Welcome to Fourth Grade Action Fractions. This material introduces a scope and sequence of the lessons (along with associated CT assessments), a guide to lesson organization and an introduction to the pedagogy of Action Fractions. You will also find tips to help you start planning and teaching right away regardless of what curriculum you currently use.
If you are currently teaching Everyday Mathematics, Action Fraction lessons are integrated into the Everyday Mathematics curriculum across the year. For example, in third grade the lessons are as follows: one lesson during unit 1, three lessons during unit 2, one lesson during unit 4, three lessons during unit 5, one lesson during unit 6, and two lessons during unit 7. After the lesson in unit 8 is completed, a culminating Scratch project activity will be assigned. Additionally, there are three CT assessments, one beginning of the year math assessment, and one end of year (E-O-Y) math assessment administered. Plan to spend approximately 45–90 minutes per Scratch lesson. Unplugged lessons are typically 15 minutes. The lessons are designed to be implemented in the suggested sequential order.
If you are not currently teaching Everyday Mathematics, you may wish to spend some time determining where the Action Fractions content would best fit within the scope and sequence of your curriculum. Pertinent information related to precursor skills is summarized in each Lesson Opener (first page of each lesson). Please reference each lesson's "Math Connections" and "CS Connections" to help you decide what is most appropriate for your situation.
Action Fraction lessons can be divided into three categories: unplugged, skill building and culminating project. Each year of instruction includes approximately 12 activities. Major concepts are often introduced first in an unplugged activity, followed by several skill building activities. Each year concludes with an open-ended, culminating project.
Most skill-building lessons follow a similar format. First, the context is set in the lesson opening which provides mathematics connections and the Computational Thinking (CT) connections. Organizational and management considerations are also introduced along with key vocabulary words and the CT big ideas for the lesson. Each lesson includes both a list of anticipated barriers to learning and options for adopting the lessons based on student preferences and needs. In the, "Warm Up" section students review important material and are introduced to the lesson learning goals in the form of, "I Can" statements. Learn more about, "I Can" statements in this video.
Next, in the "Focus" section, students are presented with example code that illustrates the use of a CT concept for exploring a mathematics concept. Students are stepped through the example code in three steps using the TIPP&SEE learning strategy: observing how it currently works, inspecting the code and predicting what code blocks had particular effects. Finally, students make small changes to new code blocks in order to better understand the code. Students then use those code blocks to make their own scripts according to prompts in their journal pages. You can learn more about using the TIPP&SEE format in this video.
Finally, in the "Wrap Up" section of the lessons, students engage in whole group discussion of their work, and reflect on their learning by revisiting the "I Can" statements.
Actions Fractions has an associated set of three grade-specific assessments that are designed to make visible students' developing CT competencies. Each assessment focuses on a set of CT knowledge and skills taught during the preceding lessons. Although some items on these assessments use a math context, their primary purpose is to help teachers interpret students' CT learning.
In addition, each year's culminating project provides teachers another opportunity to assess students' CT by reflecting on the CT knowledge and skills that students demonstrated through building their project.
How-To Videos & Slide Decks
How-To PDFs
Students learn and practice a strategy for rounding whole numbers using conditional statements.
Children learn how to access the Scratch website and their class’s projects. They explore the Scratch workspace and understand the components. Children use and remix a simple project illustrating a number story.
Students work in small groups to play a game which introduces them to variables. They learn that variables have different types, and how they can be used in computer programs.
Students use variables in a program for the first time. They explore how variables can be used in numerical calculations while computing the area and perimeter of rectangles.
The Grade 4 Early Assessment can be used to gauge students' understanding of important CT content from the previous four lessons.
Students get an introduction to the use of variables and decomposition and extend their understanding of fraction equivalence by solving problems involving equally shared pizzas
tudents are introduced to Variables and Conditionals in a Scratch project which represents two fractions on a number line and asks the user to identify the larger of the two.
Students use Scratch to compare fractional parts of sandwiches with the same denominator to determine which is larger. They use variables to represent fractions in comparing multiple conditions.
Students use Scratch to compare fractional parts of sandwiches with the same numerators. They use variables and multiple if/then conditions.
The Grade 4 Mid Assessment can be used to gauge students' understanding of important CT content from the previous four lessons.
Students add fractions with the same denominators and different numerators on a number line and using a fraction circle. They use variables to represent denominator values.
Students solve subtraction number stories that use fractions and think about the steps that are repeated. They consider how they know when to stop a repetition, and map different strategies onto kinds of repetition in computer science.
Students will use a countable then a conditional loop to solve a subtraction problem. They subtract fractions less than one with same denominators.
Students create an animated number story using mixed numbers subtraction in Scratch. They write and solve their own number story, then they use their story to create a Storyboard which they use to create their animated story in Scratch.
The Grade 4 Late Assessment can be used to gauge students' understanding of important CT content from the previous four lessons.
Action Fractions is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded partnership (award number 1932920) between the University of Chicago STEM Education center, the University of Florida, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The project is focused on the development of integrated mathematics (fractions) and computational thinking (CT) learning materials for third and fourth graders. While the project was originally developed for use with the Everyday Mathematics curriculum, the activities may be used with any mathematics curriculum.