive for the students.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 4, by using children literature, hands on activities, students coming up to board teaching one another, use of worksheets, and group work.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 5, by showing students examples of diagrams they can use to solve problems, use of a number line and how to use it to compare fractions, and using the strategy of multiplying the numerator and denominator by the same number to find equivalent fractions.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 6, by letting students revise work and gave some students more time to work on assignments.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 7, by assessing myself on the review cards, checking students work based on completeness, making rubrics for assignments, review sheets created, and students tested at end of unit.

I met Standard 9, Indicator 1, by having students solve problems by applying what they learned in the lesson. I showed examples on how to solve problems by using diagrams. I also created problems that applied to the real world.

I met Standard 9, Indicator 3, by having students come up to the board writing and explaining how they solved a problem to other students. I also had them explain their problems using math vocabulary and concepts that we learned throughout the unit.

I met Standard 9, Indicator 4, by explaining and asking where we see fractions every day and building upon our knowledge of fractions every day. In order to do equivalent fractions, students had to know how to name a fraction.

I met Standard 15, Indicator 1, by having female students come up to the board and show their work. Some females took the undertaking of teaching a problem. Problems given were relevant in the real world and might actually happen.

Note: Student A: Low Student
Student B: High Student
Student C: Medium Student

File Attachments: