Lang Patt

Differentiation Units
Grade 3
Concept: Fractions
NF.1 Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is
partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by
a parts of size 1/b.
Big Ideas: A whole unit can be decomposed into many parts. Different parts may
be put together to make a whole unit.
Lesson Goal #1: Guide students to construct the concept of decomposing a
whole unit into different parts.
Open Question: How do you know that something is a whole unit? How many
parts make up a whole unit? In the next few days, you will be exploring the idea
of taking a whole unit and breaking it into parts. Look at the items you are given
and decide if they describe a whole unit or parts.
Possible Student Responses:
There is one of something.
It isnt cut.
One pack, a whole fruit, a bar of candy.
There are different parts to make a whole.
Management:
Prepare items to sort as whole or parts (i.e. trial size bag of candy, small
numbers of school supply items, picture of foods) to help students understand
different ideas of the whole.
Students will be working in groups of 2-3 and listing results of their sort along
with the reason.
Teacher questions: Could the objects be considered a whole or whole group?
Why do we break things into parts?
Academic Language Check: Guide students in using mathematics language
that future grades would expect them to know for the concept. Post the academic
words to encourage daily use during the unit. ( break down = decompose, put
together = compose, top number = numerator, bottom number = denominator)
Debrief:
Ask students to share one item that they have categorized as whole and one
item they have categorized as an example of parts. Students take turns
reporting 1 item the group chose as whole and 1 item as part until all of the
groups have reported their response.

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We chose ____________ as an example of an item that represents a whole
because ________. An item that represents parts is _______ because
_____________.
Lesson Check (formative assessment): A whole unit can mean a whole
_________ or whole _________ of things.
Lesson Goal #2: Observe whether students understand how different parts can
be used to compose a whole.
Introduction: Prior to assigning the options below, guide students through
composing parts to form a whole set and a whole item. Display parts of a set (i.e.
eraser caps or candy with the package to the side) and ask what part of the
whole is each item displayed. Guide students to represent the composition of the
whole set by having them respond on their whiteboard. Then, guide students
through composing a whole item and write the equation to represent the process.
Parallel Tasks:
1.Using the given an outline of a figure and cutouts of parts, find the number of
parts to make a whole unit. Show the number of parts as fractions to make a
whole in an equation.
2. There are 2 sets of parts. Compose the parts back to make their whole units.
Represent the parts as fractions to make a whole unit in an equation.
Academic Language Check: Familiarize students with the word compose (to
put together as a bigger unit).
Did you write about what you learned using academic words discussed in the
previous lesson and this lesson? Did you explain how you know using complete
sentences?
Debriefing: Ask groups to share and explain their equation to compose a whole.
The fraction ____ plus ______ equals _____. We knew that the fraction
_____ represents ______. We also noticed that the fraction _____ plus ____
equals _____ too.
Management: Review the definition of the whole and display on the board or
chart paper (from previous lesson on whole/part). Provide different models of the
whole that are divided into parts to expand students familiarity with different
ideas of the whole.
Guiding questions: Does the package represent the part or whole? If students
need help determining what part each eraser cap represents, direct them to look
at the packaging label.
With items that are part of a set with different colors, after naming the fractional
part represented by each piece, discuss the fraction represent by different colors
to compose the whole set.

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As students determine the number of parts required to complete the whole unit
outlined, they labeled the parts and write as an equation.
In parallel task 2, one set could be parts of a set and one set would be parts of a
whole item. For example, given a set of M&Ms without the package, students
would draw a package with the M&Ms inside. Each M&Ms would be labeled as a
fraction of the whole package.
Lesson Check (formative assessment): Write 2 different ways to represent 8/8.

Grade 4
Concept: Rounding
NBT.3. Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to any place
value.
Big Idea: Rounding helps people get a quick idea about an amount or number.
Lesson Goal #1: Guide students to determine the preceding and consecutive
multiples of ten and one hundred for a multi-digit number.
Open Question: How do we figure out an amount of objects without counting
every single one of the items in a container? I have 2 jars of ___ (use candy,
rice, etc. to provide large numbers like 112 and 1112). List some ways for finding
an amount. Ask each group of students to share 1-2 ideas and relate the
estimation of objects in the jar with rounding.
Activity: Counting by tens, complete the series of numbers. Complete the first
series from the tens and hundreds section as guided practice. Students pair
share about how they know what the 3 consecutive numbers are.
Academic Language: Help students learn to use the terms multiple, preceding
multiple, and consecutive.
Multiple of ten= a product of 10; multiple of 100 = a product of 100
Consecutive numbers= numbers that follow another in the counting pattern
Preceding multiple= number in the counting pattern that comes before the target
number
Series of numbers = more than one numbers in the list
Misconception: Students often confuse the terms factor and multiple. To avoid
confusion for some students, ask them to list factors and multiples of a number.
Prompt: The following lists have numbers in a pattern. Figure out the pattern for
the numbers and complete the series with the next 3 to 4 numbers.

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80, 90, 100.
210, 220,
1210, 1220, 1230
1450, 1460, 1470.
Counting by hundreds, complete the series of numbers. 100, 200, .., 1200, 1300,

Possible Student Responses:

110, 120, 130

1240, 1250, 1260, 1270

1480, 1490, 1500, 1510

230, 240, 250

300, 400, 500
1400, 1500, 1600
Debrief: Go over student responses and discuss how students could show that
the next number is a multiple of ten. The number ____ is the multiple of (10/100)
that precedes the number (target number). The multiples of (10/00) that are
consecutive numbers to _________ are ______________.
Management
Teacher may wish to post the number starters on chart papers. Show that the
next number is a multiple of ten or one hundred. How do you know?
Students work in pairs to complete the number series on strips of paper in
marker.
Each pair posts their strips of papers labeled with their names under the poster
that begin each number series.
Lesson Check (formative assessment): Display the number series that may
be problematic for students with the common mistakes. Ask small groups of
students to evaluate why the series is incorrect. The number series does not
show multiples of ten because of the number ________. In order to show
multiples of ten, the number _____ would need to be _______.

Lesson Goal #2: Guide students to determine the multiple of ten or one hundred
a given (target) number is closer to.
Introduction: Draw two number lines on the board; one with multiples of ten and
the other multiples of 100, from the previous lesson.
Ask 2 students to position themselves in front of the class holding the multiples of
ten number that precedes and follows a given three digit number to create a
physical number line. Use a number like 317 as the given number and the
numbers 310 and 320 as the multiples. Ask students to pair share which multiple
is 317 closer to? Have a student place his/herself holding the number 317 near
the multiple of tens number.

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Activity: Guide students in representing the above numbers using a blank

number line. Ask students to provide the multiple of ten/one hundred that
precedes the given (target) number and the multiple that follows the target
number. The teacher draws the number line with the focus multiples on the
board, while students do the same on their whiteboard. Then, select a student to
decide which he/she would stand closer to with given target number. The class
decides if they agree with the chosen student through pair sharing.
Debriefing: After each student decides which multiple he/she thinks the target
number is closest to and students have pair shared, ask some students to share
their decisions. The given target number is closer to the multiple ____ since we
are rounding by _____.
Academic Language Check: Discuss how using certain academic language for
the topic increases student understanding because the academic words are
standards used to communicate ideas on a topic to others.
The closest tens/hundreds number before = preceding tens/hundreds multiple
About = approximate
Management:
Teacher Guiding Question: Since the number is ____, the multiple of ten/one
hundred number that precedes the given target number is ______. The multiple
of ten/one hundred that follows the given target number is _______.
Display number line with multiples of ten for a three-digit number and ask
students to place them in between two numbers on the number line. Given the
number 312, the first number line has 10 and 20 and the second number line has
310 and 320. In partners, students discuss which number line they would place
312 keeping in mind the question what multiple of ten number is 312 closer to?
Lesson Wrap-up (formative assessment): When rounding a number by ten,
use the _____ multiple that precedes the given number and the ____ multiple
that follows the given number. If we round by hundreds, use the ____ multiple
that precedes the given number and the ____ multiple that follows the given
number.
Grade 8
Concept: volume
G.9 Know the formulas for the volumes of cones, cylinders, and spheres, and
use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems.
Big Idea: Volume is the amount of material in a 3 dimensional container or
object.
Lesson Goal #1: Facilitate students understanding with the concept of volume.

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Introduction: Pour material (i.e. sugar, water, flour, etc.) into a container and ask
students if you want to know how much material the container holds, are you
measuring volume or surface area. Guide students to determine the definition of
volume. Students list other products that we can measure the volume.
Activity: In small groups, students brainstorm and draw pictures of products that
show volume. Each group needs to discuss ways to measure the volume of the
products on their list.
Management: Students work in small groups of 3.
What does volume measure? What words in a question could help you figure out
that you are measuring volume?
Post a working definition of volume and revisit the definition after lesson 2.
Optional: prior to the lesson, ask students to bring in different products or
pictures of products around the home and groups categorize based on
measurement.
Academic Language Check: Assist students in developing a definition for
volume and clearing misconceptions about the measurement. The
(measurement) amount of stuff inside = volume
How much= amount
Debrief: Discuss the methods for measuring volume that students have listed on
their posters.
Lesson Check (formative assessment): List an example of product that shows
volume and how to determine the volume without reading the label.
Lesson Goal #2: Help students to explore various methods of measuring the
volume of prisms.
Introduction: Review the previous lessons discussion on how volume can be
measured. Remind students the definition of volume. Volume measures ______.
Go over non-examples of volume.
Tiered Activity: (Based on understanding of measuring volume from the
previous lesson)
1. Give groups of students cardstock or small construction paper, measuring
cup/graduated cylinder, tape, and rice (enough to fill the box when
stacked). The teacher works with students to determine the volume of the
paper cylinder using the given materials. Then, guide them in considering
how to find the volume using a ruler.

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2. Provide students in each small group with two sheets of cardstock or small
construction paper, tape, rice, ruler, and a measuring cup/graduated cylinder.
Students roll up two sheets of paper in different orientation: one is rolled portrait
direction and the second is rolled in the landscape direction. Prior to determining
the volume, students need to predict whether the volume of the cylinders will be
different or the same. If students predict that the volume of the two cylinders is
different, they need to state which one would have a greater volume. After
measuring with rice, they need to explain why the volume is the same or
different. In the last part, students need to discuss how to determine the volume
of the cylinders using the ruler.
Debriefing: You can measure volume using _______ or ________. You can use
a ruler to measure the volume by ___________. Discuss misconceptions that
arise when students share their findings on measuring the volume of cylinders.
Management:
1. Help students who need further instruction to determine the volume of the
paper cylinder by guiding them on how the rice could be used. Then, discuss
how the ruler could be used to measure volume.
2. Students should work in groups of 2-3 in order to ensure participation.
Assigning roles to students in each group would help facilitate time on task for
students.
3. Discuss the level to stop pouring rice.
4. Since the cylinders constructed by students will be open-ended, it would be
best that groups work on a flat surface for easy clean up and ensure that the
cylinders stand up. A paper plate could be placed under the cylinders to help
in the clean up process.
5. Ask students: Look at the shapes that make up the cylinder. Think back to
the definition of volume. How would you determine the volume of the cylinder
using a ruler?
6. If students need some guidance as to the justification for the volume of
cylinders, remind them to think about the size of the papers used in relation to
the volume measured.

Lesson Check (Formative Assessment): Answer the following state as true or

false. Then, explain why the statement is true or false.
To find the volume of a cylinder, you can use a ruler to measure how tall and
wide the cylinder is, and then multiply the height and width.