Clip 3/9: Lesson - Part 2: Formative 5th Grade

Overview

Using whiteboards, students were asked to draw a line segment and draw marks to divide it into 3/3. Then they had to explain their reasoning using the sentence frame: This represents 3/3 because ___. Next students were asked to mark the diagram to indicate where 2/3 would be located.

Teacher Commentary

This introduction to the card sort was used to identify misconceptions with representing a fraction using a measurement model (number line), which had already been identified as an area of difficulty during the pre-assessment. Some students had the idea that three marks would indicate 3/3. Several students were also imprecise about placing 2/3 at an exact point on the number line. By having students examine and critique each others’ diagrams, some students were able to make sense and revise their thinking. I noticed that students who labeled the diagram were better able to make sense of the fractional parts.