LESSON PLAN (MODERN TEACHING APPROACH)

A. LESSON INFORMATION
DATE:
CLASS:
TIME:
DURATION: PERIOD:
SUBJECT: Mathematics
THEME: Algebra
TOPIC: Fraction
SUB-TOPIC: Simplification
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the student should to:
(i) Reduce fraction
(ii) Find LCM of algebraic fraction
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES: Chart showing LCM, addition and, subtraction.
B. PRESENTATION:
The teacher presents the lesson with the steps below:
STEP I: Identification of prior idea.
Mode: Individual
Teacher’s Activities: Instructs the student to identify the LCM of the fraction on the chart displayed.
Students’ Activities: Student identifies the LCM of the fraction on the chart displayed.
STEP II: Exploration
Mode: Entire class
Teacher’s Activities: Leads the entire class to simplify some fractions.

Reducing to lowest terms

The numerator and denominator of a fraction are called its terms. Since we may multiply
both terms, then, symmetrically, we may divide both terms.
ax x
=
ay y
"Both the numerator and denominator may be divided
by a common factor."

When we do that, we say that we have reduced the fraction to its lowest terms.

Again, this is the same as in arithmetic.

5x
Example 2. Reduce .
5y
5x x
Answer. = .
5y y

5 is a common factor of the numerator and denominator. Therefore we may divide each of
them by 5.
One often hears that we have "canceled" the 5's. But that can be very dangerous expression,
as the following examples will show.
5+x
Example 3. Reduce .
5+y

Answer. This can not be reduced. We cannot "cancel" the 5's, because 5 is not a factor of
either the numerator or the denominator. In both of them, 5 is a term.

We cannot cancel terms.

The word term does double duty in algebra. We speak of the terms of a sum and also the
terms of a fraction, which are the numerator and denominator. A fraction is in its lowest
terms when the terms -- the numerator and denominator -- have no common factors.
3a + 6b + 9c
Example 4. Reduce .
12d
Answer. When the numerator or denominator is made up of a sum, then if every term has a
common factor, we may divide every term by it.

In this example, every term in both the numerator and denominator has a factor 3. Therefore,
upon dividing every term by 3, we can write immediately:
3a + 6b + 9c a + 2b + 3c
=
12d 4d

There is no more reducing. The numerator and denominator no longer have a common
factor.

We could show the common factor explicitly, by writing

3a + 6b + 9c 3(a + 2b + 3c)
=
12d 3·4d
But to actually write that is not required.

This example illustrates the following:

To divide a sum -- 3a + 6b + 9c -- by a number,
we must be able to divide every term by that number.
3a + 6b + 8c
Example 5. Reduce .
12a

Answer. Not possible. The numerator and denominator have no common factor. 3 is not a
common factor, because 3 is not a factor of 8. 2 is not a common factor, because 2 is not a
factor of 3. And a is not a common factor. That fraction is in its lowest terms.
Again, to divide a sum, every term must have a common factor, as in Example 4.
8x
Example 6. Reduce .
8x + 10
Answer. 2 is a factor of every term in both the numerator and denominator. Therefore we
may divide every term by 2.
8x 4x
= .
8x + 10 4x + 5
There is no more dividing. We cannot "cancel" the 4x's, because 4x is not a factor of the
denominator. 4x is not a factor of 5.

Problem 6. Reduce to lowest terms.

3a a 8xy 2y 56y 8
a) = b) = c) =
3b b 12x 3 77xy 11x

2x + 6 x+3 , on dividing every term in both the numerator

d) =
4x + 8 2x + 4 and denominator by 2.

2x + 3 Not possible. The terms of the numerator and denominator have no

e) =
4x + 9 common factor.
x
Example 7. Reduce .
4x
x 1
Answer. = ,
4x 4

on dividing both the numerator and denominator by x.

Note that we must write 1 in the numerator, for x = 1· x.

4x
Example 8. Reduce .
x
4x
Answer. = 4.
x

It is not the style in algebra to write 1 as a denominator.

x−3
Example 9. Reduce .
6(x − 3)
x−3 1
Answer. = .
6(x − 3) 6

We can view x − 3 as a factor of the numerator, because

x − 3 = (x − 3)· 1

Again, we must write 1 in the numerator.

Problem 7. Reduce.

2a a 1 2x 1
a) =2 b) = c) =
a ab b 8xy 4y

5(x − 2) x+1 1 3(x + 2)x 1

d) =5 e) = f) =
x−2 2(x + 1) 2 6(x + 2)xy 2y
15x
Example 10. Reduce .
5x – 3
Answer. Not possible. The numerator and denominator have no common factor.
x2 − x − 6
Example 11. Reduce 2 .
x − 4x + 3

Answer. In its present form, there is no reducing -- because there are no factors. But we can
make factors:
x2 − x − 6 (x − 3)(x + 2) x + 2
= =
x2 − 4x + 3 (x − 3)(x − 1) x − 1

(x −3) is now seen to be a common factor. We can divide by it. And when we do, the
numerator and denominator no longer have a common factor. The end.

4x³ − 9x2
Example 12. Reduce: .
4x³ + 6x2

Answer. The only common factor is x2. And we could display it by factoring both the
numerator and denominator:
4x³ − 9x2 x2(4x − 9) 4x − 9
= =
4x³ + 6x2 2x2(2x + 3) 2(2x + 3)

The fraction is now in its lowest terms. No common factors.

Problem 8. Reduce.

5x 5x x
a) = =
10x + 15 5(2x + 3) 2x + 3

3x − 12 3(x − 4) x − 4
b) = =
3x 3x x

12x − 18y + 21z 4x − 6y + 7z

c) = ,
6y 2y
upon dividing every term by their common factor, 3.

2m 2m 2
d) = =
m2 − 2m m(m − 2) m − 2

x2 − x x(x − 1)
e) = = x−1
x x

12x2 12x2 3
f) 2 = =
16x − 20x
5
4x (4x3 − 5) 4x3 − 5
2

x+3 x+3 1
g) = =
4x + 12 4(x + 3) 4
 2x − 8 2(x − 4)
h) = =2
x−4 x−4

2x − 2y 2(x − y) 2
i) = =
3x − 3y 3(x − y) 3
Students’ Activities: Students ask questions and take down notes.

STEP III: Discussion

Mode: Entire class
Teacher’s Activities: Leads the student to addition and subtraction problems.

THERE IS ONE RULE for adding or subtracting fractions: The denominators must be the
same -- just as in arithmetic.
a b a+b
+ =
c c c
Add the numerators, and place their sum
over the common denominator.
6x + 3 4x − 1 10x + 2
Example 1. + =
5 5 5
The denominators are the same. Add the numerators as like terms.
6x + 3 4x − 1
Example 2. −
5 5
To subtract, change the signs of the subtrahend, and add.
6x + 3
4x − 1 6x + 3 − 4x + 1 2x + 4
5 − = =
5 5 5

STEP IV: Application

Mode: Entire class
Teacher’s Activities: Guides the entire class to solve some problems.
Students’ Activities: Students solve some problems

Problem 1.
To see the answer, pass your mouse over the colored area.
To cover the answer again, click "Refresh" ("Reload").
Do the problem yourself first!
x y x+y 5 2 3
a) + = b) − =
3 3 3 x x x
x x+1 2x + 1 3x − 4 x−5 4x − 9
c) + = d) + =
x−1 x−1 x−1 x−4 x−4 x−4
6x + 1 4x + 5 6x + 1 − 4x − 5 2x − 4
e) − = =
x−3 x−3 x−3 x−3
2x − 3 x−4 2x − 3 − x + 4 x+1
f) − = =
x−2 x−2 x−2 x−2
Different denominators -- The LCM

To add fractions with different denominators, we must learn how to construct the Lowest
Common Multiple of a series of terms.
The Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) of a series of terms
is the smallest product that contains every factor from every term.

For example, consider this series of three terms:

pq pr ps

We will now construct their LCM -- factor by factor.

To begin, it will have the factors of the first term:

LCM = pq

Moving on to the second term, the LCM must have the factors pr. But it already has the
factor p -- therefore, we need add only the factor r:
LCM = pqr

Finally, moving on to the last term, the LCM must contain the factors ps. But again it has the
factor p, so we need add only the factor s:
LCM = pqrs.

That product is the Lowest Common Multiple of pq, pr, ps. It is the smallest product that
contains each of them as factors.

Example 3. Construct the LCM of these three terms: x, x2, x3.

Solution. The LCM must have the factor x.

LCM = x

But it also must have the factors of x2 -- which are x ·x. Therefore, we must add one more
factor of x :
LCM = x2

Finally, the LCM must have the factors of x3, which are x· x· x. Therefore,
LCM = x3.

x3 is the smallest product that contains x, x2, and x3 as factors.

We see that when the terms are powers of a variable -- x, x2, x3 -- then their LCM is the
highest power.

Problem 2. Construct the LCM of each series of terms.

a) ab, bc, cd. Ans: abcd b) pqr, qrs, rst. Ans: pqrst
 c) a, a2, a3, a4. Ans: a4

EVELUATION: The teacher assesses the lesson through the following questions:

1. Problem 9. Make factors, and reduce.

a) x − 2x − 3 = (x + 1)(x − 3) = x − 3
2

x2 − x – 2 (x + 1)(x − 2) x − 2

x2 + x − 2 (x + 2)(x − 1) x − 1
b) = =
x2 − x − 6 (x + 2)(x − 3) x − 3

ab + ac a(b + c) b + c
c) = =
abc abc bc

x2 − x − 12 (x + 3)(x − 4) x − 4
d) = =
x2 + x − 6 (x + 3)(x − 2) x − 2

1. Construct the LCM of:

a) a b, ab2. Ans: a2b2
2

b) ab, cd. Ans: abcd

C. CONCLUSION: The teacher goes round to assess the student’s work and gives correction
on the board for student to copy.

D. ASSIGNMENT:
Simplify
1
a) x −
x
1
b) 1 −
x+1
2
c) 3 +
x+1

E. REFERENCES:
a. http://www.themathpage.com/alg/add-algebraic-fractions.htm

b. H. N. Odogwu etal, New Concept Mathematics for Senior Secondary Schools 2, Pages
 LESSON PLAN (MODERN TEACHING APPROACH)

A. LESSON INFORMATION
DATE:
CLASS:
TIME:
DURATION: PERIOD:
SUBJECT: Mathematics
THEME: Algebra
TOPIC: Fraction
SUB-TOPIC: Addition and Subtraction.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the student should to:
(i) Add fractions
(ii) Subtract fractions
(iii) Solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES: Chart showing LCM, addition and, subtraction.
B. PRESENTATION:
The teacher presents the lesson with the steps below:
STEP I: Identification of prior idea.
Mode: Individual
Teacher’s Activities: Instructs the student to identify the LCM of the fraction below:

3 4 5
+ +
ab bc cd

Students’ Activities: Student identifies the LCM of the fraction as abcd.

STEP II: Exploration

Mode: Entire class
Teacher’s Activities: Leads the entire students to solve some problems on fractions involving
addition.
Student’s Activities: Students solves some problems involving addition

3 4 5
Problem 1. Add: + +
ab bc cd

Solution. To add fractions, the denominators must be the same. Therefore, as a common
denominator choose the LCM of the original denominators. Choose abcd. Then, convert
each fraction to an equivalent fraction with denominator abcd.

It is necessary to write the common denominator only once:

3 4 5 3cd + 4ad + 5ab

+ + =
ab bc cd abcd
 3
To change into an equivalent fraction with denominator abcd,
ab

simply multiply ab by the factors it is missing, namely cd. Therefore, we must also multiply
3 by cd. That accounts for the first term in the numerator.
4
To change into an equivalent fraction with denominator abcd,
bc
multiply bc by the factors it is missing, namely ad. Therefore, we must also multiply 4 by
ad. That accounts for the second term in the numerator.
5
To change into an equivalent fraction with denominator abcd,
cd
multiply cd by the factors it is missing, namely ab. Therefore, we must also multiply 5 by
ab. That accounts for the last term in the numerator.

That is how to add fractions with different denominators.

Each factor of the original denominators must be a factor

of the common denominator.

Problem 3. Add.
5 6 5c + 6b
a) + =
ab ac abc
2 3 4 2rs + 3ps + 4pq
b) + + =
pq qr rs pqrs
7 8 9 7c + 8a + 9
c) + + =
ab bc abc abc
1 2 3 a2 + 2a + 3
d) + 2 + 3 =
a a a a3
3 4 3b + 4a
e) + =
a2b ab2 a2b2
5 6 5cd + 6ab
f) + =
ab cd abcd
_2_ __3__ 2(x − 3) + 3x
g) + =
x(x + 2) (x + 2)(x − 3) x(x + 2)(x − 3)

_ 2x − 6 + 3x_
=
x(x + 2)(x − 3)

_5x − 6_
=
x(x + 2)(x − 3)
Problem 4. Denominators with no common factors.
a b
+
m n

When the denominators have no common factors, their LCM is simply their product, mn.
a b an + bm
+ =
m n mn

The numerator then appears as the result of "cross-multiplying" :

an + bm
However, that technique will work only when adding two fractions, and the denominators
have no common factors.

STEP III: Exploration

Mode: Entire class
Teacher’s Activities: Leads the entire students to solve some problems on fractions involving
subtraction.
Student’s Activities: Students solves some problems involving subtraction.
2 1
Problem 1. Solve −
x–1 x
Solution. These denominators have no common factors -- x is not a factor of x − 1. It is a
term. Therefore, the LCM of denominators is their product.

2 1 2x − (x − 1) 2x − x + 1 _x + 1_
− = = =
x−1 x (x − 1)x (x − 1)x (x − 1)x
Note: The entire x − 1 is being subtracted. Therefore, we write it in parentheses -- and its
signs change.
6 3 6(x + 1) − 3(x − 1)
Problem 2. Solve − =
x−1 x+1 (x + 1)(x − 1)

6x + 6 − 3x + 3
=
(x + 1)(x − 1)

_3x + 9_
=
(x + 1)(x − 1)
3 2 3x − 2(x − 3)
Problem 3. Solve − =
x−3 x (x − 3)x

3x − 2x + 6
=
(x − 3)x
x+6
=
(x − 3)x
3 1 3x − (x − 3)
Problem 4. Simplify − =
x−3 x (x − 3)x
 3x − x + 3
=
(x − 3)x

2x + 3
=
(x − 3)x
STEP IV: Exploration
Mode: Entire class
Teacher’s Activities: Leads the entire students to solve some problems on fractions involving
addition and subtraction.
Student’s Activities: Students solves some problems involving addition and subtraction.
1 c+1
Problem. Add: 1− + . But write the answer as
a ab
1 − A fraction.
1 c+1 1 c+1 b − (c + 1) b−c−1
1− + = 1−( − ) = 1− = 1−
a ab a ab ab ab

EVELUATION: The teacher assesses the lesson through the following questions:
Simplify the following:
Problem 5.
x y x 3x
a) + b) +
a b 5 2
6 3
c) +
x−1 x+1

C. CONCLUSION: The teacher goes round to assess the student’s work and gives correction
on the board for student to copy.
D. ASSIGNMENT:
p 1
a) + r b) − 1
q x
1 1
c) x − d) 1 −
x x2
1
e) 1 −
x+1
2
f) 3 +
x+1
E. REFERENCES:
a. http://www.themathpage.com/alg/add-algebraic-fractions.htm
b. H. N. Odogwu etal, New Concept Mathematics for Senior Secondary Schools 2, Pages