ThirdFormalObservationStudentTeaching

ObservedbyUniversitySupervisor
Alexandra Keresztes
Narragansett Elementary School
Grade 4
Date
Title of Lesson
Grade Level/
Content Area
Objectives

GLEs or
Common Core
Standards

Instructional
Materials &
Resources
Instructional
Activities &
Tasks

March 3, 2015
Reinforcing partial products: 1 by 3 digit and 1 by 4 digit multiplication
Problem Solving
Grade 4
Math: Multi-Digit Multiplication
Students will be able to represent multi-digit by single-digit
multiplication by illustrating word problems on an area model
Students will be able to represent multi-digit by single-digit
multiplication by expressing partial products in
multiplication sentences
Students will be able to solve multi-digit by single-digit
multiplication word problems using both the partial product and area
model strategies
For students who finish the worksheets: Students will be able to create
and solve their own multi-digit by single-digit multiplication word
problems using both the partial product and area model strategies
CCSS-MATH-4.NBT.B.5 Multiply a whole number of up to four digits
by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using
strategies based on place value and the properties of operations.
CCSS-MATH-4.OA.3 Solve multistep word problems posed with
whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four
operations.
- Promethean Board: ActivInspire OR chart paper
- individual white boards, Expo markers, and erasers
- copies of 1x3 and 1x4 digit word problems
- scrap paper
- multiplication bingo
Lesson Introduction: (5 minute)
Will start lesson in the back of the room, to get something that I
will tell students I got a gift shop from the factory I visited over
the weekend. Reach into lunchbox and bring up a jar of Z.rific
pickles to the front of the room
Bring students up to the front meeting area with a white board,
Expo marker, and eraser
Lesson Development: (15 minutes 5 for each problem)
Introduce lesson focus: using the area model and partial product
strategies to solve multi-digit by single-digit multiplication word
problems

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Have one student read the word problem projected onto the board.
o Ask for help finding the multiplication equation how did
you know?
o Ask one student to guide me through drawing the area
model strategy and another for the partial product strategy
o After problem is solved; ask for help writing an answer
statement
White board practice: 1x3 digit individually
o Have one student show the area model and another show
the partial products on the Promethean board using the
dual pen mode if it works
White board practice: 1x4 digit individually
o Have one student show the area model and another show
the partial products on the Promethean board using the
dual pen mode (if it works)
Partner Practice: (~20 minutes)
Read through each problem on the document camera before giving
students the worksheets call on students to choose their partners
o Students will work with their partners to complete both the
area and partial product strategies for each problem
o Answer statements must be shown
1-2-3 directions
o Complete the 1x3 digit and 1x4 digit multiplication word
problems; if you finish, ask me for the challenge problems!
o Create your own 1x3 digit and 1x4 digit multiplication
word problems
o At 10:00-10:05 (Ill give a 5 minute warning), put
everything in the classwork bin and sit at your own seat for
directions

Assessment

Lesson Wrap Up: (15-20)

With about 15-20 minutes left: we will play multiplication bingo to
practice multiplication facts
With about 2 minutes left: pass out post-its and ask students to
write down one thing they feel completely confident in and one
thing they are struggling with or wonder about related to this unit
Informal: Students will be coming up to annotate on the Promethean
Board and will turn their white around to a teacher so we can quickly
assess both strategies and check multiplication facts
Formal: Students will complete four word problems, two of each 1x3 digit
and 1x4 digit which will be turned in to monitor learning and plan the
next days instruction.
SelfAssessment: Students will test their own knowledge of
2

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Learner
Factors

multiplication facts while playing multiplication bingo.

Students will be building upon the previous days lessons and transferring
their understanding of creating area models and partial product sentences
for multiplication sentences to doing the same with word problems.
Students will build upon their interpersonal skills as they discuss how to
solve word problems with their partners. Students will strengthen
intrapersonal skills as they complete the problems and exit slip on their
own. Students will strengthen their logical/mathematical skills and visual
representation skills as they work through the entire lesson.
Students can learn strategies from their classmates who are showing their
marble problems and their strategy for solving it on the board.

Environmental
Factors

A, N, B use of calculators and multiplication charts

A, N lines drawn for them to set up partial products and writing, and
draw area model rectangle for them
A, N, B, E, M suggestion of partners or extra support from myself
when writing answer statements
Students will begin lesson whole group at the front meeting area.
During Partner Practice, students will have chosen the partners that they
wish to work with and may sit at any area in the room.
During Math Bingo, students will be sitting at their own desks.

Extension/
Enrichment

In the even the Promethean board is not working, I will use the
whiteboards/chart paper.
Build your Dream House (made for 6th grade but adapt to 4th)
http://www.cwu.edu/~ourslandm/WebQuery.html

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Lesson Reflection:
1. How effective was the lesson plan? Explain.
The lesson plan was mostly effective. I made some last minute changes during
instruction because of the things that I was noticing during the white board
practice time that I offered to students. This led me to assign partners which,
although to the students seemed random, was intentionally done based on the
different things that I saw with their comfort levels in three areas: representing the
area model, using the partial product strategy, and familiarity with multiplication
facts.
The one piece of the lesson plan that I would change was the placement of the
post-it check in and multiplication bingo. Although multiplication bingo was
further development, it did not sequence into the lesson perfectly and was
intended to be a fluency practice. It would have been more appropriate to save
multiplication bingo for the end of the math block and do the post-it selfassessment/check-in immediately after the core portion of the lesson.
2. Was the pace of the lesson appropriate? Explain.
Pacing was much more appropriate with this lesson than it has been previously.
Though not perfect, I feel that including the approximate amounts of time I
wanted to spend on each portion of the lesson was extremely beneficial to my
time management.
The prop that I chose to include was admittedly a little distracting and slowed my
lesson down at first, but I believe the lesson got back on track. Even though I
started off fielding some questions about the jar of pickles with a students face on
the jar, I feel that the students became more engaged in the lesson from that and
that engagement followed through the entire lesson time.
3. Did you implement effective classroom management strategies? (Ex: use of
proximity, positive reinforcement, etc.) Explain.
For this lesson, I felt that my classroom management strategies were effective, but
could have been better. When I was trying to get through the introduction I was
moving around the classroom a lot, which made it harder for some of the students
to focus on what the lesson was going to include. In addition, I did not wait for
the class to get over their laughing fit before trying to move into the lesson; in
hindsight, this is something that I really need to work on, not only for this lesson
but all of them.
4. Were all the students actively engaged in the learning process? How did you meet
individual needs of students?
I found that the students were immediately engaged by the iPhone message slide I
put together to introduce this lesson. The fact that the slide lead into an even
more amusing prop sent them over the top with laughter but, because the iPhone
message slide and prop directly related to the lesson, I feel that we were able to
regain focus to the word problem on the board. The lesson set-up was very
relevant to the students in the class and involving them in the word problems
helped me to engage all of the students because their individual interests were
included in the problems that I centered on them.

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Each time the students in the class get to use their individual white boards or work
with a partner, their engagement in the lessons is much higher than any other
time. As this lesson accommodated both, everyone was on task and interested the
entire lesson.
In order to meet the individual needs of learners, I chose partners for each of the
students. Although the majority of the students have an excellent sense of the two
strategies that we are using, I paired students who needed a challenge with those
who may have needed a little extra help to give the students who had a full
understanding the chance to help teach a classmate. Teaching someone else
further reinforces the major concepts for both individuals.
Additionally, two of my students do exceptionally better when the lines are drawn
for them to write on; after passing out the word problems, I went over to them to
ensure that these lines were drawn for which also boosts their confidence. There
were two students who have missed all (or almost all) of the lessons in this math
unit, so I did spend a majority of the partner work checking in on the two of them
to ensure that they were doing what they needed to be doing and comprehended
what was being done.
5. Were the materials of interest to the students? How do you know?
Judging just from the prop I used, I would say that the materials were interesting
to the students. It has been a promise this year that we would create a pickle word
problem specifically for this student, so actually having a chance to do it was
great for the students.
In addition, the word problems which I created provided a break from the typical
math work the class is accustomed to doing. Besides being different from the
work they normally do, every one of the word problems had to do with the
students in the class and their individual (or combined) interests.
6. Discuss the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of your teaching. (What worked, what
didnt, how does this inform your instruction?)
I truly believe that my teaching was effective and engaging for this particular
lesson. It was immensely important for me to incorporate student interest to make
word problems interesting to my class. Using the three problems that I did as
individual white board practice was an effective general measure of student
ability. The most effective thing I feel that I did as a part of this lesson was give
workspace for the students that was broken into four boxes so that all students
could show their work in boxes dedicated to each of the two strategies with spaces
for the multiplication equation and answer statement.
I feel that my teaching was ineffective in two senses. First, I have a tendency to
talk over students rather than waiting until they have finished talking and are
listening to my instruction or directions. Second, I found that in this lesson I
should have kept multiplication bingo as my final activity rather than putting the
post-it check-in last. Removing the children from the lesson and then bringing
them back to it does not accurately measure student reflection from the lessons.
7. Discuss your assessment. (What was learned?, how do you know?)
From using the white boards to check their understanding, as well as walking
around during white board work, I was able to quickly assess and pair up students
for partner work based on what areas they may have been struggling with. This

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was a good formative assessment for me to determine how to place students so
they could help each other understand, in the event that I was not able to explain
something in a particular way to ensure that all students understood the major
concepts of this unit.
Although there was not enough time for all of the students to finish the four
partner word problems in the lesson time, it was finished for morning work the
next day. When the work was finished, I was assured that all students, even those
who had missed the majority of the lessons in this unit, were on track and meeting
the objectives that I set up. When errors were made on the problems, they
typically involved multiplication facts or basic addition errors.
After going through the post-it reflections that I asked the students to write as a
mid-unit formative assessment, I saw that the majority of the class fully
understood what was going on so far. There were only two students who were
unsure of something and both were the ones who were not present during
previous lessons. I will be working more with these students individually to
ensure that they are receiving the best possible instruction to meet their individual
needs related to this unit.