Slice It Up! (Part One)

Explicit Instruction/Teacher Modeling

• Use the SMART Board lesson or cutouts of the teacher modeling images to model the process of partitioning shapes into halves, fourths, or eighths.
• As you model each form of partition, emphasize the number of pieces and the specific name for each piece (half, fourth, or eighth).
• Introduce the form of the fraction by showing students that the total number of pieces in a whole shape represents the bottom part (denominator) of a fraction.
• Emphasize that the denominator is “down” or on the bottom part of a written fraction.

Guided Practice/Interactive Modeling

• Distribute cutouts of four circles, or have the students cut the circles out.
• Guide the students through the process of folding the circles to create differing fractions, including one whole, two halves, four fourths, and eight eighths.
• Have students draw lines along folds and label the backs of the fractions. For example, have students label the circle with two parts “halves” on the back.

Independent Working Time

• Distribute cutouts of four squares, or have the students cut the squares out.
• Display the following words on the board, and read them aloud: halves, fourths, and eighths.
• Ask the students to use the same process they used in guided practice to create squares that represent halves, fourths, and eighths.
• By the end of the independent working time, students should have 8 sets of shapes: 4 circles that represent a whole, halves, fourths, and eighths, as well as 4 squares that represent these same fractions.

• Enrichment: After explaining the concept of how each piece represents one part, challenge the students to create varying types of fractions on the second page of Pizza Mania.
• Support: Utilizing the same worksheet, use only cutouts from the first page of Pizza Mania to contrast the difference between wholes, halves, and fourths. Have students create “pizzas” that reflect halves and fourths. If students struggle with creating equal halves, fourths, and eighths, give the students cutouts that have been prefolded, and have the students draw the lines to create the equal parts.

• Using Google Draw, have the students create their own shapes and create fractions that represent halves, fourths, and eighths.

• By this part of the lesson, students should have eight different shapes which are divided into differing fractions.
• Ask students to hold up the shape that shows halves.
• Continue to call out other fractions, including shapes that show fourths and eighths.

• Ask the students to compare the halves of the circle with the halves of the square.
• Ask how they are alike and different.
• Next, ask the students to identify the differences between the halves and the fourths of the same shape.
• Store the shapes in sandwich bags until the next lesson, when the shapes will be used to begin counting fractional parts.
• Close the lesson by playing the "Fractions" song.
• Have the students sing along after they have learned the song.