Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Fraction Puzzle

Content Area: Honors Algebra II
Grade Level(s): 11th Grade
Content Standard Addressed:
MGSE9-12.A.APR.7 Understand that rational expressions form a system analogous to the rational numbers,
closed under addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division by a nonzero rational expression; add,
subtract, multiply, and divide rational expressions.

Technology Standard Addressed:

3d Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and
theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
5c Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models
to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: Math Circles

URL(s) to support the lesson: https://www.mathcircles.org/math-problems-2/

https://www.mathcircles.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Boomerang_Fractions-1.pdf

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom:
This lesson will happen at the start of the Rationales Unit. Most students need a refresher on operations with
fractions at the start of the rationales unit. Students will start the class with a warm-up that has simple
add/sub/mult/div fraction problems. The next item will be the activity called Boomerang Fractions – a 10
question activity created by a member of the Association of Math Circles. This activity will be done as a whole
group, and the document will be displayed on the projector. Each table will be called on to share out their
answers for each of the 10 problems.
The second part of the lesson is each table group will pick another activity from the Math Circle website to
complete. The rest of the class and part of the next class period will be dedicated to finishing the second part.
After the groups are finished with the activity they chose, I can either upload their work to a local Math Circle,
or I can post their work on the bulletin board in the hallway outside of the classroom.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
Students can have a computer to pull up the assignment on the personal devices, but it will be projected on
the board. The students can also have their computers to search for another problem they would like to do
with their group.
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not be
addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school: Students will collaborate with their peers in the classroom to complete the assignment and to
discuss their findings with each other.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): For the second part of the assignment, students will
have to solve complex problems within their groups based on their previous knowledge about solving
equations and mathematical logic.

c. Higher-order thinking: The problems presented on the Math Circle website are high-order thinking
problems that require conceptual knowledge of mathematics over their procedural fluency.

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 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities
d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: The
students’ work can be uploaded online to show to a math circle, or their work can simply be displayed
outside of the classroom for other classes to see.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):
☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☒ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

To accommodate all students, the activity will be displayed on the board in the front of the room, printouts
can be made for students who need them, and students can use their computer to access the website.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
The students do not have to have an account to access any of the problems posted on the site. It is also for
the teacher to decide whether they want to upload student work to the internet; if this is the case, the
teacher can hide the names of the students when they scan their work to a PDF.
Reflective Practice:
This lesson helps student learning by providing them the opportunity to complete math problems submitted
by people in the Math Circle community – many of which are real-world problems. This lesson can be
extended by taking a field trip to a Math Circle event or finding a way to reach out and contribute to a local
Math Circle.

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