This lesson plan outlines a 30-minute direct instruction lesson for a 5th grade math class on multiplying fractions. The lesson begins with an anticipatory set using a real-world example of planning a cupcake party. Students will then work through a word problem as a class, drawing a picture to represent the fractions. In groups, students will practice drawing pictures to solve other fraction word problems. To assess understanding, students will complete an exit ticket word problem independently. The direct instruction approach is used to help students learn fractions in a relevant context.

1. Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Rachel K. Sreebny
TEED 523: Psych of Learning April 20, 2011
Premise:
This is a 30-minute lesson for an advanced 5th grade math class.
Learning to multiply using fractions is something students learn at the
beginning of 6th grade, but is a great way to review division and pictorial
representations of mathematics.
This would be the beginning of a unit on multiplying fractions. We start by
looking at this in a real-life context and would continue to use the context
to explore multiplication with fractions further. First students can
understand that ½ of 24, for example, is 12 and ½ of 12 is 6. Students can
work their way up to ½ * ½ = ¼ and ¼ of 24 = 6.
Learning Target:
Students will be able to draw and use picture diagrams to solve word
problems representing multiplication of fractions and whole
numbers. Students will be able to choose a picture that best fits the
fractions specified in a word problem.
Bloom Level: Application:
Students will learn to interpret word problem language. Students
will take this a step further by illustrating picture representations
in order to solve the math expressed in the word problem.
Evidence of Learning:
Students will demonstrate what they have learned by participating
in small, teacher-facilitated group work and additionally by completing an
independent “exit ticket (see Appendix 1)” before the end of the day.
Anticipatory Set:
I ask the students if they can remember 1st grade when they learned
how to add numbers together. Then I ask them if they had already known
what addition meant even before they learned how to use numbers and
symbols in school (as an example, a 5 year old can tell you that he can put
one cookie with another and have more cookies). I will explain that this is
the way we naturally learn about math. We learn about how math applies
to us in real life before we learn how to do it with symbols and textbooks in
the classroom. So, I am going to show them how to multiply using fractions
in a way that we might use it in real life. We will look at this kind of math in
the context of planning a cupcake party, which we will then have to
celebrate our knowledge at the end of the week.
*Note to substitute: You do not need to provide cupcakes 
Communication & Importance of Target:
“Today we’re going to learn how to multiply with fractions by using
pictures. You might recognize these pictures from back in 3rd grade when
you learned how to multiply, say, 3x5. Before we get to that, I’m going to do
this word problem out loud with you and show you how to collect the

2. Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Rachel K. Sreebny
TEED 523: Psych of Learning April 20, 2011
information you need to make a picture representation for your math.
Then, I’ll challenge you boys and girls to use this same math before you
leave today. It’s tricky, but there are so many different ways we can
understand this, so don’t worry if you don’t get everything right away. The
reason we’ll be using word problems and pictures is to help us understand
how to put this kind of math to use in our real lives. If we think about it
that way, it’ll be useful to you and it’ll help you understand the math
problems that we’ll be doing in your textbook later on.”
Input/Modeling:
I read a word problem aloud and put it on the doc cam.
“We are going to have a cupcake party on Friday. Since we celebrate
diversity in the classroom, we are going to get a variety of flavors:
chocolate, vanilla and bacon-flavored. 2/5 of the class wants good ol’
chocolate cupcakes. 1/3 of the rest of the students are brave enough to try
bacon cupcakes. There are 20 total students in the class. How many
students want vanilla cupcakes?”
(I think aloud and write this down:)
I always think of 2 important things when I look at a word problem. 1)
What do I know? 2) What do I need to solve for?
I know that: Total Students = 20
2/5 of Students = chocolate cupcakes = 8
1/3 of the rest = bacon cupcakes = 4
8 students or 2/5 = vanilla cupcakes  solve for
This is really difficult to visualize for some of us. A great way to make this
easier is to represent it as a picture. There are a lot of ways to make 20, but
I know that I have to find 2/5 of 20. I need to draw a picture that is a good
fit for that, so I’m going to use 4 rows and 5 columns.
OOOO Now that I have this in a picture, I can find
OOOO 2/5 easily! (Circle 2/5 of 20)
OOOO
OOOO 2/5 of 20 students = 8 students (write in 8 above)
0000
Check for Understanding:
Give me thumbs up if you are with me so far. Do you understand why
2/5 of 20 students is 8 students? Thumbs up or thumbs down.

3. Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Rachel K. Sreebny
TEED 523: Psych of Learning April 20, 2011
Input/Modeling:
OK, back to the problem. I know how many students want chocolate
cupcakes, but that’s not what I need to solve for, so I’m going to do some
more work. Next I need to find the bacon-cupcake students. It says that
1/3 of the rest of the students want bacon. So let’s figure out what 1/3 of
the rest is…
0000  these are chocolate
0000
0000 The rest is 3 rows of 4. So, 1/3 is (students
0000 answer 1 row of 4, hopefully)
0000 Now it’s easy to see how many want vanilla.
Check for Understanding/Guided Practice:
Have students in “genius groups” of up to 4 kids practice how to
make pictures that they can use to find fractions quickly. Give each genius
group a different total number and fraction to find. Students complete
these examples as the teacher walks around the room check for
understanding and make sure they are coming up with good pictures.
*Examples: 14 ducks  show me 2/7
15 caterpillars  show me 3/5
12 mongooses  show me 1/3
Closure/Independent Practice:
Pass out exit tickets.
“Class, we are going to learn how to multiply with fractions next
time. Using pictures is a nice way to start and even though we’ll get a little
more complex with our fractions later on, we can keep coming back to this
example of cupcakes to help it sink in.”
Have students complete and turn in exit tickets before they start on
next task. Students are encouraged to work independently as the exit
ticket is similar to the homework they will be doing.
Assign homework (2 word problems with increasing difficulty).
Why direct instruction?
As I mention to my students in the set, math is best learned in
context. While many students can complete math procedures
quickly and efficiently, this kind of math is useless without a firm
understanding of when and how to use it. With direct instruction, I
can help guide students through real-world context by using word
problems to introduce new math. I will break the unit down into
small chunks with a central focus on the real-world context in order
to help the math sink in for the students in a relevant way. Auditory
and visual learning also help students grasp this concept in multiple
ways, which is integral to fully understanding it.

4. Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Rachel K. Sreebny
TEED 523: Psych of Learning April 20, 2011
Appendix 1)
Exit Ticket:
Justin Bieber has come to Eva-Walker Elementary School! He is generous
enough to bring 15 autographed photos of himself. He gives Ms. Sreebny
3/5 of the photos. Ms. Sreebny then gives away 2/3 of her photos to her
students. How many photos does Ms. Sreebny keep for herself?
Hints: What do you know?
What is the question asking for? It’’s asking for the ones she keeps
Draw a picture to help you solve the problem.
Example solution:
OOOOO I know that there are 15 photos and
OOOOO that I should draw them so I can
OOOOO (3x5 = 15 photos) find 3/5 easily.
OOOOO If he gives her 3/5, then that is 3
OOOOO equal parts out of 5.
OOOOO 3/5 of the photos = 9 photos That comes out to 9 photos.
OOOOO I know that 2/3 of those 9 photos
OOOOO is 2 equal parts out of 3 parts.
OOOOO She gives away 2/3 of the 9 photos (or 6 photos)
So Ms. Sreebny has 3 photos for herself. It’’s asking for the photos she keeps
Math explanation:
2/3 of 3/5 of 15 is the same as (2/3*3/5) * 15, which we will learn to do next class.
(2/3*3/5 = 6/15 photos that Ms. Sreebny gives away)