Mathematics Lesson Plan
Math 614
November 2, 2011,
Dale City ES, Dale City, VA, Grade 5
Instructor: Natalina Bell
CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Title of the lesson: Can You Figure It Out?
Goals of this lesson.
Background Information
Relationship to the Math SOLs
Reasoning for Activities Chosen
Instruction of the Lesson
Homework
Learning Process
Materials
1.Title : Can You Figure It Out?
2. Goals for this lesson:
I want to foster curiosity about mathematics in our students. I don’t want them to regard math as
something that they are forced to learn in school, with no practical applications in everyday life.
More specifically, I want the student to make connections between numbers and understand basic
proportional reasoning in order to be able to make sense of and solve story problems; I want the
student to develop their own set of strategies and learn other students’ strategies to keep in their
learning toolbox for future use.
3. Background Information:
My group of 6 students are all ELL( levels 2-4), which I pullout for Science and part of Language
Arts. Their reading levels are pretty disparate and so are their math skills. Even though it is a pretty
small group, I have children who are excellent in math and others who seem lost most of the time.
One thing they all have I common is language issues. Because they are all ELLs, they all struggle to
a certain extent with story problems specifically and math vocabulary in general. Even though they
often are able to solve problems, they are often at a loss as how to explain their thinking. One of my
students is dually identified ELL and Special Education with severe difficulties in math.
4. Relationship to the Math SOLs:
Virginia SOL 4.4
The student will solve single-step and multistep addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems with whole numbers.
4.15
The student will recognize, create, and extend numerical and geometric patterns
Virginia SOL 5.4
The student will create and solve single-step and multistep practical problems involving addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division with and without remainders of whole numbers.
Virginia SOL 5.17
The student will describe the relationship found in a numerical pattern and express the relationship.
5. Reasoning for activities chosen for the lesson:
We borrowed the Caterpillar and Leaves problem from our Math 614 class activity. We thought
that this would be visually stimulating and easy to represent graphically. This problem lends itself
to unit rate solution, an additive solution, or a multiplicative solution. Furthermore, the language of
the problem is simple enough that even my lowest ELL students will be able to understand and
interpret with ease. After observing my team mate, Kathy, delivering the lesson to her 6 th grade class
I also ascertained that this would be the perfect problem to reach both the students who have little or
no problems with math skills and those who seem to get very little from math instruction.
6. Instruction of the lesson
Students are put into pairs and introduced to the problem. They are told they can use any of the manipulatives
put out for them to solve their problem. They are given ten minutes to discuss it and figure out a way to solve
it and then another ten minutes to prepare their poster. Students then will be asked to present their solution
and their reasoning to the others. Teacher will make connections between reasoning and methods.
Problem:
Caterpillar and Leaves
A fifth grade class needs 5 leaves each day to feed its 2 caterpillars. How many leaves would the students
need each day for 12 caterpillars? Show your work in words, pictures and numbers.
8. Learning Process
Students’ Learning Activities,
Teacher’s questions and Expected Reactions from students
Introducing the problem
A fifth grade class needs five leaves a day to feed
their two caterpillars. How many leaves a day would
the students need to feed 12 caterpillars?
Teacher’s Support
Points of evaluation
Check if anyone does not
understand the problem.
Q1: How many leaves for each caterpillar?
Q2: How many leaves for all 12 caterpillars?
Q3: How would you figure it out?
S1 I may use a number line to figure it out.
S2 I can draw caterpillars and leaves to determine
how many leaves 12 caterpillars will need.
S3 I can use a t-chart to keep adding five leaves
every two caterpillars.
Remind the students they have
attempted the same type of
problem before.
Recognizing today’s main question
Write down the students
answers on board.
Were the students able to
figure out more than one
way of solving the
problem?
Divide students into groups of
two. Provide a variety of
manipulatives:.
Did all the students
participate in the
discussion?
How can you solve a multi-step story (word)
problem?
Q1: Should I figure how many leaves for each
caterpillar first?
Q2: Whar else can I do?
Group work: solving a multi-step rational number
problem.
Help and assist as necessary
without offering solutions.
Comparing and Discussing
1.
2.
3.
Post the students’ posters/work and explain their
findings in their groups.
Ask each other questions and try to make sense of the
findings.
Bring up any problems/doubts.
Encourage students to express
their opinions.
Facilitate discussion and
encourage students to ask
questions.
Are the students
discussing the problem
and possible solutions?
Did the students ask
good logic questions?
Did they try to solve the
problem through
discussion?
Making connections
Compare each group’s work and connect their
strategies and reasoning.
Connect the “dots” for the
students by connecting each
group’s work and methods.
Do the students seem to
understand the
connections made by the
teacher?
9. Materials needed: counters, cut-outs, unifix cubes, big post-it poster paper, markers, etc…
Caterpillar and Leaves
A fifth grade class needs 5 leaves to feed its 2 caterpillars each day.
How many leaves would the class need each day for 12 caterpillars?
Show your answer in words, pictures, and numbers.
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