Fruit Baskets and GCF
Fruit Baskets and GCF
As students ll baskets with differing numbers of fruit, they develop the concept of GCFoften before learning the formal denition.
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Posing mathematics problems in different ways will raise students level of cognitive demand because it will push them to think more deeply about mathematics (Stallings 2007). By engaging students in a task that requires them to determine their own solution strategies, students will gain a deeper understanding of the mathematical concept explored through the task. One activity, in particular, led seventh-grade students to develop an understanding of the concept of greatest common factor (GCF) through their solutions to different situations posed in a problem. The problems posed to the students can be read in the activity sheet. The
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activity for
Finding the greatest common Factor
goal of the activity was for students to explore the concept of greatest common factor before the term was introduced. When developing the activity, smaller numbers were chosen for the questions so that manipulatives could easily be used. The activity sheet contains eighteen questions. Six questions each involving two, three, and four pieces of fruit allowed plenty of opportunity for students to explore sorting different quantities of fruit. As more numbers were included, the difficulty level increased; however, students could still see that the pattern they found working with fewer numbers held true regardless of the number of different types of fruit being sorted.
Vol. 17, No. 4, November 2011
diViding uP Fruit Baskets Students worked in groups of two or three to solve the Fruit Basket Challenge problem, using colored Popsicle sticks to represent different fruits. The students then used colored pencils to draw a visual representation of their solutions to each question. Visual learners benefited from this approach because they were able to understand both the number of fruit per basket as well as the number of baskets that could be made. Most students had no knowledge of the concept of greatest common factor before investigating the Fruit Basket Challenge. The students had, however, explored prime numbers up
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a Basket analysis
The students and the teacher discuss their work thus far on filling baskets and finding the greatest common factor of 16 and 8: Teacher: I noticed that you answered four baskets for the first question. Lets take a look at that. Heres some manipulatives from yesterday. Can you set up the problem again? Students: Sure. We got four baskets with 4 apples and 2 oranges in each. Teacher: Look at one of your baskets. You have 4 red sticks and 2 yellow sticks. Could you divide them into any more identical groups? Students: I could divide this basket to make two baskets with 2 apples and 1 orange. Teacher: Yes! Lets do that with all of them. What would that look like? Students: If I had 2 apples and 1 orange in each basket, Id have eight baskets altogether. Teacher: Using the manipulatives, show me what that looks like. [The student places the manipulatives into 8 stacks with 2 red sticks and 1 yellow stick in each stack.] Teacher: Great. Lets look at the chart. What do you notice about the factors of 16 and the factors of 8? Students: They each have three 2s. Teacher: What do we do with the prime factorization to get the original number back: add, subtract, or what should we do? Students: We multiply! Teacher: Whats 2 2 2? Students: Eight. Teacher: How many fruit baskets did you find for question 1? Students: Eight. 224
MatheMatics teaching in the Middle school
to 100 using the sieve of Eratosthenes, so they were familiar with prime and composite numbers. They were also familiar with the concepts of divisibility and prime factorization as well as the rules of divisibility. On the classroom wall an 8 ft. 10 ft. grid listed the prime factorizations of the counting numbers from 1 to 60 (see fig. 1). This chart was developed in a previous class period using the Building Numbers from Primes activity described by Burkhart (2009). The grid was used to identify patterns and relationships between the prime factorizations of different numbers and was a good reference for the Fruit Basket Challenge problem. After the students worked through an example problem with the teacher, they individually explored possible solutions to each of the questions. As the questions began to involve more types of fruit, it was necessary for each group of students to create a key to indicate which Popsicle-stick color represented each fruit. Students employed a variety of solution strategies. Almost all groups used the Popsicle sticks to help find a solution. A few of the advanced students understood that they were using the greatest common factor of the given numbers to determine the number of baskets. Since they were already familiar with the vocabulary, the students easily solved the problems using their prior knowledge of GCF. Other students had to sort the Popsicle sticks to solve each problem. Students separated the Popsicle sticks into stacks of fruit, with the smallest number of fruit in one stack. The stacks that did not contain the same number of Popsicle sticks as the others were redistributed. For instance, in solving question 3 on the activity sheet (20 apples and 15 oranges), fifteen stacks were initially created, with each stack containing 1 orange (see fig. 2a). The 20 apples
were then distributed among the fifteen stacks. Since five stacks had 1 orange and 2 apples and ten stacks had 1 orange and 1 apple, the ten stacks of 1 orange and 1 apple were redistributed among the five stacks, which resulted in each stack having 4 apples and 3 oranges (see fig. 2b). Thus, a total of 5 baskets were created, with each basket having 4 apples and 3 oranges. Of the five stacks of Popsicle sticks, each stack contained 4 red Popsicle sticks (apples) and 3 purple Popsicle sticks (oranges). Another solution strategy used by groups of students was to break up the same color of Popsicle sticks into equal groups and then compare the number of different-color stacks to determine how to form the baskets of fruit. For instance, in solving question 2 (12 apples and 9 oranges), one group created four stacks with 3 apples in each stack and another
Fig. 2 Some students grouped and then regrouped their Popsicle sticks to determine
the GCF of 20 apples (red) and 15 oranges (purple).
(a) At left: Ten stacks of 1 orange and 1 apple; at right: five stacks of 1 orange and 2 apples
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By referencing the prime factorization chart, students were able to see how all the common factors of a set of numbers were used to form the GCF even though they had not been introduced to the term.
three stacks with 3 oranges in each (see fig. 3a). Since there were at least three stacks of each color (apples and oranges), three stacks were created that used all the stacks of oranges and three of the stacks of apples. The remaining stack of 3 apples was then distributed to those newly formed stacks (see fig. 3b). Thus, three fruit baskets were formed; each basket contained 4 apples and 3 oranges. The most difficult question for students to solve was probably question 4 (7 apples and 13 oranges), since it required that only one basket be made. Many of the groups questioned whether the problem could be solved. However, with some questioning by the teacher, the students eventually recognized that 7 and 13 are prime numbers so they could not be divided into groups with equal numbers. In stating a solution, one student responded, Because we cant split up the apples and oranges equally, we have to put them all into one basket. Although this question consisted of two prime numbers, the students could have been given a question with relatively prime numbers, such as 7 apples and 4 oranges or 9 apples and 4 oranges, to get a solution of one basket. In question 12, students observed that all three numbers (4, 8, and 17) have no common factor even though 4 and 8 have a greatest common factor of 4. The solution is thus one basket for the three different types of fruit. Occasionally, students separated the fruit into stacks using a common factor, but not the greatest common factor. For example, in question 1 (16 apples and 8 oranges), a group of students produced four baskets; each basket contained 4 apples and 2 oranges. In this case, the students identified a common factor but not the greatest common factor. Although the students might have misunderstood the instructions for finding the most baskets, it provided a good teachable moment because 4 and 2 have a common factor. A different arrangement could be made to create more baskets. It was also a good opportunity to help students understand the distinction between common factors and the greatest common factor without having introduced this vocabulary. To distinguish between these two concepts, the prime factorization chart on the classroom wall was used to compare factors of the given numbers. For instance, when students compared the factors of 16 and 8 from question 1, they noticed that both numbers have three 2s. Through questioning by the teacher (see the sidebar on p. 224) and using the prime factorization chart on the wall (see fig. 1), students were able to understand the relationship between the number of fruit baskets and the prime factors that were common to the given numbers. As the dialogue continued, the students in this group were better able to understand how the common factors
Fig. 3 Other students grouped their Popsicle sticks and distributed the extras to
determine the GCF of 12 apples (red) and 9 oranges (purple).
(b) Three stacks of 3 bananas and 3 apples and an additional apple on each stack 226
in the chart were used to determine the number of baskets needed. This connection helped students when they were asked to identify any patterns that they noticed. Class discussion allowed students to relate the maximum number of baskets formed to the GCF of the given numbers. The students concluded that when each given number was divided by the GCF, that amount told them the number of pieces of that type of fruit to put in each basket.
Fig. 4 One group presented a colorful visual representation of their final solutions.
Building a deFinition oF greatest coMMon Factor Since this activity was done over a two-day period, the first day was devoted to exploration and investigation so that students had a chance to solve each question and write their final answer. One groups written solutions are shown in figure 4. As homework
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from the first day, students reflected on the patterns they discovered so that they could discuss their ideas with their group members and other classmates the next day. During the second day, students used their work to develop a method for finding the greatest common factor. When asked to share their techniques for solving the first few questions in the activity, some students explained that they were familiar with the term factor and that filling the baskets was related to finding a common factor. Other students had not yet been able to move away from the manipulatives, so a document camera was used to visually explain the solutions. All students then saw the connection. By referencing the prime factorization chart on the wall during the class discussion, some were able to see how all the common factors of a set of numbers were used to form the greatest common factor even though they had not been introduced to the term. Students were asked questions involving larger numbers on the grid, such as 40 and 60, so that they could use the patterns they found to develop a procedure for calculating the GCF. Since students were familiar with the rules of divisibility, it was natural for them to use the divide-by-a-common-prime method when developing a procedure for calculating the greatest common factor. For instance, using this prime method in question 1 (16 apples and 8 oranges) yields the result in figure 5. In this method, since 16 and 8 have a common prime factor of 2, we divide each number by 2, resulting in respective quotients of 8 and 4, which are written below 16 and 8. Again, since 8 and 4 have a common prime factor of 2, dividing each number by 2 results in respective quotients of 4 and 2, which are written directly below 8 and 4. The procedure continues until the two numbers have
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2 2 2
16 8 4 2
8 4 2 1
no common prime factor remaining. Students could see that the maximum number of baskets that could be assembled was found by multiplying the common prime numbers 2 2 2 = 8 and that each basket contained 2 apples and 1 orange, which were the numbers remaining after division by the GCF.
going to use this? This activity is designed to encourage student inquiry. Students must work with a partner to problem solve and determine a way to find how many of each fruit should be in each basket and how many baskets can be made. Most important, we have given students a reason to learn the concept of the greatest common factor since helping food pantries is something that many people are familiar with or have done. This activity not only caters to several learning styles, including visual and kinesthetic, but also opens up discussions among students and allows them to form their own conclusions before the teacher mentions the term greatest common factor.
Bundling the Work together By using a real-life example, such as the Fruit Basket Challenge, students may be more likely to remember how to calculate the GCF and why it is important. If we are going to help students gain a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and the procedures used with these concepts, we need to provide more opportunities for students to explore mathematics through specific tasks and engage students in problem-solving activities. Giving students the Fruit Basket Challenge allowed them to explore the concept of greatest common factor before the term was introduced. It also provided a visual context and allowed them to develop their own solution strategies for solving problems involving the GCF. Through this activity exploration, students were able to better understand the importance of finding the GCF and how it related to a real-life example. As educators, we are constantly striving to engage students, encourage learning, and answer that all-toofamiliar question, When are we ever
reFerences
Burkhart, Jerry. 2009. Building Numbers from Primes. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 15 (3): 15667. Stallings, L. Lynn. 2007. See a Different Mathematics. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 13 (4): 21217.
carol J. Bell, cbell@ nmu.edu, teaches mathematics education courses at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. She is interested in how future teachers communicate and make sense of the mathematics they will someday teach. heather J. leisner, hleisner@alumni.nmu .edu, teaching in Madison, Wisconsin, developed this lesson while student teaching at Father Marquette Middle School in Marquette. kristina shelley, krissy.shelley@gmail .com, teaches seventh-grade and eighthgrade mathematics at Father Marquette Middle School. She is interested in making mathematics meaningful for middle school students through the use of realworld applications.
activity sheet
Name ______________________________