EDG 4940 – Math Unit
Part 1: Instructional Plan
Classroom Description
Student’s Demographics
The classes that Mrs. Byrd has ranges from 7th grade to 9th grade with one 11th grade student retaking
Algebra 1 Honors. Almost all of the students that Mrs. Byrd has are Caucasian except for three students.
One male student is Asian, one male is Hispanic, and one male is African American. First period is
Algebra 1 Honors and contains 7 boys and 13 girls. Third period is also Algebra 1 Honors and contains 11
girls and 10 boys. Fifth period is Algebra 1 with 13 boys and 10 girls. Sixth period is Algebra 1 with 7 boys
and 17 girls. Seventh period is Algebra 1 Honors with 10 boys and 9 girls.
Student’s Characteristics
The students in this classroom range from 11 year olds to 16 year olds. There is one student that has a
hearing disability and another that is being tested for the same problems. To assist these students Mrs.
Byrd has been given a microphone to project her voice throughout the class. These special
accommodations have only come through the students being tested and which in turn grants the school
the right to have the microphone in the classroom. A student in her first period class is considered mildly
autistic and has problem writing the notes on his own. He has trouble writing and understanding the
notes so Mrs. Byrd copies the notes for this student. He must first attempt to follow the notes given
during class before he is handed a copy. The student also has problems completing a test that contain
difficult words or word problems without the assistance of the teacher.
Students Learning Preferences
A majority of the students prefer to learn using a visual method. During class Mrs. Byrd or myself will go
through a lesson with the students and then using a document projector will work through problems
throughout the lesson. The students will be asked periodically be asked to come to the front of the class
to perform the problems demonstrating they understand the material. Students also receive some
group assignments where they must pair up with other students to perform the task.
Student’s skill Levels
The skill levels vary throughout all of the classes. In the Algebra 1 Honors classes the grade levels are
mixed so 7th grade students are working alongside 9th grade students. The younger students are
coming into the class from either Pre-Algebra classes or basic math classes. Whereas the older students
have all completed Pre-Algebra and have a better understanding of the concepts that go along with
class. The honors classes are all bright students that are most of the time willing to learn the new
material. The Algebra 1 classes only consist of 9th graders. Some of the students are repeating Algebra 1
because of previous performance while others have just completed Pre-Algebra. A majority of these
students are bright and willing to learn with a few students that need a little pushing
Quality of Home, School, Community Setting
The students in these classes come from middle class working America. Most of the students have
households where the parents care about their childs success. The school setting is driven towards
success and the teachers will go out of their way to help students. Most teachers are available at
anytime by phone, email, or some other type of communication. Mrs. Byrd for instance comes to school
30-45 minutes before and after school to help students. The community is driven by sports like most
communities in this area. But it is a small town atmosphere with everybody knowing everybody and
willing to help.
Quality of learning environment (math-rich environment)
Considering this is a math class the environment contains predominately math. Mrs. Byrd makes sure to
cover the material in the lesson and the students are given ample time to ask questions pertaining to
the lesson. The curriculum in all of Mrs. Byrd's classes are geared towards Algebra in one way or
another.
Specific student learning outcomes for unit that align with national and state standards
1.Given 20 equations, students will be able to solve, graph, and justify inequalities with 80% accuracy.
MA.912.A.3.4: Solve and graph simple and compound inequalities in one variable and be able to justify
each step in a solution. 2.Given 3 real life applications, students will be able to create and solve multistep inequalities with 75% accuracy. MA.912.A.3.5: Symbolically represent and solve multi-step and realworld applications that involve linear equations and inequalities.
Assessment Plan
Screening
Pretest: Students will be given a quiz review that covers the sections in this unit which covers linear
inequalities. The pretest will be 15 multiple choice questions that contain simple and compound
equalities along with real-world applications.
Progress Monitoring
Students will be assessed on a daily basis by the class/homework given. After the students complete the
assignments we will go over them as a class to see if any student has a question. Each student will
receive a grade on their assignment based on the overall completion and if the answers are correct.
Outcome Based Assessment
Post-test: Students will be given the quiz that corresponds to the linear inequalities sections. The quiz
will be 20 questions where the students must solve and graph simple and compound inequalities in one
variable and be able to justify each step in a solution. The quiz will be very similar to the pretest except
for the questions being more difficult.
Instructional Plan
Addresses all 5 areas of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension.
OR Skill based unit (dependent on topic) addresses concept building, mechanics, and knowledge
application; (real-world problems, dependent on topic, etc.)
Day 1 Students will learn how to solve one-step linear inequalities. Solving a linear inequality in one
variable is much like solving a linear equation in one variable. The students will be shown that to solve
the inequality, you isolate the variable on one side. The students will also be shown how to graph
inequalities using a number line. For example if x>2 there will be an open dot on two and the line will be
all numbers after two. If the inequality would have be >= there would have been a closed dot. The
students will learn that if you divide be a negative number the inequality will flip. For example if you
have -2x<36 and then divide by -2 the inequality will flip to show x>-18. Students will then be given an
assignment in the book to complete and check the next day. The assignment will consist of the even
problems in this section.
Day 2 Students will learn how to solve multi-step linear inequalities. This section is almost exactly like
the previous section but to solve for the inequality there are more than one step. As a class we will
cover multiple examples going over the steps that will help solve the inequalities. For example, -6+5x<19
the first step would be to add 6 to both sides and then divide by 5 and the answer will be x<5. The
assignment for the day will be to complete most of the even problems from their book after we have
done multiple examples of the odd problems. If they do not complete the assignment they must do it for
homework which we will check the next day.
Day 3 Students will learn how to solve compound inequalities. A compound inequality consists of two
inequalities connected by <,>,<=, or >=. The goal of a compound inequality is to again isolate the
variable. For example, -2<3x-8<10, to solve this equation you must first add 8 to -2 and 10 and then
divide both numbers by 3. The answer will be 2
Differentiated Instruction: List specific activities, strategies or techniques used to provide instruction
for diverse students, including ESOL students. Please list this information here even if you wrote it
into the plans above.
In one of the Algebra 1 classes there is a young lady that is from the Ukraine. I must make sure that this
student fully understands what I am saying and comprehends all of the material. Considering that
English is her second language I sometimes have to take a little extra time with her to make sure that
she fully understands the section that we have covered on that particular day.
Part 2: Unit Analysis
Analyze the effectiveness of your instruction using the Pre/Post test. Explain the results of your graph.
What conclusions can you reach about your students and your teaching?
My unit plan was on linear inequalities and the students caught onto this concept pretty quick. I
began by teaching the three sections about Linear Inequalitites and then I gave the students a
period to complete the pretest. The next day I gave the students test notes about the exact
same material and told them they were to complete the posttest the next day. After the
posttest I was very happy with the results. The students made good progress and almost all of
the grades improved. I believe the students can relate to my teaching and can therefore do the
material.
Record the results on a chart or table.
5th Period Algebra Chapter 6 Linear Inequalities
Name
Pre-Test Post-Test Percent Increase
Alex
24
55
31%
Charity
67
83
16%
Robert
73
77
4%
Ben C.
70
87
17%
Kyle
94
96
2%
Gavin
74
80
6%
Chloe
82
79
-3%
Jack
84
90
6%
Eric
65
53
-12%
Avery
83
86
3%
Ben M.
36
40
4%
Lucas
48
51
3%
Lilly
62
69
7%
Landen
72
84
12%
Brianna
80
93
13%
Alexis
50
62
12%
Kattie
33
58
25%
Jenna
90
100
10%
Nate
75
86
11%
Holly
68
81
13%
Molly
46
54
8%
Class Average
66
74
Class Percent Increase
9%
6th Period Algebra Chapter 6 Linear Inequalities
Name
Pre-Test Post-Test Percent Increase
Amber
64
72
8%
Natalie
78
81
3%
Ryan
62
66
4%
Joslyn
42
49
7%
Jessica
89
87
-2%
Brandon
82
80
-2%
Remington
84
86
2%
Alexa
59
70
11%
Brittany
95
91
-4%
Destiny
55
67
12%
Adam
58
60
2%
Tyler
47
50
3%
Sara
89
85
-4%
Andrew
63
60
-3%
Kim
72
77
5%
Dylana
39
55
16%
Cassie
48
73
25%
Caitlin
76
80
4%
Savannah
80
87
7%
Kodi
95
90
-5%
Heather
65
74
9%
Lynsey
71
68
-3%
Dustin
87
92
5%
Iryana
92
100
8%
Javier
80
83
3%
Class Average
71
75
Class Percent Increase
4%
Reflect on the effectiveness of your Unit Plan. Why or why not was your plan effective?
I believe the unit plan was very effective. One class made a 4% increase and the other made a 9%
increase. The 4% is a little misleading because the grades for the pretest were already high so any
improvement was just bonus. The two classes averaged about 75% which I believe is pretty good.
Reflect on your teaching effectiveness. What are your teaching strengths? What can you change to
enhance student learning? What would you do differently?
I believe my teaching strengths are being able to get on the students level and explaining the material
where they understand it. I have fun teaching and when the students are all tuned in and proof it by
making good grades that makes my day. The thing I feel I need the most work on is classroom
management. It would have been hard for me to do all of the things that need to get done without the
help of my supervising teacher. Taking roll, getting students from previous days caught up, and
controlling the class is a lot to handle. I believe that the only way to get used to this type of schedule is
to dive into it and do the best you can.