Lesson Goals
Students will be able to do add and/or subtract mixed fractions with like denominators. Students will also be able to create a product by using any type of visual art process.
This lesson is teaching students how to add and subtract mixed fractions with like denominators by creating their own fraction city using any type of visual arts such as drawing, painting, weaving, printing, or even technology.
Materials
Construction paper
Graph paper
Paint
Color pencils/Markers/Crayons
Crafty materials (Ex: Popsicle sticks, pompoms, shape stickers, pipe cleaners, etc.)
Technology
Glue
Hot Clay
Activities
1. Use the “I do”, “We do”, “You do” method to model and practice adding or subtracting mixed fractions with like denominators using area models.
2. After practice with your class, show them examples of student work in the past or show them your example of a fraction city that you have created using a mixed fraction problem/equation that you have to solve create the fraction city.
**You need to make sure that they know that they have to solve a problem first before creating their final product. Also giving them guidelines about how much of a material they can use.
3. Hand out problems to student according to the appropriate leveling. Once they solve using area models, let students go out and construct their product.
Differentiation Approaches
For the higher kids you can have them make up their own fraction equation/problem and make their own city. For your middle group you can give them a fraction equation/problem and have them solve and create. For the lower group, give them an easy fraction equation and problem and have them solve.
For the creation part, let them have the variety to choose from because students that aren’t artsy might like technology and those that aren’t tech savvy may be artsy.
Assessment
Based on their final product you will be able to tell if the student understands how to add and/or subtract mixed number with like denominators.
Follow Up and Extension Ideas
This can be used in social studies for talking about population and the census. You can put all of the art work together and add up all the solutions to find out the total population count to symbolize a census. Also you can take away some artwork to show how a population can be affected.
Additional Details
- Grade Level: Fourth
- Arts Content Area: Visual Arts
- Non-Arts Content Area: Math
