Session 19: Multiplication and division of fractions

Introduction  Activity (20 minutes)

The teacher explains a scenario: “You’ve got a garden bed that covers 1/2 of your backyard. You want to plant carrots in 1/3 of that garden bed. How much of your backyard will be used for carrots?”

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. 1. Start with the whole backyard – think of it as 1 whole.
   
2. 2. 1/2 of the backyard is used as a garden bed.
3. That means half of your total space is now dedicated to gardening.
   
4. 3. Now, you only want to use 1/3 of that garden bed for carrots.

So you're taking a fraction (1/3) of another fraction (1/2).

 Mathematically, that means you multiply:

1/3 × 1/2 = 1/6

That means : You can draw a rectangle:

Shade half of it (that’s the garden bed).

Then, within the shaded half, divide it into 3 equal parts and shade 1 of them (that’s the carrots).

You’ll see 1 out of the 6 parts of the whole rectangle is shaded — which shows 1/6.

Main Activity (65 minutes)

Activity 1: Multiply It! (20 minutes)

"Pizza Plate Fractions" (Hands-on Activity)

Divide students into small groups

Instructions:

1. 1. Give each group paper plates.
   
2. 2. Have them cut the plate into halves, fourths, eighths, etc.
   
3. 3. Use the slices to represent multiplication of fractions.      

Example: Multiply 2/3 × 1/2 using paper pieces and place them on a template.

Group Task:

Key Questions to Ask:

What happens when we multiply two fractions

Is the product bigger or smaller than the original fractions?

Activity 2: Divide and Discover (20 minutes)

Start with a real-world example:

> “You have 1 pizza and want to share it with friends. Each person gets 1/4 of a pizza. How many people can you feed?”

Use paper models or drawings:

Cut the pizza into fourths.

Count how many 1/4s in 1 whole: 1 ÷ 1/4 = 4

Explain the Rule (Reciprocal Method)

Once they understand the concept:

Division by a fraction means multiplying by the reciprocal.

> 1 ÷ 1/4 = 1 × 4 = 4

2/3 ÷ 1/6 = 2/3 × 6/1 = 12/3 = 4

"Sharing Cookies" Division Challenge(15 minutes)

Instructions:

1. 1. Each group gets a “cookie card” with division  problems (e.g., You have 3 cookies. Each person gets 1/2 of a cookie. How many people can you serve?)
   
2. 2. Use fraction strips or draw on paper to find answers.
   
3. 3. Groups record solutions and explain their reasoning.
   
4. Sample Problems:

       3 ÷ 1/2 = ?

       1 ÷ 1/4 = ?

       2/3 ÷ 1/6 = ?

       5/4 ÷ 7/8=?

Review Questions (10 minutes)

Bring students together to share:

One multiplication and one division problem they solved

What was tricky?

How did their group help each other?

Follow-up Tasks (5 minutes)

1. ¾ × 2/4

2. 5/8×1/3

3. 2÷3/6

4. 5/6÷7/8

Expected Learning  Outcome:

Knowledge building:

• Expert in multiplication and division of fractions

Skill Building:

• Self-awareness
• Social awareness
• Responsible decision-making
• Relationship skills