Lesson Plan Title: Order, Order please!
Concept/Topic to Teach: Order of Operations
Standards Addressed:
Alabama Mathematics 8th Grade
3.) Use order of operations to evaluate and simplify algebraic expressions.
http://alex.state.al.us/standardAll.php?grade=8&subject=MA&summary=2
Specific Objectives:
The students will be able to solve problems using the order of operations.
Required Materials:
Calculator, pencil, paper, three pairs of dice, Order, order please! – group activity
worksheet, Fourfours worksheet, the portable computer lab, flash drives
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
The teacher will ask the students to give the steps in which they get ready to come
to school in the mornings (ex. get dressed, fix hair, take shower, eat breakfast,
brush teeth). The teacher will discuss the importance of the order of the steps that
are followed in getting ready. The teacher will then explain how the order that we
follow in mathematics is just as important.
Step-By-Step Procedures for Teaching the Lesson:
1. The students will work three problems that are related to the order of
operations.
2. The teacher will use the three problems to explain how students should
follow the order of operations.
3. The students are then divided into groups of four. Each group will then be
given the Order, order please – group activity worksheet. The teacher will
then roll the dice and call out the numbers. The students will then fill in each
blank however they want with the numbers being called out. The groups will
then solve the problems using the order of operations. The students will have
three minutes per round, and there will be a total of six rounds. The group
with the highest number wins each round.
4. Computers will then be distributed to the class. Students will then create a
poster that demonstrates their knowledge of order of operations using
Microsoft Publisher.
5. Students’ work is displayed outside in the hall.
Guided Practice/Monitoring:
The teacher will observe each group as they perform the calculations on the order
of operations. Then the teacher will circulate throughout the class monitoring the
students as they create their posters. The teacher will answer any questions related
to technology or the creation of the poster.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
The students will present their poster to the class and explain its contents.
Assessment Based on Objectives:
The students will be able to solve problems using the order of operations with 80%
accuracy.
Adaptations (For Students With Special Needs):
For special education students, the inclusion teacher may assist them in using
Microsoft Publisher to create their poster.
Extensions (For Advanced Students):
Students who do extremely well on order of operations can be given the
Fourfours worksheet as it requires students to use higher order thinking skills.
Possible Connections to Other Subjects:
The teacher can connect this lesson to English. The order in which an essay is
written is very important, also. Introduction, main body, and then the conclusion
would be the order an essay should follow.
Reflection:
Areas for improvement – find better illustration for set induction that relates to
students interest.
Areas of strength – this lesson involves competition which got the students trying
to actively participate in group activity.
Successful strategies used – incorporating technology in the lesson helped students
to present the knowledge that they learned.
How they impacted student learner outcomes – the entire class learned from the
presentation of the posters and the students were eager to participate because they
got to use the computers.