5th Grade Prime/Composite Numbers Lesson Plan (Math)

Topic: Identifying and describing characteristics of prime and composite numbers

Objectives & Outcomes

• By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to identify prime and composite numbers and describe their characteristics.

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Handouts with examples of prime and composite numbers
• Calculators (optional)

Warm-Up

• Introduce the concept of prime and composite numbers and their importance in math.
• Ask the students if they have heard of prime and composite numbers before and if they can give any examples.
• Write the numbers 1-20 on the board and have the students take a quick

poll to see if any of them can identify any of the numbers as prime or composite.

Direct Instruction

• Review the definition of prime numbers as numbers that are

indivisible by any other numbers except 1 or itself.

• Explain the definition of composite numbers as numbers that are

divisible by at least two other numbers.

• Show the students the handouts with examples of prime and composite numbers and go over each example with them.
• Have the students work through the practice problems on the handouts and check their work for accuracy.

Guided Practice

• Have the students work in pairs and give each pair a set of numbers to identify as prime or composite.
• Have the students work through the problems on the board and assist with any problems that the students are having.

Independent Practice

• Have the students work individually or in small groups to identify prime and composite numbers in a series of numbers.
• Encourage the students to use their understanding of the characteristics of prime and composite numbers to help them with the problems.

Closure

• Review the characteristics of prime and composite numbers as laid out in the lesson.
• Have the students share any challenges they faced in identifying prime and composite numbers in the series of numbers and how they overcame those challenges.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the independent practice activity to ensure they are accurately identifying prime and composite numbers in the series of numbers and explaining their reasoning.
• Collect and review the students' lists of prime and composite numbers to assess their understanding of the concepts.
• Administer a quiz to assess the students' understanding of determining whether a number is prime or composite and identifying prime and composite numbers in a series of numbers.