Introduce
the set representation by having each pair of students examine an egg
carton filled with plastic eggs (or some other marker if plastic eggs
are unavailable or cost prohibitive.) Ask students how many eggs are in
the set. [12.] Suppose six are used to bake a cake. Have students remove
six eggs. Students should record their egg configuration on the Eggsactly Eggs Activity Sheet.
Eggsactly Eggs Activity Sheet
Have students participate in a gallery walk examining other
students’ egg cartons to see all the different ways students might have
removed six.
- Ask students what all the egg cartons have in common. [There are six remaining.]
- What fraction of the entire set is 6? [6/12; accept 1/2 or
other equivalent fractions.] If students do not make the connection
between equivalent fractions, e.g., 6/12 = ___, they have an
opportunity to develop these relationships in later lessons.
- What
fraction was removed? [6/12 or 1/2] Have students label their recording
sheet as 6/12. Some students may choose to label their sheet with an
equivalent fraction, such as 1/2. If so, this provides an excellent
opportunity to introduce equivalent fractions.
Continue removing varying numbers of eggs. For example, suppose
this time that we need eight eggs to bake our cake. Have students
remove eight eggs. Students should record their egg configuration on
the Eggsactly Eggs Activity Sheet. Have students go on another gallery walk to see all the different ways students might have removed eight.
- Ask students what all the egg cartons have in common. [There are four remaining.]
- What fraction of the
entire set is 4? [4/12; accept 1/3 or 2/6.]
- What fraction was removed? [8/12, 2/3, or 4/6.] For the
remaining eggs, have students label their recording sheet as 4/12.
[Accept 1/3 or 2/6.]
Have students investigate the different ways they can arrange
their eggs when given the fraction. For example, ask students to
show 1/4 of a dozen? (Use the Eggsactly Eggs Activity Sheet to have students represent several different
configurations all equivalent to 1/4 of a dozen.) Have students
identify fraction relationships associated with the set (e.g., 6 of the
set of 12 eggs is the same as 6/12 of the set, OR when the numerator
stays the same and the denominator increases, the fractions become
smaller — 1/3 is smaller in area than 1/2).
Have students work in pairs to continue the investigation as
different numbers of eggs are used. Students should be given time to
investigate the variety of ways in which the eggs can be arranged.
These arrangements should be recorded on the Eggsactly Eggs Activity Sheet and the sheet should be labeled according to the
fraction. For example, students might use several images of the egg
carton on the activity sheet to record all the ways to show x of a dozen.
Have students investigate the different ways they can arrange
their eggs when given the fraction. For example, ask students to show
1/4 of a dozen? (Use the Eggsactly Eggs Activity Sheet to have students represent several different
configurations all equivalent to 1/4 of a dozen.) Have students
identify fraction relationships associated with the set (e.g., 1/2 of
the set of 12 eggs is the same as 6/12 of the set, OR when the
numerator stays the same and the denominator increases, the fractions
become smaller, e.g. 1/3 is smaller in area than 1/2).
Convene the whole class to discuss the activities in this
lesson. The guiding questions may be used to focus the class discussion
as they were used to focus individual student’s attention on the
mathematics learning objectives of this lesson.
