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Content Area Methods Lesson Plan Format

Name: Jay Echols
Lesson Title: Words for Signs
Grade and Subject Area: 8th Grade Algebra I
Lesson Duration: 85 minutes
Objectives:
Content: Students will be able to determine which operation needs to be performed in a
given word problem.
Social: Students will talk one at a time.
A.SSE.A.1 Interpret expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context. (Note:
Limit to linear expressions and to exponential expressions with integer exponents.)
a. Interpret parts of an expression, such as terms factors, and coefficients.
b. Interpret complicated expressions by viewing one or more of their parts as a
single entity.
Materials:

Worksheet for beginning and ending

Worksheet for each expert group
Foldable
Paper/pencil

Procedures:
Using the system you have in place, distribute a work sheet.
The worksheet should have at least four real-world word problems on it,
one for each operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division)
The worksheet should also have instructions for the students to have them
cross out all the information they dont need and box the parts of the
problem they actually need to solve it. They should also solve the
problems.
While students are working on the work sheet the teacher should be walking
around, monitoring, and guiding students when needed.
When it seems that most of the class is done with the worksheet, review the
worksheet as a class. Call on students to give their answers and make sure
everyone has the correct markings.
How do you determine what information you need to solve a problem?
What is the extra information in this problem? Why?
After you have completed the worksheet together: Today we will be working on
real-world word problems and how to determine what operation needs to be
performed. We will be doing this with our home groups and our expert groups.
If your classroom doesnt already have home groups you will need to set
them up.
If you already have home groups tell the students which expert group they
will be in for the day.
Expert groups should be heterogeneous based on skill level.

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If you have more people in a home group than there are expert
groups send a low achieving with a partner Differentiation by
Process
Before you dismiss them to their expert groups explain what they will be
examining in their home groups.
Today in our expert groups we will be digging deeper into
operations. Who can tell what I mean by operations? (addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division) Each expert group will is
assigned one of those operations. There will be further instructions
when you get to your expert groups. Our goal in our groups today
is to make sure that we are talking one at a time. What are some
other expectations for our behavior in our expert groups? With that
in mind lets efficiently go to our expert groups.
Have them split into their expert groups using what ever spaces
you would like to use in your classroom.
o You can have spaces designated or you can let the students
chose where they would like to sit. This is really up to you!
When students get to their expert groups they need to have a sheet with
word problems having to do with their operation
The work sheet for the expert group should instruct the groups to
highlight or underline the important words or phrases then solve
the problem. When they have done this for each problem on the
worksheet they need to decide what operation they have. Once
they have determined which operation they have they should create
a list of words that are synonymous with their operation including
words from the problems they were given and then adding to that.
When they have at least five words or phrases, they should create a
word problem for their operation using one of the words on their
list.
o Worksheet should have problems on different skill levels.
There should be at least four word problems having to do
with their operation. The first one should be an lower skill
level with not as much extra information, and then the
problems should get increasingly harder with more extra
information in the problem. Differentiation by Content.
While the students are working the teacher will walk around and
ask leading questions
o What happens to the problem when you change this (point
to word and give example that changes that the problem is
asking for) word?
o What are some instances in the real-world in which you
would use your operation?
o What operation did you have?
o What are some of the words youve come up with that
mean the same thing as your operation?

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o Has everyone had a chance to share or contribute to the

list and creation of the word problem?
When all the experts have created their word problems the students should
return to their home group. Remind the students as they are returning to
their home group of the social goal for the day and the rules for group
discussion.
Once again, you can give students a place to meet or you can let
them choose.
Back at home group each student will present their operation, the words
and phrases that are synonymous, and the word problem they created in
their expert groups.
The other students will need to write down and solve the problems
created by the other members of their team to be turned in at the
end of the lesson.
If some groups finish before others, have them go ahead and make
their foldable.
When all the home groups have had a chance to share together as a class
create a foldable for the students to use in their studying. Using a four-tab
foldable with one tab for each operation. Under each tab there should be
synonyms for each and then an example word problem.
What are words that mean the same as [addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division]?
How did you determine those were the same?
What are some ways you might be tricked into thinking you are
supposed to do a different operation than you need to perform?
Using worksheet from the beginning, have students rewrite one of the
problems using one of the new synonyms youve come up with on the
foldable, making sure the problem is still asking for the same thing.
Lets review what we are turning in today. You need to turn in the
worksheet from the beginning of class. On that worksheet you
should have: 1) solved all four problems, 2) crossed out excess
information for all problems, 3) boxed all important information,
4) the word problems that your team mates created and the
solutions you cam to, and 5) rewritten one of the problems using
one of the words from the foldable.

Assessment:
The assessment for this lesson will be the worksheet from the beginning and the end, grading the
re-written problem and the solutions to the word-problems.