The purpose of this Warm-up is to elicit strategies and understandings students have for adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions and mixed numbers. The series of equations prompt students to use properties of operations (associative and commutative properties in particular) in their reasoning, which will be helpful when students solve geometric problems involving fractional lengths (MP7).
Launch
Display one equation.
“Give me a signal when you know whether the equation is true and can explain how you know.”
1 minute: quiet think time
Activity
Share and record answers and strategy.
Repeat with each statement.
Decide if each statement is true or false. Be prepared to explain your reasoning.
Student Response
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Advancing Student Thinking
Activity Synthesis
“What strategies did you find useful for adding or subtracting these numbers with fractions?” (Sample response:
Add whole numbers separately than fractions.
Notice that is 10 and use that fact to add or subtract fractions.
Combine fractions that add up to 1 (such as and ).
In the second equation, add up the fractions and subtract the sum from 10, instead of subtracting each fraction individually.)
Consider asking:
“Who can restate _____’s reasoning in a different way?”
“Did anyone have the same strategy but would explain it differently?”
“Did anyone approach the expression in a different way?”
“Does anyone want to add on to _____’s strategy?”
Activity 1
Standards Alignment
Building On
Addressing
4.G.A.3
Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
Add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators, e.g., by replacing each mixed number with an equivalent fraction, and/or by using properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Previously, students reasoned about the perimeter of two-dimensional figures based on given side lengths and known attributes of the figures, including symmetry. In this activity, students find unknown side lengths given the perimeter, some side lengths, and information about the symmetry of the figures. Students have opportunities to practice adding, subtracting, and multiplying numbers with fractions, as not all of the given measurements are whole numbers.
MLR8 Discussion Supports. Synthesis: Create a visual display of the figures. As students share their strategies, annotate the display to illustrate connections. For example, next to each figure, write expressions and draw the lines of symmetry. Advances: Speaking, Representing
Engagement: Provide Access by Recruiting Interest. Leverage choice around perceived challenge. Invite students to select 2 of the 4 figures to work with. Offer feedback that emphasizes effort and time on task, and invite them to try another figure if time allows. Supports accessibility for: Organization, Attention, Social Emotional Functioning
Launch
Groups of 2
Give a ruler or a straightedge to each student.
Provide access to patty paper.
Activity
5 minutes: independent work time
2–3 minutes: partner discussion
Monitor for students who:
Can clearly articulate how lines of symmetry help them determine unknown side lengths.
Can explain how they know that all four sides of Q are equal.
Write expressions to show their reasoning.
Here are 4 figures and what we know about them.
Each figure has a perimeter of 64 inches.
P, R, and S each have 1 line of symmetry.
Q has 4 lines of symmetry.
Draw the lines of symmetry of each figure.
For each figure, find the length of the side labeled “?” Explain or show your reasoning.
Activity Synthesis
Select students to share their responses and reasoning.
“How do the lines of symmetry in P, R, and S help you find the unknown side lengths?” (The lines of symmetry tell us the lengths of unlabeled sides that mirror labeled sides, making it possible to find the length of the side with a question mark.)
“What about the lines of symmetry in Q?” (The vertical line of symmetry tells us the left and right sides have the same length and the horizontal one tells us the top and bottom sides are of equal length. So, all sides have the same length.)
Activity 2
Standards Alignment
Building On
Addressing
4.G.A.3
Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
Add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators, e.g., by replacing each mixed number with an equivalent fraction, and/or by using properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.
The purpose of this activity is for students to practice completing a geometric drawing given half of the drawing and a line of symmetry, and reason about the perimeter of a line-symmetric figure. While a precise drawing is not an expectation here, if no students considered using tools and techniques—such as using patty paper or by folding—to complete the drawing precisely, consider asking how it could be done (MP5).
Monitor for and select students with the following approaches for determining whether Lin has enough tape to share in the Activity Synthesis:
Add 5 segments on one side of the line of symmetry and double it: .
Multiply each segment by 2 and find the sum of those products: .
List the length of each segment in an addition expression or vertical list and use the associative property to find sums that are easier (for example, add 19 and 6 to get 25, then multiply 25 and by 4: ).
The approaches will later be displayed side by side to help students connect ways of reasoning about side lengths and symmetry to different expressions for the perimeter of the design. As students practice adding and multiplying fractional side lengths, they will use properties of operations in their reasoning. Students will also have opportunities to look for and make use of structure (MP7) to expedite their calculation. Aim to elicit both key mathematical ideas and a variety of student voices, especially students who haven't shared recently.
Launch
Groups of 2
Give a ruler or a straightedge to each student.
Provide access to patty paper.
Display the image for all to see.
“What do you notice? What do you wonder?”
1 minute: quiet think time
1 minute: discuss observations and questions.
Activity
3–5 minutes: independent work time
2 minutes: partner discussion
As you monitor for the approaches listed in the Activity Narrative, consider asking:
“What did you notice about this figure?”
“How did you use what you noticed to help you find the perimeter?”
Lin has 145 inches of fancy tape to make the outline for a design.
Here is half of the design. The dashed line is the line of symmetry for the entire design.
5 sided figure in the shape of a V attached to a vertical dashed line. Sides lengths in order counter-clockwise, 12 and 3 fourths inches, 19 inches, 6 inches, 25 inches, 12 and 3 fourths inches.
Sketch Lin’s entire design.
Does she have enough tape for the entire outline? Explain or show your reasoning.
If you have time: Lin has a sheet of fancy paper that she can cut to cover the inside of the design. The paper is a rectangle that is 30 inches by 18 inches. The angles in the design are right angles. Does Lin have enough paper to cover the inside of the design? Explain or show your reasoning.
Student Response
Activity Synthesis
Invite previously selected students to display their equations for the perimeter side by side without sharing their thinking.
“Take a minute to look at each of these ways of determining whether Lin has enough tape.”
Connect students’ approaches by asking:
“How are the different equations the same and different?” (They show the same side lengths. They show doubling side lengths. The order and how the numbers are grouped is different. The numbers added or multiplied are different.)
Connect students’ approaches to the learning goal by asking:
“How does having sides of the same length help us find the perimeter?” (You can look for ways to use multiplication instead of having to add a bunch of different lengths.)
Lesson Synthesis
“Today we used attributes of figures to reason about their side lengths and perimeter.“
Display:
2 shapes. A. 5 sides. vertical line of symmetry. top side, 8. Left side, 14. Bottom left, question mark, bottom right, question mark, right side, question mark. B. 4 sides. Opposite sides parallel and have equal lengths. Bottom side, 15, 3 other sides, question mark.
“Here are two figures. Suppose we know the perimeter of each shape is 48 units. Figure A has a line of symmetry and Figure B has none.”
“How can knowing the line of symmetry in A help us find the unknown side lengths?” (The line of symmetry tells us that the longer unlabeled side is 14 and the two shorter sides are equal. We can subtract from 48 and divide the result by 2 to get the shorter sides.)
“Figure B has no line of symmetry. Can we figure out the unknown lengths?” (No. There isn’t enough information. We'd need to know if some of the sides are the same length.)
If students argue that they can tell that one of the other sides must also be 15 units long, ask: “Without measuring, what would you need to know to be sure one of the labeled sides is also 15 units long?”
“Suppose we know that B is a parallelogram. Would that help us find those lengths? Why or why not?” (Yes. Opposite sides of a parallelogram have the same length, so we know the unlabeled sides are 15 and 9.)
Student Section Summary
We used attributes, such as side lengths, angles, lines of symmetry, and parallel sides, to solve problems about the perimeter of figures.
We learned that, if a figure has certain attributes, we can use them to find its perimeter, even when we don't know all of its side lengths. And if we know the perimeter of a figure and enough information about its attributes, we can find its side lengths.
For example, here are 2 figures:
2 shapes. A. 5 sides. vertical line of symmetry. top side, 8. Left side, 14. Bottom left, question mark, bottom right, question mark, right side, question mark. B. 4 sides. Opposite sides parallel and have equal lengths. Bottom side, 15, 3 other sides, question mark.
We know the perimeter of each figure is 48 units.
If we know that the dashed line through Figure A is a line of symmetry, we can find its 3 unknown side lengths.
Because of symmetry, the side opposite 14 units is also 14 units.
, so the other 2 sides have a total length of 12 units.
, so each of the other 2 sides is 6 units.
If we know that the opposite sides of Figure B have equal lengths, we can find its 3 unknown side lengths.
The side opposite 15 units is also 15 units.
, so the other 2 sides have a total length of 18 units.
, so each of the other 2 sides is 9 units.
Standards Alignment
Building On
Addressing
4.NF.B.3.c
Add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators, e.g., by replacing each mixed number with an equivalent fraction, and/or by using properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.
If students find the unknown sides lengths for Figures P and Q, but say they need more information to find the unknown length for Figures R and S, consider asking:
“What information do you have to help you find the unknown length? What information do you still need?”
“How can you use the line of symmetry to label more of the sides?”
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Advancing Student Thinking
If students begin to add each side length after sketching Lin’s design and lose track of some side lengths, consider asking:
“What did you notice about the side lengths you drew and the side lengths that were already drawn and labeled?”