Curriculum  /  Math  /  4th Grade  /  Unit 5: Fraction Operations  /  Lesson 20

Fraction Operations

Lesson 20

Math

Unit 5

4th Grade

Lesson 20 of 21

Objective

Make a line plot (dot plot) representation to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit.

Common Core Standards

Core Standards

  • 4.MD.B.4 — Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions by using information presented in line plots. For example, from a line plot find and interpret the difference in length between the longest and shortest specimens in an insect collection.

Foundational Standards

  • 3.MD.B.4

Criteria for Success

  1. Measure objects to the nearest quarter inch with a ruler whose 0 mark is not at its edge (MP.6).
  2. Construct a line plot by:
    1. Determining the starting and ending value for the line plot by finding the largest and the smallest value in the data set,
    2. Determining the interval for the line plot by determining the smallest fractional unit that is represented in the data, 
    3. Plotting Xs above the corresponding value for each value in the data set, 
    4. Creating a label for the number line that describes the unit that is represented by the data, and 
    5. Creating a title for the line plot that explains what the data set as a whole represents. 
  3. Answer interpretive questions about data in a line plot that do not involve the use of operations to solve (e.g., what is the largest recorded value?) (MP.2).
  4. Understand the purpose of a line plot as a way to represent a data set to be able to see trends and analyze it more easily (MP.7).

Tips for Teachers

  • Students will use the line plot from Anchor Task 2 in tomorrow's lesson, so make sure to have them hold onto them. 

Lesson Materials

  • buttons (About 20 per student or small group) — These should be of various diameters. There are other options to use in place of this material. See Anchor Task 3 for more information.
  • Ruler (1 per student) — These should measure to the nearest eighth inch and ideally the 0 inch mark is not flush with the end of the ruler. These are also needed for the Problem Set and Extra Practice Problems.
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Anchor Tasks

25-30 minutes

Problem 1

The table below shows the distance that Ms. Smith's fourth graders ran before stopping for a rest.

Student Distance (in miles)
Joe $${2{1\over2}}$$
Arianna $${1{3\over4}}$$
Bobbi $${2{1\over8}}$$
Morgan $${1{{5\over8}}}$$
Jack $${2{{5\over8}}}$$
Sasha $${2{1\over4}}$$
Tyler $${2{2\over4}}$$
Jenny $${{5\over8}}$$
Anson $${2{2\over8}}$$
Chandra $${2{4\over8}}$$

Using the information in the table, answer the following questions:

a.   What was the longest distance a student ran?

b.   What was the shortest distance a student ran?

c.   What was the most common distance that students ran?

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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References

EngageNY Mathematics Grade 4 Mathematics > Module 5 > Topic E > Lesson 28 — Concept Development

Grade 4 Mathematics > Module 5 > Topic E > Lesson 28 of the New York State Common Core Mathematics Curriculum from EngageNY and Great Minds. © 2015 Great Minds. Licensed by EngageNY of the New York State Education Department under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US license. Accessed Dec. 2, 2016, 5:15 p.m..

Modified by Fishtank Learning, Inc.

Problem 2

Use the data from Anchor Task #1 to create a line plot.

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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References

EngageNY Mathematics Grade 4 Mathematics > Module 5 > Topic E > Lesson 28 — Concept Development

Grade 4 Mathematics > Module 5 > Topic E > Lesson 28 of the New York State Common Core Mathematics Curriculum from EngageNY and Great Minds. © 2015 Great Minds. Licensed by EngageNY of the New York State Education Department under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US license. Accessed Dec. 2, 2016, 5:15 p.m..

Modified by Fishtank Learning, Inc.

Problem 3

a.   With a partner or group, gather a handful of round buttons from a diverse collection and use a ruler to measure the diameter of each button to the nearest eighth inch.

b.   Make a dot plot of button diameters, marking your scale in eighth-inch increments.

c.   What is the most common diameter in your collection? How does that compare with the collection from another group?

d.   Now measure the diameters of these same buttons to the nearest quarter inch.

e.   Make a dot plot of button diameters, marking your scale in quarter-inch increments.

f.   Describe the differences between the two dot plots you created. Which one gives you more information? Which one is easier to read?

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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References

Illustrative Mathematics Button Diameters

Button Diameters, accessed on July 18, 2018, 4:54 p.m., is licensed by Illustrative Mathematics under either the CC BY 4.0 or CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. For further information, contact Illustrative Mathematics.

Problem Set

15-20 minutes

Discussion of Problem Set

  • How were #1 and #2 different? What made #2 a bit more challenging than #1? 
  • What did you notice about the heights of football players once you created the line plot that you didn’t initially notice in the table? 
  • How did the line plot make answering #4 easier compared to if you just had this data listed out of order in a table?
  • What objects did you measure in #5? What was their total length? 
  • How is a line plot useful in showing data? What might be some reasons to use a line plot to display data rather than using a chart or table? 

Target Task

5-10 minutes

Ms. Siva's class recorded how much water, in liters, they drank over the course of the day in the table below.

Make a line plot of the data. Include a title and the correct labels.

Student

Amount of water

(in liters)
Abdur $${{3\over4}}$$
Ingrid $$1\frac{2}{4}$$
Johann $$1\over2$$
Laura $$2$$
Brendan $$1$$
Loris $$1{1\over2}$$
Adelaide $$2{{{1\over4}}}$$
Felix $${2{3\over4}}$$

Student Response

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Additional Practice

The Extra Practice Problems can be used as additional practice for homework, during an intervention block, etc. Daily Word Problems and Fluency Activities are aligned to the content of the unit but not necessarily to the lesson objective, therefore feel free to use them anytime during your school day.

Word Problems and Fluency Activities

Word Problems and Fluency Activities

Help students strengthen their application and fluency skills with daily word problem practice and content-aligned fluency activities.

Next

Solve problems using information presented in line plots.

Lesson 21
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Lesson Map

A7CB09C2-D12F-4F55-80DB-37298FF0A765

Topic A: Building, Adding, and Subtracting Fractions Less Than or Equal to 1

Topic B: Building, Adding, and Subtracting Fractions Less Than 2

Topic C: Building, Adding, and Subtracting Fractions Greater Than or Equal to 2

Topic D: Multiplication of Fractions

Topic E: Line Plots

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