Unit 4 will focus on supporting student understanding of computations with fractions building on fair sharing and number line activities. We will discuss the importance of connecting conceptual understanding to procedural competency, helping students to understand both the why and the how behind computations. This understanding of both concepts and procedures supports students’ ability to identify errors and to transfer the use of computations to new contexts.

This unit offers a selection of Core Resources, an Expert Panel video, and a self-assessment/reflection activity. These resources and activities will guide you to explore common student misconceptions and ways to introduce activities that help build an understanding of and ability to apply procedures with fractions. Additional Resources will also be available to explore some other websites, tools, and videos. As in Units 2 and 3, we offer an extended time frame for this unit to allow time to explore the resources and to try these ideas in practice. Finally, you will be asked to finalize your course project and to offer feedback to at least 3 colleagues on their submissions. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to swap and share high quality lessons with the community of educators in the course! Project submissions will be ongoing throughout Units 4 and 5.

Guiding Questions for this Unit

1. How can students be introduced to operations with fractions in ways that form a good foundation for using fractions to solve problems?
2. How can you identify and address students’ misconceptions about operations with fractions?
3. How can fair-sharing and number line activities be used to support an understanding of computations with fractions?