Fractions

Strand: Number
Outcome: 7

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 students, spending time reviewing simple fractions as part of a region and part of a set. Review the meaning of fraction and how it relates to a part and to a whole.
Provide everyday problem-solving contexts that students can relate to.
Use a variety of concrete materials, such as folding paper, fractions strips, fraction circles, pattern blocks and geoboards. Connect the concrete to diagrams and symbols as students develop understanding of equivalent fractions and comparing fractions.
Allow the students to use concrete materials as long as necessary to establish an understanding of the concepts.
Emphasize the similarities and differences between part of a region and part of a set.
Have the students demonstrate their understanding of equivalent fractions and comparing fractions by solving problems using symbols first and then verifying their solutions by using pictorial and/or concrete representations.
Connect the number line to concrete fraction strips, recognizing that the number line is very abstract for many students.
Ask guiding questions to direct the student's thinking. See the examples provided in Step 4, Part B: 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 students describe various ways to order fractions.
Have the students share their thinking with others so that students having some difficulty hear how another person thinks about equivalent fractions and comparing fractions in kid-friendly language.

B. Reinforcing and Extending Learning

Students who have achieved or exceeded the outcomes will benefit from ongoing opportunities to apply and extend their learning. These activities should support 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 Word