Each lesson is structured around a big mathematical idea with several smaller ideas embedded in the lesson to help students make mathematical connections. The Connector and Focus sections provide directions for organizing student activities along with possible student responses and teaching suggestions. The Follow-up section is designed to be a meaningful assessment of student understanding. For example, in a lesson on the Division Concept of Fraction, the Big Idea is using the division concept for understanding the meaning of a fraction. The paper strips are each labeled 3 to indicate that they are to be considered 3 wholes.
Volunteers share their methods at the overhead.
Next, the groups are asked to find the areas of the different regions on the paper if the area of the whole sheet is 17 units. After their presentations and discussion of the area problem, students are given a worksheet activity in which they determine the fractional parts of both linear and area models. The last activity in the Focus is a worksheet of real world situations in which students are asked to model and discuss division, using coffee stirrers or their own drawings. In the Follow-up activity the students are expected to apply the division model to determine fractional areas of figures and to apply the model to real situations. A set of blackline masters is included in the kit.