"What's Math Got to Do with It?"
TITLE OF LESSON
What’s Math Got to Do With it?
CURRICULUM AREA & GRADE LEVEL
High School Math Class
DATE OF LESSON
First Week of Class
CA ELD STANDARD(S) ADDRESSED
1A1, 1B5, Speaking, Listening, Writing and Reading will be in lesson
BIG IDEA ADDRESSED (Enduring Understanding: WHY this material is important; how it fits in with the unit or theme)
Why will math be important in each student’s life? The lesson will bring motivation to the student’s learning for the year while they get to know each other.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS ADDRESSED
What careers are the students interested in pursuing?
Where might math fit in with these careers?
OBJECTIVE(S) OR LEARNING GOAL(S)
Students will be able to justify why they need to learn math and identify name and career interests of a few of their peers by sharing with the teacher in groups and writing a summary of what they have learned to turn in.
ASSESSMENT(S)
Summative - Students will hand in a written sheet of paper with their name, interests and relation to math.
Formative - In a group discussion, each student will identify the name and career interest of 1-2 of their peers.
PREDICTION OF LIKELY DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS MAY ENCOUNTER WITH THIS MATERIAL (possible misconceptions or assumptions)
Students may not know what they want to do after school or may not know how math with fit in. ELL students may have a more difficult time communicating and understanding.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: What the teacher does to help students cope with the difficulties in order to succeed
Anticipatory Set (“Into”) - 2 minutes
Powerpoint will be displayed with title of lesson. Teacher asks a couple of students why they think they need to learn math. The lesson can then be introduced to explain to students that there are life reasons for the math that they will learn other than just working with numbers. The teacher wants the students to understand these reasons so that they have motivation to learn the math. Teacher will also give a couple of examples to students both verbally and shown on Powerpoint. Auditory and Visual Set the scene for what the lesson is and why it’s being done.
Instruction (“Through”) - 1 minute
Teacher explains that students will break into groups to get to know one another by sharing what careers they may want to pursue one day. Once they discuss the careers, they should try to help one another come up with ideas of how math and geometry might fit into their lives (both career and personal) in the future. Directions will also be posted on the powerpoint for students to read. Listening and Visual Explanation of what is going to be done so that students know what to expect.
Guided Practice (“Through”) - 4 minutes
1. Teacher will split students into groups of 3-4 based on their seating.
2. Teacher explains that the students share with each other their name and what careers interests they have.
3. Pay attention to make sure students are on task during this sharing and walk around to ask students to share their teammates’ names and interests.
4. Once all students have expressed their interests, explain that students will discuss as a group why math may play a part in each of their lives.
5. Teacher will model the activity by writing down name, career interests and where math may be important in the future.
Independent Practice (“Through”) - 5 minutes
1. Teacher will walk around to monitor groups and help prompt ideas.
2. Prompt groups to share what they have discussed with the entire class.
3. Have students take out a piece of paper and write down their name, career interests and where math may be important to them in the future. Students will hand in the papers at the end of the lesson.
Closure (summarize; make meaning of the lesson) - 3 minutes
Have students give the name and career interests of 1 or 2 of their group members.
Explain some additional unexpected ways that math will fit into the student’s lives and different careers.
Transfer (“Beyond”) (opportunities to apply the learning)
Teacher will review each student’s assignment to learn more about the student and will write friendly notes and additional ideas for math and hand back to each student another day. Pay attention to each student’s interests and plan lessons throughout the year to meet these interests.
INFO ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: Consider students individually and as a group
7 students identified
Readiness level - because this is the first week of class, I only know what is available online. All but one student are E3 and one is an E2. All students speak well in English, so hopefully this will help them with the lesson.
Learning profile: strengths and challenges – I don’t know this yet about the students.
Interests—academic and/or personal – I don’t know this yet but hope to learn more with this lesson.
INFO ABOUT STUDENTS W/ SPECIAL NEEDS (include gifted students) : Consider students individually & collectively
3 students identified
Readiness level – I know that all 3 students are listed as Special Ed, but do not know the specifics of them at this time. I learn later that one is in GATE, but has attention deficit issues. Another's problems are related to English as a second language.
Learning profile: strengths and challenges – I don’t know this early in the year.
Interests—academic and/or personal – I don’t know this yet but hope to learn more with this lesson.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS--choose area(s) as necessary based on information above
This lesson would help English Language Learners have experience conversing with other students. They will need to listen and comprehend as well as speak their thoughts in the English language. They will also have experience in writing out their thoughts on paper.
Content (what material—including key vocabulary—is learned)
The material is connecting math to life outside of school. Students will need to think about what they want to do after school, including college, careers, etc. If some students have not thought this far yet, then they can come up with any other applications outside of school where math is used.
Process (how the material is learned)
Students discuss with one another, look up ideas online and discuss with the teacher. ELL students will have the benefit of having other students to help and also the internet to get ideas. If they are uncomfortable conversing in a group, they can work on their own.
Product (how the learning is demonstrated)
Students will share information about their teammates orally with the teacher and will share their own learnings and interests by writing them on a sheet of paper and handing in. Students will not be judged on their level of writing proficiency.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS-- choose area(s) as necessary based on information above
This lesson will enable a student with special needs to think in an open way about the future and also interact with either peers or the teacher.
Content (what material—including key vocabulary—is learned)
The material is connecting math to life outside of school. Students will need to think about what they want to do after school, including college, careers, etc. If some students have not thought this far yet, then they can come up with any other applications outside of school where math is used.
Process (how the material is learned)
Students discuss with one another, look up ideas online and discuss with the teacher. Special Ed students will have the benefit of being able to think on their own, discuss with other students or look up ideas online. If they are uncomfortable conversing in a group, they can work on their own.
Product (how the learning is demonstrated)
Students will share information about their teammates orally with the teacher and will share their own learnings and interests by writing them on a sheet of paper and handing in. Students will not be judged on their level of writing proficiency.
RESOURCES (Attach materials needed to implement the lesson—e.g., power point presentation, text, graphic organizer)
Powerpoint presentation explaining each step so that they know what they are doing and giving examples.
REFLECTION (Questions to consider after the lesson: What went well? Why? What evidence do I have that shows the extent to which the lesson was effective? What problems do students still have? How will I deal with the students whose understanding of the material is weak? How will I remediate? What changes will I make to enhance learning the next time I teach this lesson? Why?)
I felt like I had a problem getting the whole class engaged. Maybe half of the students seemed interested in this, but for a lot of them, they didn’t seem to care where they would use math (which surprised me). Throughout the year, I will continue to bring up real-life connections with the math that I am teaching. Next time, instead of looking at careers, I might ask students to think about what they like to do and how math may fit in.
What’s Math Got to Do With it?
CURRICULUM AREA & GRADE LEVEL
High School Math Class
DATE OF LESSON
First Week of Class
CA ELD STANDARD(S) ADDRESSED
1A1, 1B5, Speaking, Listening, Writing and Reading will be in lesson
BIG IDEA ADDRESSED (Enduring Understanding: WHY this material is important; how it fits in with the unit or theme)
Why will math be important in each student’s life? The lesson will bring motivation to the student’s learning for the year while they get to know each other.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS ADDRESSED
What careers are the students interested in pursuing?
Where might math fit in with these careers?
OBJECTIVE(S) OR LEARNING GOAL(S)
Students will be able to justify why they need to learn math and identify name and career interests of a few of their peers by sharing with the teacher in groups and writing a summary of what they have learned to turn in.
ASSESSMENT(S)
Summative - Students will hand in a written sheet of paper with their name, interests and relation to math.
Formative - In a group discussion, each student will identify the name and career interest of 1-2 of their peers.
PREDICTION OF LIKELY DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS MAY ENCOUNTER WITH THIS MATERIAL (possible misconceptions or assumptions)
Students may not know what they want to do after school or may not know how math with fit in. ELL students may have a more difficult time communicating and understanding.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: What the teacher does to help students cope with the difficulties in order to succeed
Anticipatory Set (“Into”) - 2 minutes
Powerpoint will be displayed with title of lesson. Teacher asks a couple of students why they think they need to learn math. The lesson can then be introduced to explain to students that there are life reasons for the math that they will learn other than just working with numbers. The teacher wants the students to understand these reasons so that they have motivation to learn the math. Teacher will also give a couple of examples to students both verbally and shown on Powerpoint. Auditory and Visual Set the scene for what the lesson is and why it’s being done.
Instruction (“Through”) - 1 minute
Teacher explains that students will break into groups to get to know one another by sharing what careers they may want to pursue one day. Once they discuss the careers, they should try to help one another come up with ideas of how math and geometry might fit into their lives (both career and personal) in the future. Directions will also be posted on the powerpoint for students to read. Listening and Visual Explanation of what is going to be done so that students know what to expect.
Guided Practice (“Through”) - 4 minutes
1. Teacher will split students into groups of 3-4 based on their seating.
2. Teacher explains that the students share with each other their name and what careers interests they have.
3. Pay attention to make sure students are on task during this sharing and walk around to ask students to share their teammates’ names and interests.
4. Once all students have expressed their interests, explain that students will discuss as a group why math may play a part in each of their lives.
5. Teacher will model the activity by writing down name, career interests and where math may be important in the future.
Independent Practice (“Through”) - 5 minutes
1. Teacher will walk around to monitor groups and help prompt ideas.
2. Prompt groups to share what they have discussed with the entire class.
3. Have students take out a piece of paper and write down their name, career interests and where math may be important to them in the future. Students will hand in the papers at the end of the lesson.
Closure (summarize; make meaning of the lesson) - 3 minutes
Have students give the name and career interests of 1 or 2 of their group members.
Explain some additional unexpected ways that math will fit into the student’s lives and different careers.
Transfer (“Beyond”) (opportunities to apply the learning)
Teacher will review each student’s assignment to learn more about the student and will write friendly notes and additional ideas for math and hand back to each student another day. Pay attention to each student’s interests and plan lessons throughout the year to meet these interests.
INFO ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: Consider students individually and as a group
7 students identified
Readiness level - because this is the first week of class, I only know what is available online. All but one student are E3 and one is an E2. All students speak well in English, so hopefully this will help them with the lesson.
Learning profile: strengths and challenges – I don’t know this yet about the students.
Interests—academic and/or personal – I don’t know this yet but hope to learn more with this lesson.
INFO ABOUT STUDENTS W/ SPECIAL NEEDS (include gifted students) : Consider students individually & collectively
3 students identified
Readiness level – I know that all 3 students are listed as Special Ed, but do not know the specifics of them at this time. I learn later that one is in GATE, but has attention deficit issues. Another's problems are related to English as a second language.
Learning profile: strengths and challenges – I don’t know this early in the year.
Interests—academic and/or personal – I don’t know this yet but hope to learn more with this lesson.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS--choose area(s) as necessary based on information above
This lesson would help English Language Learners have experience conversing with other students. They will need to listen and comprehend as well as speak their thoughts in the English language. They will also have experience in writing out their thoughts on paper.
Content (what material—including key vocabulary—is learned)
The material is connecting math to life outside of school. Students will need to think about what they want to do after school, including college, careers, etc. If some students have not thought this far yet, then they can come up with any other applications outside of school where math is used.
Process (how the material is learned)
Students discuss with one another, look up ideas online and discuss with the teacher. ELL students will have the benefit of having other students to help and also the internet to get ideas. If they are uncomfortable conversing in a group, they can work on their own.
Product (how the learning is demonstrated)
Students will share information about their teammates orally with the teacher and will share their own learnings and interests by writing them on a sheet of paper and handing in. Students will not be judged on their level of writing proficiency.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS-- choose area(s) as necessary based on information above
This lesson will enable a student with special needs to think in an open way about the future and also interact with either peers or the teacher.
Content (what material—including key vocabulary—is learned)
The material is connecting math to life outside of school. Students will need to think about what they want to do after school, including college, careers, etc. If some students have not thought this far yet, then they can come up with any other applications outside of school where math is used.
Process (how the material is learned)
Students discuss with one another, look up ideas online and discuss with the teacher. Special Ed students will have the benefit of being able to think on their own, discuss with other students or look up ideas online. If they are uncomfortable conversing in a group, they can work on their own.
Product (how the learning is demonstrated)
Students will share information about their teammates orally with the teacher and will share their own learnings and interests by writing them on a sheet of paper and handing in. Students will not be judged on their level of writing proficiency.
RESOURCES (Attach materials needed to implement the lesson—e.g., power point presentation, text, graphic organizer)
Powerpoint presentation explaining each step so that they know what they are doing and giving examples.
REFLECTION (Questions to consider after the lesson: What went well? Why? What evidence do I have that shows the extent to which the lesson was effective? What problems do students still have? How will I deal with the students whose understanding of the material is weak? How will I remediate? What changes will I make to enhance learning the next time I teach this lesson? Why?)
I felt like I had a problem getting the whole class engaged. Maybe half of the students seemed interested in this, but for a lot of them, they didn’t seem to care where they would use math (which surprised me). Throughout the year, I will continue to bring up real-life connections with the math that I am teaching. Next time, instead of looking at careers, I might ask students to think about what they like to do and how math may fit in.