Fraction Fun with Pizza

Designed by: M.B. Wright, Satchel Ford Elementary School

Grade Level: Three     Subject: Math

Core Curriculum Objective (s): Students will demonstrate understanding of fractions and mixed numbers.

Overview: Students will use construction paper to make toppings for a pizza, and cover the pizza according to the correct fraction. Students will then put their pizza and a partner's pizza together to come up with the mixed number for the amount of toppings they used. 

Focus/ Essential Question (s): What is a fraction, and a mixed number and how can you make a picture of them? 

Time Frame: Three Fifty Minute lessons 

Resource Materials: 
Construction Paper (red, yellow, brown, gray) 
Scissors 
Round cut out pieces of construction paper 
Ruler 
Three different colored markers per child 
Zip-lock bags for pizza toppings 

Culminating Assessment: Students will demonstrate that they understand fractions and mixed numbers by putting a fractional amount of pizza toppings on their homemade pizza. They will then share with a partner and come up with a mixed number for the toppings. The teacher will walk around the room to complete a checklist during the activity to check off what fractions/mixed numbers the student could show.

Checklist for Pizza Toppings

Activity One: Ask the students what they think a fraction is. Then ask what a mixed number is. Write down the number of students in your class on the board. Have students stand up if they like pizza. Write the number of students who like pizza on the board. Then ask them to stand if they like cheese on their pizza. Again write this number on the board. Repeat these steps for pepperoni and sausage. Explain that part (fraction) of the class likes cheese, pepperoni, and sausage. Show students how to write the fraction of each, and let them notice that the total number of students is always the bottom number of the fraction (denominator). Tell the students that they are going to make pizza's using construction paper, and that we are going to put fractional pieces of toppings on the pizza. First, hand out the round construction paper that represents the pizza. Each student has one whole pizza. Next, the student adds yellow construction paper to represent the cheese. (Have all students cover the whole pizza with cheese). Students use ruler and pen to divide the pizza into two equal pieces. They can help each other do this. Ask the students what the fraction for one of the pieces would be. Have students cut out eight circles to represent the pepperonis. Have them cover one of the two pieces of pizza with pepperoni. Again, they can work together to do this. After all students accomplish covering half with the pepperoni, have them take the pepperoni off the pizza and divide the pizza into four equal pieces using another color pen and ruler. Now have the students cut out small brown shapes to represent the sausage. Have the students cover one of the four pieces of pizza with sausage, and discuss the fraction for the sausage. Students use ruler and pen to cut pizza into eight equal parts. Using the gray paper students will make anchovies to put on the pizza. Tell them to cover two of the slices, and let them tell you what the fraction is. Once they have made the toppings call out different fractions for them to cover the pizza with using denominators two, four, and eight. Students put all toppings in zip-lock bags to use again tomorrow. Review what the students learned today and what a fraction is.

Activity Two: Students review from yesterday. Have students get the pizza and toppings out from yesterday and have the students tell you what they learned using the pizza. Have the students choose a partner to review the previous lesson. They can ask each other to cover parts of the pizza, and then they can cover part of the pizza and ask their partner what the fraction is. Review mixed numbers; explain that a mixed number is between two whole numbers. Show them a mixed number using the pizza. Example: I have 1 whole pizza and 1/4 of another, so the mixed number would be: 1 1/4. Now, still working in pairs the children need to come up with some mixed numbers of their own and ask other pairs of students to come up with the answer. As they are working in groups the teacher walks around the room to ask questions of each student about fractions. For example: "Show me 3/4 of the pizza covered with sausage."

Activity Three: Review fractions and mixed numbers using the pizza toppings. Have the students create their own pizza, and glue down the toppings. Students need to make sure that they can tell what fraction of the pizza is covered by what topping. Once they glue the toppings down, and they know the correct fraction of each topping, they are to walk around the room and ask classmates to tell the fraction of each topping. Once other students have identified the fraction of each topping, have students put their pizzas together to come up with mixed numbers of the toppings.