Lesson Plan: Interpreting Remainders

Interpreting Remainders "DIRT" Anchor Chart

This lesson is intended for 4th grade Everyday Math, but can be translated to other math programs and grade levels.   The lesson is broken into different parts. The lesson starts with an anticipatory set, a warmup problem, minilesson, and then breaks into math centers (guided practice, partner work, independent).

Lesson: 6-8 Expressing and Interpreting Remainders

Objective: Students explore different ways to express and interpret remainders.

CCSS: 4.NF.1, 4.NF.2, 4.OA.3, 4.NBT.6, SMP1, SMP6

Warm-Up: Read Aloud: A Remainder of One, by Elinor J. Pinczes

Math Message (Printed on Handout):  Three students share 13 sticks of gum. How many sticks of gum does each student get if they receive equal shares? Be prepared to discuss your strategy. (4 Remainder 1, or 4 and 1/3)

Math Message Follow-Up:

· Discuss methods to solve problem.

· Draw simple picture to organize information in the problem.

· Ask following questions:

• What is the answer to the problem? 
• How can we check our answer? 
• What do the quotient 4 and remainder 1 represent? 
• What should we do with the leftover stick in this case? Should we ignore it? 
• Is there another way to express the answer to this problem? 

· Pose Problem: Four brothers are given 35 fruit bars. They agree to share the bars equally. How many fruit bars will each boy get? (8 R 3) Write a number model with an unknown. What is the answer? If each boy gets 8 fruit bars, what happens to the 3 left over? (Divide into fourths)

• Sketch 3 fruit bars and divide into fourths. Represent 4 boys sharing each bar. 
• If each boy takes 1 piece of each left over bar, what mixed number can we write to show the total number of bars each boy has? (8 and ¾) 

Shared Lesson: Use Interpreting Remainders Power Point.  “We will continue to look at division number stories and decide what they will have to do with the remainder to provide a useful answer.”

Show “Interpreting Remainders” Anchor Chart/Handout

Go over the following points:

· The remainder in a division number story should not always be converted to a fraction and retained as part of the answer.

· Depending on the situation, the remainder might be ignored because it is a leftover amount and cannot be split up further.

· Remainders might indicate that the answer should be rounded up to the nearest whole number.

Solve problems with remainders in different situations:

Remainder Ignored: Three children wish to divide 16 toy cars equally. What is each child’s share? Ask:

· What is a number model that represents the equation? (16/3=c)
· How many cars does each child get? (5 cars, 1 left over)
· Can we divide the leftover car into equal pieces like the stick of gum? (No)
· What should we do with the remainder? (Ignore it, can’t divide cars)

Ann has $18 to buy notebooks that cost $4 each. How many can she buy? Ask:

· What is the number model? (18/4=n)
· How many notebooks can Ann buy? (4 notebooks, $2)
· What should we do with the $2 leftover? (Ignore it, not enough for another book)

Remainder Rounded: Esteban has 29 photographs, He can fit 6 photos on each page of his photo album. How many pages must he use to hold all 29 photos? Ask:

· What is the number model? (29/6=p)
· What is the answer? (4 R5, or 4 and 5/6)
· How many pages can Esteban fill? (4)
· What happens to the other 5 photographs (He has to put them on a new page)

· State: Esteban needs 4 and 5/6 pages to include all 29 photos. Four pages only holds 24 photos, which is not enough.

· How many total pages does Esteban need to hold all 29 pictures? (5)
· What did we do with the remainder? (rounded up)

Direct Instruction/Guided Practice (with the teacher): Lesson 6-8: Solving Division Number Stories with Remainders. Students will work with teacher to complete Math Journal p. 209-210. Students should highlight important words in word problems to help decode the problem.

Ask questions:

· What did you do with the remainder?
· Why did you choose to do that?

Collaborative Station (Partner Work):

1. 2-digit word problem worksheet
2. Division Dash Game 

Independent:

1. Interpreting Remainders Worksheet
2. Math Boxes 6-8
3. Weekly Packet of cumulative review

Fast Finishers: Remainders Coloring Sheet

Extra Class Time:  Division Word Problems/Remainder Interpretation Task Cards

Closure: Exit Slip: Write a real life situation in which you need to interpret the remainder.

Materials: EDM Teacher’s Guide, Math Journal, pencils, red pens, highlighters, SMART Board, Math folders, whiteboard, markers, Interpreting Remainders Anchor Chart & Handout, Remainder of One book, Division Dash Game & Materials, Division Word Problem WS, Interpreting Remainders Power Point, Math Message Handout, Interpreting Remainders Worksheet