Understanding Equivalent Fractions

Subject: Math

Grade Level: 3rd Grade

Corresponding Common Core State Standards: 

1) CCSS.Math.Content.3.NF.A.3a Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size, or the same point on a number line.

2) CCSS.Math.Content.3.NF.A.3b Recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3. Explain why the fractions are equivalent, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.

Reason for choosing to use this video: 

This video can be extremely useful for students who are struggling to understand the concept behind equivalent fractions, especially students asking themselves: “How can fractions with different numerical values in their numerators and denominators be equal?” The benefit of this video is that instead of focusing on the definition of “equivalent fractions”, the video provides visual representations that prove why two fractions with different numerical values in their numerators and denominators can still be equivalent. As a result, this is a great video for students who doubt the validity of the concept behind equivalent fractions. This video also provides excellent opportunities where the teacher can stop the video and ask students to complete a task. For example, the video starts off by showing three circles that have been divided into a different number of equal slices, some of which have been shaded. The teacher could easily stop the video after viewing this section and ask students to write a fractional value to represent the shaded portion of each circle. Afterwards, the video provides the correct answer by demonstrating to students how fractional values are obtained from each circle.

This video proves how two fractions with different numerical values in their numerators and denominators can still be equivalent by placing them on a number line. Afterwards the video demonstrates how a circle with big slices can be easily be divided to match a circle with smaller slices, which proves that the only difference between both circles is the number slices and the size of the slices, not the size of the circle nor the area of the circle that is shaded, which proves that both circles are equivalent. Although equivalent fractions can be taught without this video, this video could easily be projected onto a screen for all students to watch at the same time and could thus save teachers a lot of time. Overall, this video is a great resource teachers can use when teaching or reviewing equivalent fractions.

Classifying Quadrilaterals

Subject: Math

Grade Level: 3rd Grade

Corresponding Common Core State Standard: 
CCSS.Math.Content.3.G.A.1 Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories. 

Reason for choosing this video:

This video can be an extremely useful resource for teachers who want to review the major characteristics of various different quadrilaterals, including: trapezoids, parallelograms, rectangles, rhombuses, and squares. Not only does the video review the major characteristics that distinguish each of the aforementioned quadrilaterals, the video also incorporates related math vocabulary such as “vertices” and “angles.” Although quadrilaterals could be taught without this video, this video enhances the learning experience because it visually demonstrates how different quadrilaterals are related to each other by classifying them into different groups and subcategories. For example, the video starts off by describing the characteristics of two major groups of quadrilaterals, concave quadrilaterals and convex quadrilaterals. Then the video focuses on describing the different characteristics of various convex quadrilaterals, including: trapezoids, parallelograms, rectangles, rhombuses, and squares. Afterwards the video shows how different convex quadrilaterals are interrelated with one another. For example, the video points out that while all rectangles are parallelograms, not all parallelograms are necessarily rectangles. 

Teachers could potentially play the video and pause at certain sections in order to help students create a set of notes or a chart describing the characteristics of the different quadrilaterals discussed within the video. Engaging in the aforementioned activity would be especially beneficial for students having a hard time distinguishing the various different quadrilaterals. In addition, the aforementioned activity would be much more efficient and less time consuming than sending students on their own to create their own set of notes or charts from information obtained from textbooks. Overall this video serves as a great review of the general characteristics of some the most commonly used and referred to quadrilaterals.

Using Information from a Story to Develop Descriptions of Characters

Subject: English

Grade Level: 3rd Grade

Corresponding Common Core State Standard: 
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Reason for choosing this video:

This video is an excellent resource teachers can use to demonstrate to students how to obtain information from a story in order to develop adequate descriptions of the story’s characters. Not only does the video review and define the different aspects readers should be looking at when trying to develop descriptions about the story’s characters (which include the character’s actions, thoughts, and dialogue), the video also provides a step by step demonstration of how to find each of these aspects within the story and how to use them to develop descriptions about the characters. One of the benefits of using this video is that it already contains a passage providing excellent examples of the different aspects readers should search for when trying to develop descriptions of the story’s characters.

          Another benefit of using this video is that it could easily be shown to all students at the same time. On the other hand, it would be very time-consuming if teachers tried to find an adequate story passage and tried to demonstrate the skills to each student individually. If deemed necessary, after viewing the video and discussing the video’s content, the teacher could provide the classroom with another story passage and ask students to demonstrate their newly learned skills. The aforementioned activity would serve as reinforcement of the newly learned concepts and would allow teachers to gauge how much of the video’s content and concepts was understood by students. Overall, this video is perfect for introducing students to a set of skills and the aspects that should be searched for when developing descriptions about the characters in a story.