The Lion's Share Posted by Laverne

THE LION’S SHARE A TALE OF HALVING CAKE AND EATING IT, TOO

POSTED BY LAVERNE BAZAN-THOMAS

 

Title: The Lion’s Share – A Tale of Halving Cake and Eating It, Too

Author and Illustrator: Matthew McElligott

Recommended Grade Level: Grades K - 5

Common Core Standards Addressed:

CCSS.Math.Content.3.NF.A.1 Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.

CCSS.Math.Content.3.NF.A.3 Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size.

• 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.

·       CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.A.1 Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n × a)/(n × b) by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions.

Summary: This book is about the Lion’s annual dinner and the shortage of dessert when the guests split the cake in half as they pass it down the table, leaving nothing for the Lion. When the ant offers to bake him a cake, he sets off a competition of the guests doubling each other’s pastries for the Lion that ends with the hippo baking 256 peanut butter cakes!

Rating: ***** This is a great book! Not only is it entertaining and visually engaging, it introduces fractions and multiplying by two in a fun way. Most importantly, lessons can be adjusted for all grade levels providing endless opportunities for use.

Classroom ideas: This book can be used to teach mathematical concepts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, patterns and sequences, and more! This story demonstrates the relationship between fractions and division and well as the inverse operation, multiplication. Students could begin with 12 pegs that fit together and divide them in halves until they reach the simplest form. They could use six pegs (half) and compare how they are equal to 2 sets of 3 pegs each (half). Many combinations of equivalents can be discovered this way. They students could also use 1 peg and continue to double the pegs until they reach their total. This exercise would help them understand how doubling items is the same as adding it to itself, multiplying by two, as well as the opposite of splitting totals in half.