Corrie Shellnutt

EDIS 5320
Smart Notebook Lesson
Sixth Grade
Topic: Common Factors and Multiples
Primary Content Objectives:

Virginia SOL Content Standards

o 5.3a
o Identify and describe the characteristics of prime and composite numbers.
Virginia SOL Mathematical Goals
o Problem solving
Common Core State Content Standards
o 6.NS.B.4
o Find the greatest common factor of two whole numbers less than or equal to 100
and the least common multiple of two whole numbers less than or equal to 12.
Use the distributive property to express a sum of two whole numbers 1-100 with a
common factor as a multiple of a sum of two numbers with no common factor.
Common Core State Standards Mathematical Practice
o MP.2, MP.3, MP.6, MP.7
o Reason abstractly and quantitatively, Construct viable arguments and critique the
reasoning of others, Attend to precision, Look for and make use of structure

Assessment:

Pre-Assessment:
o Vocabulary warm-up of mathematical terms: factors, multiples, prime numbers,
composite numbers, evens, odds, and perfect squares
o Ask students to provide examples of factors and multiples then determine the
greatest common factor for two or more numbers and the least common multiple
for two numbers
o Ask students to categorize numbers into prime, composite, perfect squares, and
even or odd

o Discuss differences between factors and multiples and the number of factors for
all prime numbers

Formative:
o Interact with students while they work out the problems in groups.
o Confirm that their findings on the chart handouts are correct.
o Encourage conversations exploring the connections between vocabulary terms
and chart data.
Summative:
o Invite students to explain their strategies to recreate the problem.
o Recognize differences in strategy preferences
o Exit Slip: Paragraph explaining changes of state in prime numbers, perfect
squares, composite numbers, etc.

Materials and Resources: Smartboard, two-color counters, 100 chart handout, voice recorder,
exit slip notecard/handout
Key Vocabulary and Definitions:

Multiple- the product of a given factor and any whole number

Greatest common factors (GCF)- the least number, no including zero, that is a factor of
two or more numbers
Least common multiples (LCM)- the least number, not including zero that is a common
multiple of two or more numbers
Prime numbers- a whole number greater than one that has exactly two factors, one and
itself
Composite numbers- any whole number greater than one that has two or more factors
Even numbers- any integer that can be evenly divisible by 2 with no remainder. (0, 2, 4,
6, 8, 10, 12, etc.)
Odd numbers- any integer that is not a multiple of two; if an odd number is divided by
two the result is a fraction. (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, etc.)
Perfect square- the product of an integer multiplied by itself

Lesson Procedures:
1. Introduction and goal orientation: In a whole group session explain to students that they
are about to embark on a quest where they will have to verify their findings using
manipulatives and charts just like mathematicians.
2. Connecting to prior knowledge and experiences: With students in groups of 4, review
number theory vocabulary relating to the lesson (factors, multiples, prime numbers,
composite numbers, evens, odds, and perfect squares). After discussing definitions in
whole group session, give groups 7 minutes to sort numbers 1-100 into categories: prime,

3.

4.

5.

6.

composite, even, odd, and perfect squares. Encourage students to provide examples of the
aforementioned list of terms in whole class setting. Ask students to define change of
state and make connections between the relationship between factors and multiples in
regards to changing state.
Present the Locker Problem to student using slides, changing each as you move through
the task. The introduction of the problem features a picture a set 1-20. Explain students
that they must consider the problem in the hall of 1-100. Remind students to recognize
which numbers change state the most and which change state the least. What qualities do
these numbers share?
Provide students with two-color tiles and 100s chart handout. While working in pairs, tell
students to recreate the problem using the tools in front of them. As them to color each
number based on it relationship to the vocabulary terms. As students finish, encourage
them to write out a paragraph (exit slip) explaining the frequency of state changes in
prime numbers, composite numbers, perfect squares, etc.
Come back together and review the changes of state using the SmartNotebook chart on
the final slide with the grid 1-100. Ask students to manipulate the open and closed lockers
on the SmartBoard in order to explain their conclusions about factors, multiples, prime
numbers, composite numbers, evens, odds, and perfect squares. Ask students to explain
the patterns illustrated by the changes of state each locker goes through referencing their
chart.
a. During the discussion, teacher must probe students with questions like:
Group numbers that changed state the same amount of times, what do
you notice about them?
List the numbers that changed state twice, what do you notice about them?
Prime numbers only changed state twice, why?
Which numbers changed state three times? What does that tell us about
these numbers?
Where do the perfect squares fit in? How many times did they change
state?
Which numbers changed state most frequently? Why? What does that tell
us about those numbers?
The handout attached to this lesson may offer a guideline for the whole class discussion
above. Depending on the level of engagement from the class students could use this
during the lesson or take it home to complete for homework. For students that did not
have the time to fill out an exit slip or do not have the writing skills to do so, encourage
students to make an audio recording in their pairs to provide a recap of what they learned
from the lesson.

Accommodations for individual differences:

Students with special math accommodations are encouraged to interact with the Smart Notebook
interactive chart as well as their calculator in order to visualize the patterns discovered in the
activity. Additionally, if some students prefer to verbalize their findings, they have the option of
recording a summary of their findings using a voice recorder.

Locker Problem
Name_____________________

One hundred students are assigned lockers 1 through 100. The student assigned to
locker number 1 opens all 100 lockers. The student assigned to locker number 2 then
closes all lockers whose numbers are multiples of 2. The student assigned to locker
number 3 changes the status of all lockers whose numbers are multiples of 3 (e.g.
locker number 3, which is open gets closed, locker number 6, which is closed, gets
opened). The student assigned to locker number 4 changes the status of all locker
whose numbers are multiples of 4, and so on for all 100 lockers.
1. Which lockers will be left open?

2. Explain how you determined that these particular lockers will be open.

3. What do you notice about these particular locker numbers?

4. Why are these specific locker numbers still open?

5. How many lockers, and which ones, were touched exactly twice? How do you
know?