4.MD.B.4

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GO!

Pitfalls to avoid when teaching 4.MD.B.4

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4.MD.B.4 builds on students' understanding of making a line plot. Their understanding is advanced through working with data that includes non-whole number values while answering questions about the data using addition and subtraction.

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cups of sugar

Amount of sugar used

Students will see data sets that apply to real-world situations and be able to interpret the data to create line plots.

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The line plot below shows the distances Mark ran each of five days last week. What is the total number of miles Mark ran last week?

Distances Mark Ran

Students will create line plots to display a data set of objects measured in fractional units of ½, ¼, and ⅛ and solve problems using the data they collected. This approach differs from how students might have learned this concept in the past, as they will now be working with both whole numbers and fractions/decimals.

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Solve problems

Students learn to multiply fractions by whole numbers, add and subtract fractions with like denominators, and use these skills to solve problems analyzing line plots.

Make a line plot

Line plots are simple diagrams that show the frequency of data on a number line. Each data point is marked above the number line with an "X" or a dot.

Click on the numbers below.

Unpack the standard

4.MD.B.4 Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions by using information presented in line plots. For example, from a line plot find and interpret the difference in length between the longest and shortest specimens in an insect collection.

3.NF.A.2

3.NF.A.3

3.NF.A.2Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram.

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

4.MD.B.4 Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions by using information presented in line plots. For example, from a line plot find and interpret the difference in length between the longest and shortest specimens in an insect collection.

Connections to Prior Learning

Click on the yellow index cards below to learn about how these standards connect to 4.MD.B.4.

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Avoid this pitfall!

One common pitfall occurs when students misunderstand how to create the scale for a line plot using fractions. Since line plots in this standard involve fractions of a unit, students might misplace the fractions on the number line or have difficulty comparing fractions that have different denominators.

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Avoid this pitfall!

One common pitfall occurs when students misunderstand how to create the scale for a line plot using fractions. Since line plots in this standard involve fractions of a unit, students might misplace the fractions on the number line or have difficulty comparing fractions that have different denominators.Avoid this pitfall by giving students access to supports and scaffolds that will allow them to create fractional scales on a number line (e.g. pre-scaled number lines). Students should continue to practice comparing fractions with different denominators to help them correctly order fractions on a number line.

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4.NF.B.4aUnderstand a fraction a/b as a multiple of 1/b. For example, use a visual fraction model to represent 5/4 as the product 5 x (1/4), recording the conclusion by the equation 5/4 = 5 x (1/4).

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4.OA.A.2Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving multiplicative comparison, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem, distinguishing multiplicative comparison from additive comparison.

3.OA.A.1Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each.

3.oa.a.1

4.oA.a.2

3.nf.a.1

4.NF.B.4a

3.NF.A.1Understand 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.

Connections to Prior Learning

Click on the index cards below to learn about how these standards connect to 4.NF.B.4a.