few_shots: 
Example 1:
Problem/activity:
You’re mixing ingredients for cookies. The recipe says to combine 6 tablespoons, or ¾ stick, of butter with 1 cup of sugar. You accidentally mix in a whole stick of butter (8 tablespoons) with the cup of sugar. How can you fix this?


Concept/skill: 
Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.

Answer: 
No. Usually problems that teach recognizing and representing proportional relationships between quantities involve deciding whether two quantities are in a proportional relationship or identifying the constant of proportionality, and then representing proportional relationships by equations or explaining proportional relationship using coordinate graphs.

Example 2:
Problem/activity:
For each pair of numbers, determine if the values are equivalent. Explain your reasoning for each one.
a.
$$-0.25$$
and
$$\frac{1}{-4}$$
b.
$$-\left ( \frac{1}{4} \right )$$
and
$$\frac{-1}{-4}$$
c.
$$\frac{-1}{4}$$
and
$$-\frac{1}{4}$$


Concept/skill: 
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction or whole number by a fraction.

Answer: 
No. The expressions shown in this problem do not involve multiplying fractions with other fractions, nor whole numbers with fractions.

Example 3:
Problem/activity:
Problem 1
The table below contains single equations in a single variable, single equations in two variables, and pairs of simultaneous equations in two variables. Check the appropriate box to show whether there is no solution, exactly 1 solution, or if there is an infinite number of solutions.
|                                                          | **           No solution          ** | **           Exactly 1 solution          ** | **           Infinite number of solutions          ** |
|----------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
|                       $${9=4x+7}$$                       |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
|                       $${y=3y+5}$$                       |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
|                    $${y={x\over2}}$$                     |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
|                     $${3x+6y-9=0}$$                      |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
|    $${x=y}$$                        $${1.25x=1.25y}$$    |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
| $${9.9=6x+8y}$$                        $${9x=2.5y-8.8}$$ |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
| $${11x-2y=1.5}$$                        $${11x-2y=2.5}$$ |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
Problem 2
Kim has a small container and a large container as shown.
[IMG]
It takes 16 of the small containers to fill the large container. Three small containers leave 1.95 gallons of space in the big container.
What is the size of each of the two containers?


Concept/skill: 
Analyze and solve pairs of simultaneous linear equations.

Answer: 
Yes. The last three rows of the table in the first problem involves solving pairs of simultaneous linear equations. The second word problem can also be represented as two simultaneous linear equations.

Now, does the problem or activity shown below enable students to learn the full intent of the following concept or skill?

shot_info: fl_problem_000972_neg_0

6

fl_problem_001097_neg_0

7

fl_problem_001392_pos_0

8
standard_description: Informally assess the degree of visual overlap of two numerical data distributions with similar variabilities, measuring the difference between the centers by expressing it as a multiple of a measure of variability. For example, the mean height of players on the basketball team is 10 cm greater than the mean height of players on the soccer team, about twice the variability (mean absolute deviation) on either team; on a dot plot, the separation between the two distributions of heights is noticeable.
problem_activity: Narrative
The purpose of this activity is for students to write expressions for and find the area of shaded regions whose side lengths are a unit fraction and a non-unit fraction. Students look at a series of diagrams with an increasingly large shaded region so they can look for and make use of structure (MP7).
It is important to relate the work here to what students have already learned about the product of a unit fraction and a unit fraction and this is the goal of the synthesis. For example, students have seen that
\(\frac{1}{5} \times \frac{1}{3} = \frac{1}{15}\)
. Since
\(\frac{6}{5}\)
is 6
\(\frac{1}{5}\)
s, the product
\(\frac{6}{5} \times \frac{1}{3}\)
will be 6
\(\frac{1}{15}\)
s or
\(\frac{6}{15}\)
.
MLR8 Discussion Supports.
Prior to solving the problems, invite students to make sense of the situations and take turns sharing their understanding with their partner. Listen for and clarify any questions about the context.
Advances: Listening, Conversing
Launch
Groups of 2
Display image A from the student workbook.
“What is a multiplication expression that represents the shaded region?”(
\(\frac{2}{5} \times \frac{1}{3}\)
,
\(2 \times \frac{1}{15}\)
)
“How does the diagram represent your expression?”(There is
\(\frac{2}{5}\)
of the first row shaded and that row is
\(\frac{1}{3}\)
of the square. There are 2 shaded pieces and each is
\(\frac{1}{15}\)
of the whole square.)
Activity
3–5 minutes: independent work time
3–5 minutes: partner discussion
Monitor for students who:
notice that the product of the numerators represents how many pieces of the square are shaded.
notice that the product of the denominators represents the number of pieces in the whole square.
Student Facing
Write a multiplication expression that represents the shaded region in each diagram.
A
[IMG]
B
[IMG]
C
[IMG]
What patterns do you notice in the multiplication expressions?
Han wrote this equation to represent the area of the shaded region. Explain how the diagram represents the equation.
\(\phantom{2.5cm} \\ \frac {6}{5} \times \frac {1}{3} = \frac {6}{15}\)
[IMG]
Student Response
Teachers with a valid work email address can
click here to register or sign in
for free access to Student Response.
Advancing Student Thinking
If students write mathematically correct multiplication expressions that do not represent the product of a unit fraction and a non-unit fraction, write this type of multiplication expression that represents the diagram and ask “How does this expression represent the area of the shaded region in the diagram?”
Activity Synthesis
Ask previously selected students to share the patterns they noticed in the table.
Display the expression from the last problem:
\(\frac {6}{5} \times \frac {1}{3} = \frac {6}{15}\)
.
“How does the diagram show
\(\frac {1}{3}\)
?” (The first row of pieces in a square is
\(\frac{1}{3}\)
of the square.)
“How does the diagram show
\(\frac {6}{5}\)
?” (There are 6 pieces shaded and each one is
\(\frac{1}{5}\)
of the row.)
“How does the diagram show
\(\frac {6}{5} \times \frac {1}{3}\)
?” (There is
\(\frac{6}{5}\)
of a row shaded and that row is
\(\frac{1}{3}\)
of a square unit.)


aligns: no