Fractions and Decimals

Strand: Number
Outcomes: 8, 9, 10

Step 5: Follow-up on Assessment

Guiding Questions

What conclusions can be made from assessment information?
How effective have instructional approaches been?
What are the next steps in instruction?

A. Addressing Gaps in Learning

Draw on the prior knowledge of the students, spending time reviewing simple fractions as part of a region before introducing fractions as part of a set. Review the meaning of fraction and how it relates to a part and to a whole.
Provide everyday contexts for fractions and decimals that the students can relate to.
Use concrete materials such as fractions bars, fraction blocks, base ten materials and money. Connect the concrete to diagrams and symbols.
Allow the students to use concrete materials as long as necessary to establish an understanding of the concepts.
Emphasize the similarities and differences between a fraction of a region and a fraction of a set.
Connect the number line to concrete fraction bars, recognizing that the number line is very abstract for many students.
Ask guiding questions to direct the student's thinking. See the examples provided on the one-on-one assessment.
Provide time for the students to explore and construct their own meaning rather than being told.
Encourage flexibility in thinking as the students describe various ways to order fractions.
Have the students share their thinking with others so that the students having some difficulty hear how another person thinks about fractions and decimals in 'kid' language.

B. Reinforcing and Extending Learning

The students who have achieved or exceeded the outcomes will benefit from ongoing opportunities to apply and extend their learning. These activities should support the students in developing a deeper understanding of the concept and should not progress to the outcomes in subsequent grades.

Strategies for Reinforcing and Extending Learning