Name: _________________________________

Date: ____________________________

LESSON 7: DIVIDING FRACTIONS

Materials:
Student Handout photocopies

Preparation:
Name, Objective, Do Now
written on board
Lesson answer key

Agenda with times:

Do Now and Purpose: 1
minute
Building the Skill: 7
minutes
Structured Practice: 9
minutes
Closure: 3 minute

*Do Now:
Multiply the following fractions. Make sure your answers are the simplest terms! (ON BOARD)
Objective: Today you will be able to understand Proving Behavior: By solving two out of
how to algebraically divide fractions.
three fraction division problems correctly.
Purpose: We are going to see how the Greatest Common Factor helps us divide fractions
efficiently and accurately. In the past, you may have turned your division of fractions into a
multiplication problem and then solved it by multiplying the numerators and multiplying the
denominators. The result was usually a fraction with a large numerator and denominator. Then,
you had to go through the process of simplifying the fraction. Often, the numbers may have
intimidated you and you might not have even known how to begin to simplify the fraction.
When we use the GCF to divide fractions, we notice that we never get a large product that we
have to simplify. Once we are done solving, our fraction is already simplified!
Building the Skill:
Say: Corresponding with the VIP handout, say turn all mixed numbers into improper fractions
See: Illustrated in VIP
Do: Students convert mixed numbers in their own problems.
Say: Rewrite the first fraction in the problem. We call this the same step, because the first
fraction of the problem remains the same.
See: Illustrated in VIP
Do: Students rewrite the first fraction in their own problem.
Say: Now were going to change the division sign to a multiplication sign.
See: Illustrated in VIP
Do: Students change the operation in their own problem
Say: Our last step of the Same, Change, WHIP! process is to whip the second fraction around.
Our numerator will become our denominator and vice versa.
See: Illustrated in VIP
Do: Students whip the second fraction in their own problem.
Say: Our final step is to make sure our answer is a simplified fraction. We will find the GCF and
use that to simplify our answer. Also, make sure that any improper fractions are changed back
into mixed numbers.
See: Illustrated in VIP
Do: Students simplify their answer in their own problem.

Name: _________________________________

Date: ____________________________

Do Now Workspace:

Guided Notes: Algebraically Dividing Fractions

Ms. Brianas problem

Students problem

Steps:

1 5

3 18

19 4

20 5

Turn all mixed numbers into

improper fractions.

No mixed numbers, on to the

Rewrite the first fraction in

the problem.

next step!

1
3

SAME
Change the division sign to
a multiplication sign.
CHANGE

Write the reciprocal of the

last fraction.

1 18

3 5

WHIP

Multiply the fractions.

1 18 18
=
3 5 15

Name: _________________________________

Simplify your fraction!

Date: ____________________________

18
6
1
3= =1
15
5
5
GCF: 3

Detach Here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Closure: Exit Slip

Finish the following problems and hand to the teacher before you leave. Show all
work!

11 3

4 2

2 11

3 24

Name: _________________________________

1
3
2 1
2
8

Date: ____________________________