Lesson 11

Use Factors to Find Equivalent Fractions

Lesson Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is for students to generate equivalent fractions numerically, by using factors and multiples of the numerator and denominator.

Lesson Narrative

In earlier lessons, students saw that one way to generate equivalent fractions is by grouping unit fractions on a number line into larger units. For instance, 12 twelfths could be put in groups of 3 to make 4 equal parts, each part being a fourth. Or they could be put into groups of 2 to make 6 equal parts, each part being a sixth, which means that \(\frac{12}{12} = \frac{4}{4} = \frac{6}{6}\). Some students may have related these observations to the fact that \(12 \div 4 = 3\) and \(12 \div 2 = 6\). These insights are formalized and generalized in this lesson.

Students have also generated equivalent fractions and verified equivalence by multiplying the numerator and denominator by the same number. In this lesson, they find equivalent fractions by dividing \(a\) and \(b\) by a factor \(n\) that is common to both numbers.

  • Engagement
  • MLR8

Learning Goals

Teacher Facing

  • Generate equivalent fractions by using factors of the numerator and denominator.
  • Reason about fraction equivalence numerically, by using multiples or factors of the numerator and denominator.

Student Facing

  • Let’s find equivalent fractions by working with numerators and denominators.

Required Materials

Materials to Copy

  • Fractions Galore

Required Preparation

Activity 3:

  • Create a set of Fraction Galore cards from the blackline for each group of 3.

CCSS Standards

Addressing

Lesson Timeline

Warm-up 10 min
Activity 1 20 min
Activity 2 15 min
Activity 3 15 min
Lesson Synthesis 10 min
Cool-down 5 min

Teacher Reflection Questions

What evidence did you see of students choosing a method strategically as they generated equivalent fractions? For students who chose a fixed way regardless of the given fractions, what questions could you ask them to prompt them to be more strategic?

Suggested Centers

  • Get Your Numbers in Order (1–5), Stage 4: Denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 100 (Addressing)
  • Mystery Number (1–4), Stage 4: Fractions with Denominators 5, 8, 10, 12, 100 (Addressing)

Print Formatted Materials

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Student Task Statements pdf docx
Lesson Cover Page pdf docx
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Teacher Presentation Materials pdf docx
Blackline Masters zip

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