Math Summative Assignment

Caitlyn Conrad
Table of Contents
Section 1: Annotated Bibliography- Music and Math...............................................3
Gupta, Arvind. "The Interesting Connection Between Music And Math". Vancouver
Sun (2009): n. pag. Web.......................................................................................... 4
"Education World: Teaching The Mathematics Of Music". Educationworld.com. N.p.,
2017. Web. 27 Feb. 2017......................................................................................... 5
The Math in Music & Movement | Scholastic. (2017). Scholastic.com. Retrieved 27
February 2017, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/math-music-
movement/.................................................................................................................. 5
Group Time: Add Some Music & Math to Group Time | Scholastic. (2017).
Scholastic.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/group-time-add-some-music-math-
group-time/................................................................................................................. 6
Johnson, G. & Edelson, J. (2003). Integrating Music and Mathematics into the
Elementary Classroom. NCTM.................................................................................7
Music helps children learn maths. (2017). Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February
2017, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/9159802/Music-helps-children-learn-maths.html 7
Section 2: STEM Lesson- Fossils and Measurement.................................................8
Section 3: Review of Math Manipulatives..............................................................13
Snap Cubes........................................................................................................... 13
Double Sided Counters.......................................................................................... 14
Fraction circles...................................................................................................... 14
Section 4: Mathematics and Technology...............................................................15
A review of Geogebra (https://www.geogebra.org/).......................................................15
Read Aloud: Math Curse, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith....................................15
Smartboard Lesson................................................................................................ 15
Section 5: Other Areas of Interest.........................................................................16
Math peer teaching............................................................................................... 16
Journal Questions.................................................................................................. 23
Unit Plan................................................................................................................ 26
Section 1: Annotated Bibliography- Music and Math
In my experience as an Elementary student I was aware that while I was good at math, I

wasnt really interested in it. In music I have found one of my passions and, as it turns out, it is

directly tied into math in multiple ways. Following are six articles that I found useful in

informing me on how to incorporate something that make math a little more relatable and fun!

Gupta, Arvind. "The Interesting Connection Between Music And

Math". Vancouver Sun (2009): n. pag. Web.
If you had a child that was born in the 1990s you probably heard about a concept

called the Mozart Effect. To jog your memory this is the idea that if parents played

Mozart (or any famous composer really) while their child slept it would make them

smarter, specifically in the mathematical concept of spatial reasoning. This was never

entirely proven however some test subjects did show improvement in this area. The

article then goes on to explain that music and math are actually directly related to each

other, maybe not in the sense of the Mozart Effect but in incorporating music into math,

especially for young children, it does have positive effects on their test scores,

specifically with spatial reasoning, arithmetic, and it also helps with skills like hand-eye

coordination.

This article not only touches on the ways in which music can help our young

learners with mathematical concepts but it also proves that music can help children be

more interested in math. Music is a part of most peoples daily lives in some way or

another. Taking something so relevant and using it to explain, or underline a math

concept can make these abstracts ideas more concrete, especially for the younger

elementary grades.
"Education World: Teaching The Mathematics Of Music".
Educationworld.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.
This is a short article meant for educational professionals at the Elementary level.

Similar to the last article it does discuss that the connection between math and music has

been a well-known concept for years. Without math music simply would not exist. It then

goes on to give specific ideas on how one can incorporate music into their math lesson, or

math into their music lesson.

As a hopeful educator I love all of the specific ideas on how to incorporate music

into my lessons. It has multiple different ideas that will be great for multiple different

grade and skill levels, and, in true teaching fashion, they are all adaptable so that if I did

really like an idea that was meant for, lets say, grade four, then I can easily differentiate it

and bring it down to the level where my students are at.

The Math in Music & Movement | Scholastic. (2017).

Scholastic.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/math-music-movement/
This is another article that is meant to be used for educational purposes,

specifically for teachers who are in the K-2 range as the article lays out. What differs

from this article is that, rather than talking about the specific mathematical connections to

music it discusses how songs can help students learning their basic facts, such as with

This Old Man, or that made-up songs can even help with recollecting facts. It is not so

much about how notation contains fractions, or rhythm and beat can be tied into counting

and operations, but rather how a simple concept, like a song, can be used to help students

remember what you are teaching them.

 While I was in my first practicum I was with a grade one class and got to see first-

hand the power of song. The students loved singing and songs were not only used to

teach them concepts in math, like skip counting, but also other things like Bossy R in

language arts (which talks about R controlled vowels). Music helped get the students

interested in what it was I was trying to teach them, and, if they really liked the song,

then they had no trouble remembering the concept it was going over. Songs can be a

powerful thing in the Elementary classroom.

Group Time: Add Some Music & Math to Group Time |

Scholastic. (2017). Scholastic.com. Retrieved 27 February
2017, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/group-time-
add-some-music-math-group-time/
Along with Language Arts, Math is one of the main focuses that teachers usually

spend the most time on, sometimes at the expense of another subject period. In the

interest of giving my students a well-rounded education I find it important to minimize

the corner cutting and use our idle time in more meaningful ways. This article provides

some great ideas on how we can use Group Time to our benefit by singing songs that

not only help with basic math concepts like counting, but also with concepts like number

lines and organizing by shape. In getting students to create their own songs or follow a

song like I Caught a Fish Alive students will not only be doing something they consider

fun, but you will be sneaking in math as well. Concerning our idle time we can sing

songs like 5 Little Monkeys or 10 in a Bed while students are waiting in line. This

will keep them focused as well as occupied in this type of down time.
Johnson, G. & Edelson, J. (2003). Integrating Music and
Mathematics into the Elementary Classroom. NCTM.
This article is formed around the basis that students tend to do better in math and

science when they have a background in music and other arts. This is specifically meant

as an academic article that will help inform educators on how they can integrate music

into math and the benefits of doing so. The article goes on to explain how music can be

incorporated into patterns using notes and rests, ratios and fractions, which covers

curriculum from K-grade 6.

As a potential teacher there are a lot of great ideas that are laid out in a specific

way. It explicitly explains what portions of music go with which mathematical concepts

and which grades are the best ones to try these types of activities in.

Music helps children learn maths. (2017). Telegraph.co.uk.

Retrieved 27 February 2017, from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/9159802/Music-helps-children-learn-maths.html
I had been reading a lot of articles on how music can help student comprehension

of math concepts and therefore raise their test scores, but the only question I found that

was not answered was how much it raised those test scores, or, in other words, how

beneficial music can be when it comes to math.

This article explains that student test score went up 40% when music was

introduced into their course of study. This is quite a significant jump. As a teacher I want

my students to benefit as much as they can and if integrating music was not proven to be

useful then it might not play such a huge role in my classroom. Knowing that it is proven

to really help young students understand the abstract concepts of math I now have a
 strategy that I can incorporate into my own teaching that has a good basis in actually

helping students.

Section 2: STEM Lesson- Fossils and Measurement

As part of a unit plan for my Elementary Science Methods class myself, as well as two

other colleagues had to base our unit around Joggins Fossil Cliffs which can be found in Nova

Scotia, close to Amherst. I am adapting one of the center activities from this unit into a

math/science lesson plan. In math we will focus on measurement and in science we will be

focusing on erosion.

Name: Maker space Cliff Building Subject: Math

Grade Level: Three (3) Time Required: 120
minutes (60 in science
and 60 in math)
Lesson Objectives and Purpose: Students will be creating their own cliffs out of
materials given to them. They will then measure changes over time from simulated
wind, rain and waves (much like what affects Joggins).
Standards:
NGSS:
Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of
weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind or vegetation (4-ESS2-1.)
o Science and Engineering Practices: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations:
Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to
problems in 3-5 builds on K-2 experiences and progresses to include investigations
that control variables and provide evidence to support explanations or design
solutions.
Make observations and/or measurements to produce data to serve as the basis
for evidence for an explanation of a phenomenon.
o Disciplinary Core Ideas: Earth Materials and Systems
Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a
region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and
sediments into smaller particles and move them around.
o Cross Cutting Concepts: Cause and Effect
Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain
change.
NCTM:
NB Learning Outcomes:

Math:GCO: Students will be expected to use direct and indirect measure to solve
problems.

SCO: Demonstrate an understanding of measuring length (cm, m) by:

o Measuring and recording length, width and height.

Science: GCO: Students will construct knowledge and understandings of concepts in

life science, physical science, and Earth and space science, and apply these
understandings to interpret, integrate, and extend their knowledge.

Differentiation: This lesson can be differentiated in many additional ways, as

there are some already built into the lesson, for an exceptional students needs.

For students with learning disabilities who struggle with reading the actual
making and visually representing the changes rain, wind and the ocean can
make on cliffs will help them understand the concept.
For students with ADD or ADHD the getting up and moving around in order to
make the cliffs and creating the forms of erosion will help them stay focused.
Materials:

Rocks
Play-doh
Marshmellows
Ricecripies
Toothpicks
Dirt
Liquid glue
Moss or other plant material
Water
A fan
Sponge
Large plastic tubs; enough for each group to have their own

Vocabulary: Cliff, erosion, hypothesis

Engage: 2 minutes Teacher Does: Student Does:
https://www.youtube.com/watch? -The teacher -Students will watch
v=ZVjr4mii3cE will put on the the video.
video and ask
students to
watch it.

Explore: 18 minutes Teacher Does: Student Does:

Question: Why did the cliff suddenly -The teacher -As a table group
collapse? will ask the students will talk about
students, as a their ideas as to what
table group, to happened to the cliff.
come up with a They will come to a
hypothesis as consensus on their
to why the cliff hypothesis and
collapsed even present this idea to the
though nothing rest of the class.
was touching it.
-The teacher
will go around
to each group
and try to guide
them along and
ask additional
questions
pertaining to
their discussion.
Explain: 20 minutes Teacher Does: Student Does:
Erosion -Using the -Students will pay
smartboard file attention to the
 called Erosion smartboard
the teacher will presentation and will
explain how the raise their hands if
elements (wind, they have any
rain and the questions.
ocean as these -They will also be
are the ones practicing their note
that mainly taking skills at this
affect Joggins) time and copying
can wear away down what they think
at the rock are the key points in
ledge of cliffs. the lesson.
The teacher will
also explain
that this
process takes a
long time.
Elaborate: 40 minutes Teacher Does: Student Does:
Maker Space -The teacher - The students will be
will then explain asked to make their
that each table own cliffs, using the
group will be materials provided to
making a cliff them, with an ocean
out of materials surrounding it. They
that are given need to be sure to
to them. The make it using
goal is to make materials they think
a cliff that they will be strong. They
think will be will then record the
strong and able initial measurements
to with-stand of their cliff.
the erosion the -At the beginning of
best. The each math class, for
teacher will talk the next week,
about how they students will be asked
will be to expose their cliff to
recording the either rain, or wind.
measurements, They will then record
using a ruler, of their measurements
height and again.
length/width of
their cliff.
-Just like
Joggins their
cliffs will be
places in a
plastic tub
 filled with water
to simulate the
ocean. At the
beginning of
class over the
next week
students will be
asked to
simulate rain
(by dipping a
sponge in the
water and
wringing it out
over their cliff)
and wind (put
butting the fan
on it for 5
minutes). They
will then record
their
measurements
after each time
to see the
changes to their
cliffs.
-A handout will
be provided to
record what
materials they
used and the
teacher will be
taking before
and after
pictures of each
cliff.
Evaluate: Mini presentation and -The teacher -The students will be
completion of handout will explain that responsible for
Students will be formatively students must recording the
assessed, not on whether or not fill out the measurements of their
their cliff managed to stay up but handout every cliffs after each
on their ability in recording the day to record exposure on their
measurements and their what is handout.
understanding/reasoning with the happening to -As a group they will
concept of erosion. their cliffs. be asked to present to
-The teacher their peers what
will ask each happened to their cliff
group to and why they think
 present at the their structure was
end of the week successful or not.
to show their
peers what
happened to
their cliff and
why they think
their cliff was
successful or
not.

Section 3: Review of Math Manipulatives

Snap Cubes

Snap cubes are a versatile and tactile way to introduce many different math

concepts. Also known as cubbie links these colourful little cubes really help students

grasp the concepts of counting (by ones and skip counting), non-standard measurement,

and patterns. In counting students can physically link the cubes together as they count,

either by ones, twos or even fives. This provides students with a movement to go with

their verbal production of the number as well as a visual of what that number might look

like. As a non-standard measurement tool snap cubes can be linked together to measure

anything you may give the students, although you may want to refrain from measuring

something too big as they are only about 1cm long. That being said one can even make a

smooth transition from using non-standard measuring tools with their students to a
 standard tool like the ruler. Since these cubes come in so many different colours within

the same pack students are able to create patterns using a variety of colours. Physically

building these patterns will be a great way to allow all students to get creative in math

and give kinesthetic learners an alternative way of thinking about patterns.

Double Sided Counters

These handy little circles, like the snap cubes, have multiple uses in math. For the

younger learners they are great for counting and visually representing addition and

subtraction, particularly since either side is a different colour. For the older elementary

grades, much like with addition and subtraction, these counters can help accentuate

concepts found within algebra and probability.

Fraction circles

When trying to teach the concept of fractions a common way to form questions

surrounds the idea of sharing. For example, if I have four friends who want to share one

cake, how much of the cake would each person get? (1/4). A lot of the time students are

asked to draw, and the teacher will do the same however, I believe that when introducing

fractions it is our jobs as teachers to make our examples are accurate as possible. I using

tools like fraction circles it ensures that proportional reasoning matches what we are

showing the students.

Section 4: Mathematics and Technology

A review of Geogebra (https://www.geogebra.org/)

In a world that is becoming more digitalized using websites or apps like geogebra

you as a teacher can appeal to a whole other set of students than what traditional

teaching methods do. It also involved a lot of visualization and can help students

make the connections needed to get to that next level of thinking. The only thing I

would note is that not all students and all school will have access or enough

technological materials to accommodate every student and those who are hands-on

learners may not get anything out of these websites.

Read Aloud: Math Curse, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Please refer to the link found under this document on my weebly.

Smartboard Lesson
Please refer to the link found under this document on my weebly.

Section 5: Other Areas of Interest

Math peer teaching:

1. During my first semester of my B.Ed program I got the privilege of teaching my

colleagues a concept from the textbook Elementary and Middle School Mathematics:

Teaching Developmentally by Van de Walle et. Al, fourth Canadian edition, P. 139-

182. Integrated into this lesson is my love for music and using music to help my

students grasp the concepts which I am teaching. This lesson is meant for a

kindergarten or grade one level and I find allowing all students time to get up and

move around, while still thinking mathematically is one of the keys to getting

students interested in the subject. Below you can find a summary of the chapters from

the text, a lesson plan that one may use within a concept held in one of the chapters

and additional resources concerning the concepts in the chapters.

 Summary

Chapter 9: Developing Meanings for the Operations (139-161)

This chapter discusses how to help children to weave meanings, interpretations and

relationships for the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division together

to form a cohesive course of study. There are many different problem structures this chapter

talked about, which include join and separate problems, part-part whole problems, compare

problems, contextual problems and model based problems, as well as strategies on what to do

within those problems, like what kind of numbers to pick and the topic your words problems

should cover (which, in fact, should be based on experiences that are relevant to the students so

they stay interested and engaged). There are some new ideas in this chapter that would not have

been implicated when I was in school, such as allowing the children to come up with their own

methods. In this case the chapter gave us three typical ways to teach children these operations,

which are memorization, giving them strategies they have to use and inventing, or reinventing

strategies for themselves. When I was in school we were given a variety of strategies, however

we had to know how to use each one; of course, this does not allow for differentiation in

students. Memorization is really no better as the students have to memorize 100 different

combinations just for 0-9. The text says that doing it this way would lead to late development in

that students may not be able to memorize everything until they reach middle school if math was

taught solely on the basis of this method. There are some great suggestions and strategies within

this chapter that can be used and adapted for all grade levels.

Chapter 10: Helping Students Master the Basic Facts (p.162-182)

 By basic facts the text is referring to numbers that add to make or multiple factors that are

less than 10, or in the case of subtraction and division the factors used, when switched into

multiplication and addition are less than 10 (ex. 15-8=7 so 8+7=15). The mastery of these basic

facts, according the years of research, supports the notion that the development of reasoning

strategies is integral to truly understand, and therefore, truly mastering. This chapter goes

through some strategies you can teach your students that will help them in generating their own

and what works for them. For the earlier grades it really emphasizes strategies like Using 5 as

an Anchor and Make 10 or Up Over 10. These strategies talk about going to 5, or 10 as

your default by taking away from your other number (ex. Using 5 as an anchor may look like:

6+7, where a student might see 7 and break that down into 5+2 and 6 as 5+1, from there the

student would add 5+5 and 2+1 which equals 10+3 and from there they would find their answer,

which is 13). There are many different ways to get to the same answer and this chapter goes

really in depth into what students may use as strategies, and how we can steer them so that they

are still thinking and reasoning for themselves, but that what they do leads them to the correct

end. Near the end of the chapter it discusses what we should and should not do as teachers when

supporting our students in the mastery of their basic facts. Those lengthy timed tests should be no

more and we should be asking our students to take some responsibility in their own learning by

self-monitoring and focus on self-improvement. If you give high expectations to your students

they will most likely meet those expectations. Children, even the younger ones, are smarter than

we may think and giving that responsibility to their-selves can help them stay interested and

motivated without comparing themselves to another peer.

 Lesson Plan
Subject: Math Grade: One (1) Length: One (1) hour Date: Oct.11, 2016
Stage One (1): Pre-Lesson Plan

Lesson Title:
Addition and Subtraction Introduction

Rationale/Outcome:
Students will begin to understand the relationship between numbers as they pertain to the
basic operations of addition and subtraction.
They will begin to expand their mathematics vocabulary to include addition (+),
subtraction (-) and equals (=).

New Brunswick Curricular Objectives:

GCO: Number: Develop number sense and Variables/Equations: Represent algebraic
expressions in multiple ways
o SCO: N7: Demonstrate, concretely and pictorially, how a given number can be
represented by a variety of equal groups with and without singles. (P.30)
Once students have demonstrated a competency in one-to-one counting,
they should be encouraged to develop flexible thinking about numbers.
Students need to explore ways in which previously learned number
concepts are connected to the breaking apart of numbers (part-whole
thinking). This development will lead the students toward increased
understanding of the relative size of numbers and will enable students to
construct meaning regarding the composing and decomposing of
numbers.

NCTM Pre-K Expectations:

Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers and
number systems
Count with understanding and recognize "how many" in sets of objects;
Develop understanding of the relative position and magnitude of whole numbers
 and of ordinal and cardinal numbers and their connections;
Develop a sense of whole numbers and represent and use them in flexible ways,
including relating, composing, and decomposing numbers.

Content:
Information gathered from Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching
Developmentally by Van de Walle et. Al, fourth Canadian edition, P. 139-182.

Materials:
Chart paper.
Black white board marker (If there is not one at the white board extras can be found in the
top left drawer of my desk).
Big Book: The Ants go Marching In (In the math station, at the back of the room, on the
bottom shelf of the book shelf).
Computer/ Projected screen.
The game Mad Add (The contents of this game can be found, in individual bags for each
group, at the back of the class, in the math station, in the red bucket on the top shelf of the
book shelf that is there).
o Paper with the pre-determined groups (in your lesson package).
o One (1) die per group.
o One (1) spinner per group.
o Recording sheet and pencil (students should be able to provide their own pencils
but have some handy just in case. These can be found in my top right desk
drawer).
o Manipulatives: There will be a package of sparkly pomp oms, of various colours,
in each game bag.
White board.
Paper copy of anecdotal notes sheet.

Stage Two (2): Lesson Planning and Implementation

Introduction/Hook: 10 minutes
Before we begin have the KWL chart ready. This would have been pre-made, and will
have the title Addition at the top.
Explain to the children that we will be filling out the first two sections of the chart, but
leaving the Learned section blank until the end of the week. K stands for what we
already know, W for what we want to know, and L for what we have learned. The
 children will have done these charts before, but it would be good to remind them of what
they are.
Tell them that it is quite alright if they do not know anything about addition yet, as they
would never have dealt with this terminology up to this point. Ask them what they know,
and what they want to know about addition and write it down on the chart as they go
along.

Activities:
Ants Go Marching In (15 minutes)
o Before beginning, have the youtube video The Ants go Marching In loaded and
ready to go on the computer. Project it onto the big screen once everyone is sitting
down in the reading area. Follow this link to the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xozQnsGkHJ4
Stop the video at 1:55 (This is where the ants have now marched 5 by 5, which is where
the Big Book will stop as well).
You should also have the Big Book, The Ants go Marching In ready by the reading
area.
o Bring everyone over to the reading area (the rug that is at the back of the
classroom) and ask them to sit down.
o Once everyone is settled ask if anyone knows the song, The Ants go Marching
In and play the song for them from the computer. Have the youtube video up on
the big screen so they can also see the words of the song as they listen.
o Now it is time to sing along with the Big Book. This book is interactive, and the
children will be able to stick the ants onto the book as it corresponds with the
amount that page is asking for. After someone has stuck the ants into place ask the
students how many ants they see on the page (the number will go up to 25 as the
reach the 5 by 5 page). Ask them how they got to that number in their heads.
Mad Add (25 minutes)
o The instructions to this game can be found in each of the individual bags. You
should be familiar with them before beginning to explain their next task.
o Explain, using the game, what an addition equation looks like. Ex. Say, when you
roll the die, you get a 5, and when you spin the spinner, you get a 1. Put the 5
before the addition sign, and the 1 after and an equals sign at the end like so:
5+1=. Be sure that when explaining the symbols you say things like is the same
as for the equals sign. Leave this example on the board.
o Students will then break off into their pre-determined groups and each person will
have a chance to roll the die and spin the spinner twice. Each time someone does
so it will be recorded onto their recording sheet as an equation. The students may
use the manipulatives to find their answer. They can use the different colours to
differentiate between the number on the die and the number on the spinner.
o Once everyone has had a chance to go twice and their findings have been written
 down ask for some of their results and write them down on the white board. Ask if
any other groups may have gotten the same answer, but in a different way. For
example: a group may have rolled a 4 and spun a 2 to get 6, while another group
may have rolled a 5 and spun a 1 to get 6. This will begin to form relationships
between numbers.
If they are really catching on throw in other combinations, like 3+3 which
is also 6. Ask them if they believe they can get the same result of 6 with
this equation. Get them to turn back to their manipulatives so they can
show their findings.
Dance along (2 minutes)
o Play the song The Ants go Marching In again on the big screen. Let the children
get some physical activity and put the concept of adding into motion as they form
1, add another to make 2, add another to make 3etc as the song goes along. You
may have to prompt the children to find a partner for 2 by 2, and find two friends
to make 3 for 3 by 3. If you feel it appropriate and the class is large enough you
can go higher than 5 by 5.

Closing: 6 minutes
Get them to go back to the reading area.
Once sitting ask them what they learned.
Explain these ideas will continue to grow as the week progresses. We will continue
addition by going farther in depth as to how many combinations is the same as a certain
number. If they were well behaved perhaps this could be done with smarties, as it is close
to Halloween.

Evaluation:
Take anecdotal notes throughout Mad Add. A pre-made sheet with the names of each
child, in their game groups, will be provided. Carry this around and record how each of
the students are doing.
Review the record sheets from each group to see if they got the concept of putting the
numbers into an equation.
This is an introductory activity, therefore, assessment is only formative and serves as a
means to gage initial understanding on the concept of adding.

Differentiation:
This lesson can be differentiated in many additional ways, as there are some already built
into the lesson, for an exceptional students needs.
For students with learning disabilities who struggle with reading playing the song to The
 Ants go Marching so they can hear, as well as see the words, can reinforce the concept
of the song, as well as having moveable pieces to the Big Book.
o All instructions could also be put onto a smart board, or even in a powerpoint,
with a black background and white lettering.
For students with learning disabilities who struggle with writing the numbers having
partners, while not being made to write the numbers themselves, can allow these students
to watch their peers form them on paper.
For students with autism The repetition of the song at the beginning and end of the lesson
can really solidify the whole lesson for them. Also leaving the example equation on the
board can help keep them on task.
For students with ADD/ADHD the movement break at the end, before coming back
together on the reading area can help get their sillies out before coming back to a whole
group discussion. This can allow not only them to stay on task but the rest of the class as
well.
For those who have issues around motor skills, again, working with the partners helps.
Rather than writing the numbers down, or rolling the die, or spinning the spinner the
student can be emulated by one of their partners, however they can call the shots.
For students with visual impairments having the dice with the indentations rather than the
numbers written on a surface will allow them to feel what they roll. They can also feel out
their answer using the manipulatives.
For students with hearing impairments assistive technology can be used, especially during
Mad Add.
For gifted students add in the option of having two dice for Mad Add (this gives them the
numbers to put into an equation) or give them the option of subtracting what they spin on
the spinner.

Stage Three (3): Post-Lesson Activities

Lesson Evaluation and Revision

Record what went well with the lesson, and what did not. These will be used for future
reference.
Finish writing any strengths and weaknesses the students may have had in the anecdotal
notes.
 Teacher Resources

Online Resources

For extra resources on addition and subtraction you can refer to Thinking Blocks - Model and
Solve Math Word Problems. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2016, from
http://www.thinkingblocks.com/ . This is a great source for any of the four operations.

Books

Cuyler, M., & Pearson, T. C. (2010). Guinea pigs add up. New York: Walker &.

This book is a great resource on addition, subtraction and multiplication.

Toft, K. M., & Sheather, A. (1998). One less fish. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

This book is a great resource for subtraction.

Articles

Baroody, A.J. (2006). Why children have difficulties mastering the basic fact combinations and
how to help them. Teaching Children Mathematics, 13(1), 22-31.

Clement, L., & Bernhard, J. (2005). A problem-solving alternative to using key words.
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 10 (7), 360-365.

As we will be able to teach K-12 this resource is great for middle school level.

Journal Questions
During my time spent in Elementary Math Methods we went through the textbook

mentioned above and completed some of the critical thinking questions at the end of

almost every chapter. Here are the five answers, as well as their questions, that I am

most proud of and that I feel are reflective of who I am as a teacher.

Chapter 3, Question 1:

Of the many provided in this chapter, which three do you want to remember when

it comes to selecting a rich task?

-In thinking about rich tasks I would like to make sure that it is on relevant contexts

which will not only get my students engaged and excited about math but will also be on

an experience they may have had or will have, and is therefore relatable. I would also like

to have variable entry and exit points, which means the task can be approached in

multiple different ways with different levels of difficulty and exit points are the ways in

which you express your answer, and having multiple ways to express your answer means

the students are reasoning with the work and finding strategies that work for them

Chapter 3 Question 4:

Why are Its easy! and Let me help you not good choices for supporting

students? What is a better way of supporting a student who is having difficulty

with a task?

- Saying Its easy to a student who isnt quite getting it can be devastating to their self-

esteem; what does it say about them if it is easy and they dont understand? As teachers

we should go about helping our students in a different way, one of which would be to try

a different strategy with the student. Perhaps they are not getting the material because

they do not understand the method they are trying to use.

Chapter 4 Question 1

What does it mean to anticipate student approaches and how might you do it?
- Anticipating student approaches means predicting how students might deal with a
particular task (what methods and strategies they might use) and any misconceptions they
may have. By making sure the task is understood, before getting students to work on it
independently is one way you might anticipate student approaches. As a teacher you will
have to ask a lot of questions to both make sure the understood you, but to also activate
prior knowledge/experience they may have. The three-phase lesson plan allows for this
kind of anticipation.

Chapter 7 Question 4

What are the differences between pictoral and schematic representations?

-Using picture representations can open up a whole new world of understanding for

students. Schematic representations really highlight key math concepts and are associated

with strong problem solving abilities

Chapter 12 Question 1

How are standard algorithms different from student-generated or personal

strategies? Explain the benefits of personal strategies over standard algorithm.

- The difference between student generated strategies and standard algorithms is

reasoning. With algorithms the students are given the method that is the most convenient
and efficient, but it teaches them that there is only one right way to do it, and they never
really have to explain how they got their answer, rather it is only important that they
 simply got there and it is correct. With personal strategies the students understand what
they are doing and theyre using the strategy that works for them, rather than something
that was forced upon them that they might not get.

Unit Plan
In collaboration with three of my colleagues, Caroline Fletcher, Kyle Dunnett and

Shaina Peter-Paul, we created a unit plan surrounding the curriculum outcomes under

Patterns and Relations for grade one. Here are my lesson plans that I contributed to

this unit.

Lesson Plan

Subject: Math Grade: One (1) Length: Forty (40) minutes Date: Feb

Stage One- Pre-Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Balanced or Unbalanced

Rationale/Outcome:
Students will be able to describe balance as equality and unbalanced as inequality.
New Brunswick Curricular Objectives:
GCO: Patterns and Relations (PR): Represent algebraic expressions in multiple ways.
o SCO: PR3:Describe equality as a balance and inequality as an imbalance,
concretely and pictorially (0 to 20).
NCTM Pre-K Expectations:
sort, classify, and order objects by size, number, and other properties;
recognize, describe, and extend patterns such as sequences of sounds and shapes or
simple numeric patterns and translate from one representation to another;
analyze how both repeating and growing patterns are generated.

NCTM Pre-K Expectations:

Information gathered from Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching
Developmentally by Van de Walle et. Al, fourth Canadian Edition, p. 183-207.
Materials
A manipulative (can really be anything you want)
Smartboard file Balanced or Unbalanced
Two (2) pieces of paper: One with the equal symbol (=) and one with the unequal
 symbol ( )

Stage Two (2): Lesson Planning and Implementation

Introduction/Anticipatory Set: 10 minutes

Students will be directed to the carpet for circle time. There the teacher will sit down with the
students and, using the same manipulative, clearly lay out two sets that are the same as each
other (keeping in mind that the number can be anywhere in between 0-20). The teacher will
then ask the students how many is in each pile, giving them a little bit of think time before
asking a volunteer to answer. The teacher will then describe the two piles as being the same
as each other, and this means they are equal or balanced. This process will be repeated with
piles that are not the same as, or unequal to or unbalanced to each other.
Activity: 20 minutes
Moving with Math:
Desks or tables will be pushed aside to provide enough room for the students to move.
Before moving from the carpet the smartboard file will be on the board and students
will be asked to, again, count the two different sets that are on the board. There will be
a circle in the middle which will contain the answer. One of both equal and unequal will
be gone over, but when the students have come up with the answer the teacher will
draw the corresponding symbol into the circle, explaining what the symbol means.
Students will then be asked to move to the middle of the room, and their attention will
be drawn to the two sheets with the symbols which will be on either side of the room. If
the students think the sets on the board are the same as, or equal to each other then
they will move to the =, and if they think they are not the same as, or unequal to each
other they will move to the . The teacher will take time to ask volunteers why they
chose the side they did, and then draw in the answer in the circle in the middle of the
two sets before asking the students to return to the middle. This will be repeated
multiple times.

Closing: 10 minutes
To close the students will be asked to draw two sets of something that are equal, and two sets
of something that are unequal, and to use the symbol in between them (exactly like the
smartboard activity). These will be collected and used formatively.
Evaluation:
Take anecdotal notes throughout the activity to make sure you see if some students are
understanding the concept better than others or if some are still struggling, or perhaps just
following the crowd..
The teacher will collect the equal/unequal drawings for a more individualized assessment.

Differentiation
This lesson can be and should be differentiated in many ways to support any needs that may
arise in a classroom
For students with learning disabilities seeing a visual of the math manipulatives will help them
understand the concept without having to decipher through lots of text but rather visual and
movement activities are used in this lesson plan. Also having the assessment be with notes
and not a test also means they wont have the pressure of text or time.
For students with an Executive functioning disorder you can have step-by-step directions with
explicit detail specifically for them.
Students with autism would benefit from the different sensors such as the manips.
For students with ADHD getting up and moving for the activity would help them.
For gifted students, by allowing them the creative freedom to come up with their own sets they
can adjust the activity to their individual level.
Students with hearing impairments would need assistive technology during this activity like an
FM microphone system.
Other differentiation could be adapted into this lesson plan if needed once the childs needs
are determined.
It is important to remember with ELL students they may find these activities difficult because
the wording can be difficult for even English students, therefore it is important to remember
these students may need some extra assistance with the language of the activity.

Stage Three (3): Post Lesson Activities

Lesson Evaluation and Revision

Evaluate what went well with the lesson and what should be revised for next time
Finish writing any notes you made have thought of during the lesson that you werent able to
write down in the moment

Lesson Plan

Subject: Math Grade: One (1) Length: Forty (40) minutes Date: Feb

Stage One- Pre-Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Math Around the Room

Rationale/Outcome:
Students will be able to record equalities and inequalities using the proper symbols.
New Brunswick Curricular Objectives:
GCO: Patterns and Relations (PR): Represent algebraic expressions in multiple ways.
o SCO: PR4: Record equalities, using the equal symbol.
NCTM Expectations:
sort, classify, and order objects by size, number, and other properties;
recognize, describe, and extend patterns such as sequences of sounds and shapes or
simple numeric patterns and translate from one representation to another;
analyze how both repeating and growing patterns are generated.
Content
Information gathered from Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching
Developmentally by Van de Walle et. Al, fourth Canadian Edition, p. 183-207.
Materials
Student recording sheets, sorted in boxes labelled A-J
Little cards, labelled A-J which will have two sets of a picture on them
Pencils

Stage Two (2): Lesson Planning and Implementation

Introduction/Anticipatory Set: 5 minutes

Students will be reminded of what they did during the last lesson (which was moving to either
the equal symbol or unequal symbol) and given the opportunity to go over a few examples of
each together as a class. This will help jog their memories as to what the symbols mean and
look like.
Activity: 45 minutes
Math Around the Room:
Students will be told that there are ten (10) cards hidden around the room, which they
will have to find. This will be an individual activity, so no pairing up.
Students will each be given their handout and told that they have to pay attention to
what letter is on the card, and they are to put their answer in that same letter on their
sheet (ex. If you see a D on the card, then your answer goes into the box with the D on
it on your sheet).
Students are to count both of the sets and decide if they are equal, or unequal
(balanced or unbalanced) and they will then write to corresponding symbol into the
correct box on their sheet.
Students will only be finished when they have found and recorded for all 10 boxes.
These sheets will be handed in to the teacher.

Closing: 10 minutes
To close the students will be asked to come to the carpet and will be asked a very difficult
question. Up on the board, rather than pictures, there will be two equations, with the circle in
the middle for either the unequal sign, or the equal sign (ex. 3+5/ 4+4). Are they the same as
each other, or are they different? Students will simply need to think about this as we get ready
for our next lesson.
Evaluation:
Take anecdotal notes throughout the activity to make sure you see if some students are
understanding the concept better than others or if some are still struggling
The teacher will collect the equal/unequal handouts for formative assessment.

Differentiation
This lesson can be and should be differentiated in many ways to support any needs that may
arise in a classroom
For students with learning disabilities seeing a visual of the pictures will help them understand
the concept without having to decipher through lots of text but rather visual and movement
activities are used in this lesson plan. Also having the assessment be with notes and not a
test also means they wont have the pressure of text or time.
For students with an Executive functioning disorder you can have step-by-step directions with
explicit detail specifically for them. .
For students with ADHD getting up and moving around will allow them to focus more.
Students with hearing impairments would need assistive technology during this activity like an
FM microphone system.
Other differentiation could be adapted into this lesson plan if needed once the childs needs
are determined.
It is important to remember with ELL students they may find these activities difficult because
the wording can be difficult for even English students, therefore it is important to remember
these students may need some extra assistance with the language of the activity.

Stage Three (3): Post Lesson Activities

Lesson Evaluation and Revision

Evaluate what went well with the lesson and what should be revised for next time
Finish writing any notes you made have thought of during the lesson that you werent able to
write down in the moment