Primary Type: Formative Assessment
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 36643
Partition the Pizza
Students fold a picture of a circular pizza into four equal parts and then are asked to describe each part.
Subject(s): Mathematics
Grade Level(s): 1
Intended Audience: Educators
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: MFAS, MAFS.1.G.1.3, Partition, fourths, halves, divide, equal parts
Resource Collection: MFAS Formative Assessments
ATTACHMENTS
MFAS_PartitionThePizza_Worksheet.docx
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASK
Instructions for Implementing the Task
This task may be completed individually or in small groups.
Prior to implementing this task, the teacher should copy and cut out enough pizza pictures so that there is one full pizza for each student.
1. The teacher gives the student the picture.
2. The teacher says, “This is a picture of a pepperoni pizza.
3. How can you fold this picture so that four friends can share the pizza? Each friend will have the same amount of pizza, and there will be no pizza left over.”
4. The teacher then asks the student to describe each part. If the student describes each piece as a fourth, the teacher asks if there is another word for fourth (i.e.,
quarters).
Note: If the student struggles to fold the pizza into four equal shares, prompt the student to fold it in half first. Then, ask if he or she can fold it again to make four equal
parts.
TASK RUBRIC
Getting Started
Misconception/Error
The student partitions the circle into unequal shares and does not correct his or her mistake despite prompting.
page 1 of 4 Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student folds the circle but there are not four equal parts. The student struggles with partitioning a circle.
The student folds the circle so that opposite points meet in the center and then does so again so that there are four overlapping parts surrounding a rectangle in the
center.
The student attempts to divide the circle into four equal parts but becomes frustrated and does not have a clear strategy for partitioning the circle.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
What do you think the word equal means?
How can we fold this paper so that it is in half? If I fold this (showing the already folded part) in half, how many pieces do you think we will have?
If four friends are sharing the pizza, then how many equal parts should the pizza have?
How many parts did you divide this pizza into? Are all the pieces the same size?
Instructional Implications
Model for the student how to partition circles and rectangles into equal parts. Have the student copy you as you model how to partition circles and rectangles. Use the
words halves and fourths to describe the partitioned sections.
Provide direct instruction on the meaning of equal parts.
Moving Forward
Misconception/Error
The student partitions the circle into unequal shares but corrects his or her mistake with some prompting by the teacher.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student folds the circle into unequal parts or into the incorrect number of parts. With teacher prompting, the student sees his or her mistake and correctly partitions
the circle.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
What do you think the word equal means?
How can we fold this paper so that it is in half? If I fold this (showing the already folded part) in half, how many pieces do you think we will have?
If four friends are sharing the pizza, then how many equal parts should the pizza have?
How many parts did you divide this pizza into? Are all the pieces the same size?
Instructional Implications
Model for the student how to partition circles and rectangles into equal parts. Have the student copy you as you model how to partition circles and rectangles. Use the
words halves and fourths to describe the partitioned sections.
Provide direct instruction on the meaning of equal parts.
Give the student pictures of circles and rectangles divided both equally into halves and fourths and unequally into two and four parts. Have the student sort the pictures
into two groups: those that are equally divided and those that are unequally divided.
Almost There
Misconception/Error
The student partitions the circle into equal shares but is not able to describe the shares using the words fourths or quarters.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student divides the circle into four equal parts but cannot justify how he or she knows that the parts are equal.
The student does not describe the parts as fourths or quarters even with prompting.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
How do you know that all of these parts are equal?
page 2 of 4 If the circle is folded into two equal parts, what name do we give each of the parts?
If the circle is folded into four equal parts, what name do we give each of the parts?
Another student folded the paper this way (show the circle folded into four unequal parts or eight equal parts). What did he do wrong?
Instructional Implications
Model how to name equal parts using the words halves and fourths.
Model how to explain that the parts are equal.
Give the student pictures of circles and rectangles divided both equally into halves and fourths and unequally into two and four parts. Have the student sort the pictures
into two groups: those that are equally divided and those that are unequally divided. Ask the student justify his or her sort.
Got It
Misconception/Error
The student has no misconceptions or errors.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student folds the circle into four equal parts and describes the parts as either quarters or fourths. When asked how he or she knows that the parts are equal, the
student says, “Each piece has the same amount.” Questions Eliciting Thinking
How do you know that all of these parts are equal?
If the circle is folded into two equal parts, what name do we give each of the parts?
If the circle is folded into four equal parts, what name do we give each of the parts?
How many equal parts do you think there would be if I fold this again? Do you know what those parts are called?
Instructional Implications
Have the student partition a rectangle into six equal parts.
Guide the student in partitioning a clock face into four equal parts.
Challenge the student to partition other shapes into fourths (e.g., a square or a regular octagon) and justify why the parts are equal.
Challenge the student to partition other shapes (e.g., an isosceles triangle, a regular pentagon, or an isosceles trapezoid) into halves, and justify why the parts are equal.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Special Materials Needed:
Partition the Pizza worksheet
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: MFAS FCRSTEM
Name of Author/Source: MFAS FCRSTEM
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Okaloosa
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
page 3 of 4 Related Standards
Name
MAFS.1.G.1.3:
Description
Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and
quarters, and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares.
Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares.
page 4 of 4