Lesson Plan 1

Activity Title:	Learning Fractions With M&M’s Grade Level: 4
Rationale:	Students will use and encounter fractions in their everyday lives. This lesson will help improve student’s understanding of fractions and the purpose of fractions within our everyday lives.
Goals:	Students will apply knowledge and number sense including numeration and operations. Students will also investigate, report, represent, and solve problems using number facts and their properties by solving one and two step problems involving fractions. Students will understand what fractions are and how to use them.
Objective:	Students will understand that the numerator is the number of selected parts. The students will understand that the denominator is the total number of equal parts that make up the whole set. This will further their understanding for comparing and ordering fractions with same denominator and for adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators.
Readiness/Pre-assessment:	Students should have encountered fractional vocabulary in third and fourth grades. Their fractional encounters should have included understanding the meaning of numerator and denominator. However, by using this lesson I will know if they truly understand this concept and can apply it to everyday situations.
Materials and equipment needed:	M&M’s, Bowl, Cups (one per student), paper towels (one per student).
Introduction:	This activity very easily captures and keeps the students attention. This lesson sticks with the students which will enable me to refer back to it throughout the unit on fractions. First, I will have a big bowl of M&M’s sitting on the front table of the room. I will let them wonder if we get the eat the M&M’s. I will probably help myself to a couple in front of the students to encourage questions as to why there are M&M’s in the bowl and what will be using them for and if they can eat them, too. I will tell the students that they will get a cup full of M&M’s, but before they do this they must agree not to eat any of their M&M’s until they have completed the assignment.
Instruction:	Call two students at a time to come up and fill their cup with M&M’s and to get a paper towel. Once all the students have returned to their seats, tell them to carefully pour their M&M’s out onto their paper towels. Ask them to count how many M&M’s they have and to write this number down on a piece of paper so they will not forget it. Next, tell the students to count out how many of each color of the M&M’s they have and to write this out on their paper also. I will have an overhead transparency for a visual aid to help students understand what I am asking them to do. After completing this part of the lesson, start a class discussion with asking the question, “What part of a fraction is the denominator?” If students answers the bottom part, ask this student what does the “bottom part” or denominator mean and ask them to explain what part of their M&M’s would be the denominator. Help children to associate that the total number of their M&M’s represents the denominator in a fraction. Next, repeat this procedure with the vocabulary of the numerator. Help the students to associate the number of each color as representing the numerator of a fraction and that if they have 5 green and 14 M&M’s that the fractional part of green is 5/14ths. Then show the students that by taking all the fractions parts represented by the different colors and putting them together they get one whole set. This demonstrations will help students connect to the idea of a fraction being part of a whole set and that the numerator is the fractional part of the whole set. After completing the lesson, allow students to eat their M&M’s. I could also extend this lesson for uses in graphing when we reach the graphing unit.
Evaluation of Lesson:	I will want to see if this lesson would stay within the time frame allotted for it. Did the students meet the objectives of understanding numerator/denominator? What questions did they ask? Did I answer knowledgably so as they could understand? Did I give clear, concise demonstrations and directions?
Of students:	I need to ask questions throughout to make sure the students understand the concepts of numerator/denominator. I need to record questions asked and also need to record the groups and their understanding of making the various fractions. Ask questions of each group individually to see if students understand why 5 green M&M’s out of 14 total M&M’s represent a fractional part of a whole set. To evaluate students individually, I will call on students randomly to have them explain their colors in fractions and what these represent.
Individualization:	Remediation: Have students use unifix cubesof various colors to help reinforce the concept of numerator/denominator and also to reinforce their understanding of fractional parts making up the whole and parts of a whole set.
	Enrichment: Have these students to do an Internet search for lessons that involve the concepts of a fraction being part of a whole and the whole set. Give these students an opportunity to share the lessons they have found. Be sure and tell these students that they must be able to explain the concepts contained within their lessons found.
	Special Needs: Pair these students with others that will quickly grasp the concepts presented in these lessons. However, also have the resource teacher to make sure they receive follow up on each concept introduced within the classroom using manipulatives at all times. Check to make sure that candy can be used by all students. If not, provide multicolored beads to be used in the place of M&M’s. Provide stickers or fruit as an alternative treat for these students.
Self-Reflections:	_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ This section will be to reflect on how the lesson went with the students and if I would have any changes etc. the next I would use this lesson.