Lesson Plan #: AELP-ATH0206
Fractions with Oranges
An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan Submitted by: Angela Elsmore
Email: alegna2@yahoo.com
School/University/Affiliation: Honey Hollow Elementary, Moreno Valley, CA
Date: July 13, 2002
Grade Level: Kindergarten, 1, 2
Subject(s):
Duration: 40 minutes
Description: This lesson provides an introductory activity for fractions. Oranges are used to show the difference between one whole, one half, and one quarter.
Goals: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM Standards) :
- Number and Operations Standard for Grades Pre-K–2: Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems (understand and represent commonly used fractions, such as 1/4, 1/3, and 1/2).
Objective: Students will be able to distinguish between the whole, half, and quarter pieces of an orange.
Materials:
- cutting platform
- knife
- sack of oranges
- paper towels
- paper plates
- overhead projector
- overhead pens
- basic fractions worksheet that uses circles as wholes (needs to be created by the teacher or taken from a classroom workbook)
Vocabulary:
- fraction - Cutting a whole into equal parts.
- whole - The entire object.
- part - A piece off a whole object.
- equal - Of the same amount or size.
- half - One of the parts that results when a whole is cut into two equal parts.
- quarter - One of the parts that results when a whole is cut into four equal parts.
Procedure:
Set up a cutting area in front of the students. Pull out the bag of oranges to get their attention. Inform students that they will be learning about fractions. Write the word fractions on the overhead. Pull out one orange and say, "This is a whole orange." Write whole on the overhead, and draw an orange next to it. Take the orange and dramatically cut it in half. Show students the two equal parts. Ask them if they think both parts are the same size. After they have agreed that they are "equal," write half on the overhead and draw half an orange. Pull out another orange. Ask students how much of an orange it is. The student who states that it is a whole orange can get the whole thing. Hold up one of the half pieces and ask how much of the whole orange it is. The student who answers half can get that part. Follow the same procedure to introduce a quarter of an orange. Repeat cutting up the oranges until students can all state what part you are holding up. Stress the importance of equal parts by cutting a couple of oranges unequally and offering these "unfair" parts to several students. Check for comprehension by having the class state the different parts you hold up. Also make sure to draw an orange with half of it shaded to show students how half is illustrated on paper. Also show how a quarter would be shaded on a circle so they are familiar with the representations when they work on their worksheet.
Assessment: Observe individual student responses during the activity. Check for individual understanding by having students complete a basic fractions worksheet that uses circles as wholes.
Useful Internet Resources:
* NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
http://standards.nctm.org/
* ABC Teach - Fraction Manipulatives
http://www.abcteach.com/Math/fraction1.htm
Special Comments: Wash oranges ahead of time. As an extension you can also have students estimate how many seeds are in an orange (if you have been teaching students about estimation).