Lesson 11

Workshop: More Than, Less Than, or Equal To

Est. Class Sessions: 1

Summarizing the Lesson

Give each student an index card or self-adhesive note to create a fraction card. Tell students that the class is at a party with lots of pizzas all the same size. The pizzas are cut into equal-size pieces. To provide variety, tell each student or pair of students a different denominator for the way their pizza is cut.

For example:

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  • The pizza at your table was divided into [sixths]. What fraction of the pizza would you eat if you could?

Tell students to choose whether their pizza is round or rectangular. Each student draws a picture that shows how much pizza they would eat and writes the fraction in numbers and words on the fraction card. See Figure 5.

Ask students who would eat 1/2 of a pizza to place their fraction cards on the display of the Benchmark Number Line. As these students are displaying their fraction cards, ask other students for a few examples of fractions that are equal to 1/2. Ask students who would eat a whole pizza to place their fraction cards on the class number line. Again, ask students to name fractions that are equal to one whole, such as 8/8 or 4/4. Continue asking students to place their fraction cards on the number line: a little more than 1/2, a little less than 1/2, close to one whole, close to zero, etc. For this task it is important that students get the fractions in about the right place. You may ask a few students to put the fractions in correct order later.

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Customize the fractions to each student's readiness. Assign denominators that can be represented by the fraction circle pieces for those that require support. Assign denominators that cannot be represented easily with the fraction circle pieces for those that are ready for more of a challenge.

Student Guide:
Student Activity Book:
Master:
Example of fraction cards showing 4/6
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