Clip 3/16: Adding and Subtracting Fractions Using a Line Plot Lesson Part 1B
Overview
As she continues to circulate among her 5th-grade students at their table groups, Mallory asks, “What are some things that we’ve noticed so far?” Students share their ideas: “We need all the denominators that are fourths we got to … what’s the word? Convert. Convert them into eighths.” With other groups, Mallory engages with other questions: “Do you guys have a direction of where we’re going from here?” “Why is it important for us to put that data in order?” “Why did you guys decide to create your number line from 1/8 to 2?” “Were there any disagreements about your line plots?”
Teacher Commentary
Teacher Commentary
When they’re working in groups, I look to see if they’re engaged, other than the clear answers, and they are participating or actively looking or writing. I think you can kind of feel the demeanor of the child that they're in the activity there, are really trying eagerly to find the answer. It's not out of compliance. It's out of trying to discover what the solution might be. A lot of dialogue happens when my children are actively engaged. You'll hear conversations across the room, even when my back is to them, where they're actively seeking and questioning and having those conversations and they're justifying each other's answer. Having conversations to say, like, “I agree with you because” or “I’d like to add on to that” or “You know, I disagree with you, and here's why.”