Evidence 1. Graphing Linear Inequalities Lesson PlanThis lesson plan was written and implemented for an Algebra 1 Part 1 class. I collaborated with my cooperating teacher to design and prepare for the lesson and I led the class. The student work is images of the graphs students worked on in their assigned groups from both of the class sections. I led this lesson twice, for two separate classes, and made some adjustments between classes based on how it went in the previous class. During this lesson, students were in small groups and were first given a linear inequality to graph on large poster paper and then were given an ordered pair. They went to every single graph in the room, in a gallery walk format, to determine if their given point was a solution to the linear inequality.
This lesson relates to Standard 2, Learning Differences, because I designed the group work activities based on the individual learning differences in my students and which students they worked well with. The variations to the lesson that I had planned ahead of time allowed me to provide a learning environment that allowed every student to meet high standards. The classes this lesson was designed for are both inclusion classes, with just under half of the students qualifying for special needs services. As I planned for the lesson, I consulted with the special education co-teacher for our class to develop appropriate activities for these students. This shows that I can collaborate with resource teachers in developing activities for students with special learning needs. In the lesson plan, I had planned for students who needed extension activities to enable each learner to meet high standards. During the gallery walk, I included a secondary task for students who finished early, and I assigned some challenging coordinate pairs and linear inequalities to groups who I felt would finish earlier or need an additional extension activity. I also had multiple activities planned for after the gallery walk based on the amount of time we still had at the end of class. Having multiple options for students allowed me to pace instruction appropriately with both preview and review of instructional components. We started class with a connection to graphing linear equations and previewing the new content for the day. After the gallery walk, I had the class discuss what they had learned as we summarized key components of the graphs and reviewed this task. In addition, I allowed for extra time during the lesson in case students did not finish the gallery walk in the time I expected so that they could work at their own pace. The hardest part of planning this lesson was grouping students based on their skill level and which students would work well together. Since these classes had not done an activity like the gallery walk before, I wanted to make sure they were working with other students who they were comfortable sharing ideas with and having the mathematical conversations that were critical to making this activity effective. This lesson shows that I utilize flexible grouping practices to respond to the diverse learning needs of students. My cooperating teacher and I studied the seating charts for both classes to decide groups. We took into consideration who students’ friends were, which students were often absent, which students needed additional support and which students would be willing to help them, and which students did not get along with each other. Once the groups were formed, I worked on my own to assign each group a coordinate pair and linear inequality to make sure every student reached the learning goals of the lesson. My grouping decisions show the thought I put into this lesson to make sure every student could be successful. When assigning the linear inequalities, I considered which ones had zero as the y-intercept, since this was a concept my students had a hard time recognizing in an equation, and how difficult it would be for them to count slope to determine a second point on the boundary line of the inequality. I considered which students would be able to handle the more challenging groups and took note of which groups I would need to provide more assistance to during the activity. In both classes, I had planned for which students often were absent and I had them in the larger groups, but I did have to make some in class decisions when various students were not in class. I had a game plan for this ahead of time and my cooperating teacher and I checked the attendance before both classes to try and plan ahead for this as much as possible. This evidence is important to me because it shows that I can plan and implement flexible lessons that provide each student with support based on their individual needs. It also shows that I know and respect my students’ individual differences and how they interact with their peers. I really enjoyed watching the collaboration in the classroom as I implemented this lesson and was proud of how my students responded to the challenging and completely new task. |
Evidence 2. Factoring out the Greatest Common Factor Lesson PlanIn the following lesson, I taught students how to factor out the greatest common factor of a polynomial expression using Algeblocks. Students started the lesson by representing various monomials as a rectangular model using the Algeblocks. This helped them review using the blocks and viewing an expression as an area model. We talked about the side lengths of the models as being the factors of the polynomials expressions. Then, students were given various expressions and were asked to find the greatest common factor of each term in the expression and then model it with Algeblocks, so that the greatest common factor was one of the side lengths of their model. The goal was to help them build a geometric understanding of the concept while preparing them for factoring polynomials into two binomials in future class periods.
This evidence relates to Standard 2 because I used my knowledge of individual differences to enable each learner to meet high standards. I selected materials that matched the learning styles of individual students. The class had used Algeblocks before this lesson, so I already knew which students benefited from using the blocks and which ones might struggle or try to skip right to factoring out the greatest common factor algebraically. I wanted students to have the basis of using the blocks in this lesson to help them with factoring, so I had every student start with the blocks before moving on. I spent more time with the students who I thought might need extra assistance and paced students through the investigation so that the class could review various sections before moving forward. This review time provided for the instructional needs of all students by including a discussion that served as a remedial activity for some students and a helping review for others. I had a few students in the class who did not like using the Algeblocks because they had a hard time with the geometric models and were able to do the math algebraically. For these students, I had them start by factoring algebraically and then had them represent it with Algeblocks. I built upon their strengths and gave them confidence in their ability while developing all areas of competence. This lesson was a lot of fun to teach because the students got really into building their models. The exclamations of excitement when they successfully made their model was encouraging to hear. This lesson was challenging for students for various reasons. Between identifying the greatest common factor, developing the Algeblocks model, and completing the factorization algebraically, every student in the room had a point of growth throughout the lesson. Working with partners helped them have the support they needed to work through the challenging parts of the lesson. I was happy to see them working together and their willingness to try out a new activity. This lesson was a different approach to teaching factoring out the greatest common factor than what these classes had done in previous years and I was excited by the success of the lesson. |
Evidence 3. In Whose Best Interest is Interest? Lesson PlanThis lesson was written for a Math 8 class. I implemented this lesson in three separate classes, two of which also have a special education co-teacher. In this lesson, students are practicing their new knowledge on simple interest by exploring practical applications. Students worked in groups based on ability level and the assignment was modified for each group. Every single student was still working toward the learning goal: I can apply my knowledge of simple interest to a practical situation. Students first were given information on various Certificates of Deposit from two different banks. They were asked to compare the rates and determine which CD would be the best deal for the customer and the bank. The highest level group also compared different car down payments and interest rates to determine which deal to accept.
This lesson relates to Standard 2 because I used my knowledge of individual differences within my classes to ensure an inclusive learning environment. My flexible grouping practices provided each student with a task that allowed them to reach the goal of the lesson while challenging them to an appropriate level. I provided more scaffolding on questions for some groups and extension activities for those that I felt would finish the activity earlier than others. I also consulted with the co-teachers for each class to make sure I had placed students in appropriate groups, which shows that I can collaborate with resource teachers in developing activities for students with special learning needs. The discussions students had during this lesson show that I understand diverse cultures and communities. One specific question that facilitated these conversations was having students think about why someone would choose a CD with a lower interest rate. The students in my classes are all coming from families with varying socioeconomic status and some students had not even heard of a CD before this lesson. We talked about why someone would want to invest in a CD and how that could benefit them. Some of my students pointed out that a CD with a lower interest rate would be nice for someone who could not meet the minimum balance of a CD with a higher interest rate or maybe did not want to leave their money in a CD for a longer term. By the end of the lesson, some of the students had started talking about which CD they would want to invest their own money in and how they would save money to be able to do this. This lesson was a part of a unit on consumer applications and the class has been involved in discussions on the types of jobs they want to have, how various deals benefit them when purchasing items from stores, and who is really benefiting from interest being charged. These conversations are evidence that I understand the cultures and communities my students are coming from and facilitate ways for them to think about how they play a role in these communities. Unlike the previous two lessons, Evidence 1 and 2, this lesson had students working online to answer questions. Each student was given their assignment through Google Classroom and turned in their work there as well. The variety of teaching strategies I used in each of the three lessons here shows that I include cooperative learning, visual presentations, discussions and inquiry, and application into my lessons. I chose to share this lesson because this was the first differentiated lesson plan that I wrote on my own. I was skeptical about this teaching practice when I first heard about it because it seemed like a lot of work and I was worried about all students reaching the goal of the lesson. I came to find through preparing for this lesson that differentiated instruction is not that hard to implement into a lesson and can be extremely useful for a class with various learning needs. I put a lot of thought into what types of support I would give to students in this class and I am proud of the final result. The students really took hold of the task and were talking with their group members and debating the various deals I had given them. Reading through their responses afterwards was a lot of fun for me. Since I gave them the assignment through a google document platform, I was able to leave detailed comments for every student about their reasoning for who was getting a better deal and provide insights on differing perspectives that I saw other students share. |