Divide mixed numbers

Target: Rewrite a mixed number as one fraction before dividing.

Language target: Read a mixed number as a single quantity.

Likely miss: Students operate on the whole number and the fraction as if they were separate problems.

Ask: What improper fraction did you write first?

If you see it: Ask whether the answer should be larger or smaller than the dividend before computing. Then match the reciprocal to that prediction.

Evidence to listen for: The student predicts the size, computes with the reciprocal, and explains a wrong product.

Next: If the reciprocal is unsteady, return to a strip diagram of a unit fraction.

Observable student moves: names both quantities, uses the represented relationship, and revises after feedback. This companion is not a score.