Writing Meets Math: lesson plan

The following is a lesson plan I wrote, which has teachers of composition classes showing students some of the basics of writing a math journal. Any reader of this blog is welcome to use this lesson or to pass it along. The only thing I would ask is that if you make adaptations, or have suggestions about adaptions I might make, you post them to the "comments" section of this blog.


Name:
Date:
Room #______
Class:
Grade(s):

Objectives:

1) Students will understand what the words variable, integer, and operation mean with regards to solving mathematical equations.

2) Students will be able to verbally describe the steps involved in solving one of three different simple algebraic problems in their own words.

3) Students will be able to write, using only words not numbers, to describe how to perform one of three simple algebraic problems.

Content:

Students must be able to understand how and when to use certain mathematical procedures in solving an equation.

Students must have some basic understanding of how to solve algebraic equations.

Students will know, or will need to learn, how to work productively as a class, independently, and in small groups.

Procedure:

Anticipatory Set:
When the students come in the problem 3x + 9 = 36 will be written on the board.
Next to the problem the following questions will be written out:

1) What is the variable in this problem?

2) List 2 integers which appear in this problem?

3) What operations are required to solve this problem?

Class:

1) Go over the solutions to the warm-up exercise.

2) Explain the objective of the lesson to the students: the ability to write out mathematical processes in words will improve both their writing skills and their ability to understand mathematical processes.

3) Divide the class into three groups.

4) Give each person in each one of the groups a copy of the problem they will be working on. (Each group will have a different problem.)

5) The students will be given 5 minutes to discuss with their group how they would describe this problem in words. During this discussion none of the students may take any notes.

6) The students will be given 5-10 minutes to write out, in their own words, without the help of the other members of their group, how they would go about solving the equation they have been given

7) The students will be set up in groups of 3 so that there is one student with each one of the problems in each group. The students will then read each other their descriptions and see if the other two students in the group can recreate the problem.
If a student is really struggling in describing his/her problem then they may show the problem to the other people in the group and ask for their help. (10 min)

8) The class will come back together and discuss how the lesson went.

9) Give the students a separate problem from the ones they have seen and have them write that one out in their own words. Collect this exercise to use as a measure of how the students are coming along.

10) Assign homework. Worksheet with several more problems which are slightly more complicated. The final question on the homework asks the students to come up with their own problem and write it out. They will each present these in their small groups the next day.

11) If time allows, let the students begin their homework.

Teaching the Content:

1) Independent Pracice: Students will complete warm up. This will be assessed based on going over the problems.

2) Direct Instruction: Teacher explaining any knowledge or points the students may have missed in the warm up.

3) Student Led: Students will work together to find words to describe problems.

4) Independent Practice: Students will work alone on describing problem.
This will be assessed the first time by them going over it with their group and the second time it will be collected.

Guided Practice:

1) Identify elements in an equation

2) Work in groups to describe an equation

3) Write out an equation in their own words (they will do this on two separate occasions)

4) Read and explain their explanations to a small group.

Independant Practice:

1) Homework.

Closure:

What the students learned through the activity will be measured based on their individual practice which will be handed in at the end of class.

Materials and resources:

1) Chalk

2) Chalk Board

3) Worksheets with problems on them for class

4) Worksheets with homework on it

5) Which students will make up each small group

Self Evaluation:

Did the students meet the objectives?

What did I do that helped the students learn?

How could I improve student learning?



© 2008 BRIAN FELDER