Graphing Linear Inequalities Lesson Plan
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Building CommunityIn this lesson plan, I was teaching students about graphing linear inequalities and how to identify whether a given point was a solution to the inequality. For the extension activity, students were split into groups of two to three. They were first given large graph paper and asked to graph a particular linear inequality. Then, as the groups finished graphing, I assigned each group a specific point and marker color. They were asked to plot their point on each of the graphs the groups had finished and determine whether or not it was a solution to that graph. They each had their own color that matched their graph so I could see which group had done the work.
My cooperating teacher and I discussed the groups in a lot of detail. First, we made ten groups of students based on who we believed would work well together, who would provide support to their group members who needed it, and who would stay on task. My cooperating teacher and I also helped position groups around the room so that those who may not have worked well close to one another were separated. Before the lesson began, we identified which students would need additional support from the teachers and myself, my cooperating teacher, and the special education teacher focused our attention on these groups at the beginning of the activity. Once we felt comfortable with the students in each group, I worked to assign the groups a linear inequality and point based on the difficulty level of each one. For example, one of the linear inequalities required students to count slope in the negative direction (down two, left one instead of up two, right one). I gave this linear inequality to a group who I knew worked extremely well together and knew how to discuss the mathematics productively. I also assigned the points that were on a boundary line more than once to more advanced groups. Instead of having students present their work to the whole class individually, having them graph points on one another’s graphs allowed them to still share their work without the stress of talking in front of a large group. Many of the students in this particular class adamantly refuse talking during whole group discussions and presenting work was very hard for them. I believe that this activity gave each student in the room confidence because they were able to witness their work as a key piece in the lesson, without putting themselves in a vulnerable position. As the students walked around the room to each of the graphs of linear inequalities, I was encouraged to hear the mathematical discussions that were going on. Upon first glance, the classroom was slightly chaotic, but the students did a great job with the task. After all the groups were finished, I brought the class back together to summarize what they had found. Groups shared some observations they had made about what makes a point a solution or not to a linear inequality. We talked about points in and out of shaded regions and what it meant to have a point on a solid or dashed boundary line. Most of the mathematical discussions were within each individual group during the activity to make sure that students were working with those that they could be most successful with. I think this lesson is a great example of my ability to build a mathematical community within a classroom because it shows my ability to group students effectively and design activities that enable every student to be successful and have their voice heard. |
Building Community with the Math 8 Teaching TeamThe following video was created by the Math 8 teaching team at my student teaching placement at the start of our online learning program. This was the first message students received from us after schools had been closed. The goal of this video was to let students know what to expect for their lessons going forward. We also hoped to provide our students with some encouragement in a new situation. We reminded students that even though school was now online, we still expected them to help out one another, just like they do in their regular classes. Our classroom community was still intact, even though we were not meeting in person.
While school was online, I continued to include jokes or comments in my instructional videos just like I would in the regular classroom. We scheduled zoom calls with our students a few times as well to give them a chance to see us, ask us questions, and to talk with their peers. I left comments for students almost every day on their completed work and worked with the other teachers in this video to create lessons. I did not expect to be completing my student teaching online, but the support I had from the teachers in this video reminded me that our school community had not been taken away. I continued to develop relationships with my students by messaging them on google classroom and checking in with their parents. I think it is important to remember that the classroom community does not stop when we leave the room. The community we foster as teachers stays with our students even when they have to stay home and that makes it so much more worthwhile.
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