MATL Unit Overview (UBD)

Title of Unit Algebra: You get to solve puzzles! Grade Level Secondary Cycle 1, Year 1
Subject Mathematics Time Frame 5 lessons & 60 minutes
Unit #: 1
Stage 1 Desired Results
Established Goals: What relevant goals (e.g. PLOs, content standards, course or program Relevance: How is this learning relevant to students? Why should they care?
objectives, learning outcomes) will this lesson address?

By the end of the unit, students will be able to: This learning is relevant to students because we use frequently algebra in
Understand different mathematical terms related to algebra our daily lives. It is used for calculating sale prices, when we need to
double the ingredients for recipes, and when we need to figure out how
Know the difference between equality and equation
much paint we need to paint the walls of a room. Algebra takes a big role
Know how to manipulate algebraic expressions in our lives and helps us make the right decisions.
Know how to solve first-degree equation with one unknown

QEP Mathematics Competencies:

1. Solves a situational problem
2. Uses a mathematical reasoning
3. Communicates by using a mathematical language

Students will understand that What are the big ideas? What specific understandings Essential Questions: What provocative questions will foster inquiry, understanding, and transfer
(explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, self-knowledge, empathy) about the big ideas are of learning?
desired? What misunderstandings are predictable?

The essential questions used will be:

Students will understand that to figure out the one missing piece, they How does algebra influence your life?
only need one equation. To do so, I want them to learn that whatever they
Why is it important to simplify expressions?
do to one side of the equation, they must do it to the other side to keep the
balance and learn how to manipulate algebraic expressions. What is the purpose of using the inverse operations when solving
an equation and why is it important to do these operations on
Students may have difficulties matching the definitions with the correct both sides of the equations?
vocabularies that they newly learned. As well, there is the possibility that
they may forget to do operations on both sides of the equation when
solving a problem.

Student will know What key knowledge and skills will student acquire as a result of this unit?
(e.g. vocabulary, terminology, definitions, key factual information, critical details, important events or people,
sequence and timelines)
Students will know how to solve first-degree equation with one unknown
as well as validating their solution by substitution. Furthermore, they will
know the definitions related to algebra (variable, coefficient, degree,
Students will be able to What should they eventually be able to do as a result of such
knowledge and skill? (e.g. basic skills, communication skills, thinking skills, research, inquiry, investigation,
study skills, interpersonal or group skills)
1. Simplify and manipulate algebraic expressions by using addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division
2. Apply inverse operations on both sides of the equations
term, like term, equality, and equation), its uses, and where algebra can be 3. Choose the most appropriate method (trial and error, drawings,
found in the world. etc.) to solve an equation
4. Communicate how these concepts are used and relevant in real
life settings

Cross Curricular Competencies: How does the intended learning Broad Areas of Learning: How does the intended learning promote Health and well-being,
promote the intellectual, methodological, personal & social and communication related personal and career planning, Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and
competencies? Responsibilities, Media Literacy, or Citizenship and Community Life?

CCC1 Uses information The unit addresses the Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights
Students will need to gather information given in the and Responsibilities. More specifically, for the environmental awareness
problem to simplify the equations. aspect, students will be discussing how many trees are cut down to make
papers, and for the consumer rights and responsibilities aspect, students
CCC 2 Solves problems will be discussing how much money they can save for items that are on
The problems will gradually increase in difficulty and sale and how much they will need to spend to paint their rooms.
students will need to choose the most appropriate
methods to solve these problems.

CCC 4 Uses creativity

Students will use their creativities to connect the problems
to something that is relevant in their lives.

CCC 5 Adopts effective work methods

Students will adopt effective work methods to ensure that
their tasks are being completed efficiently and accurately.

CCC 8 Cooperates with others & CCC 9 Communicates

appropriately
Students will be able to work with their peers and
communicate appropriately to consider multiple
perspectives and gather ideas to complete difficult tasks.

Universal Design for Learning: How will you present information and content in different Further considerations: Multiliteracies, Higher
ways? How will you differentiate the ways that students can express what they know? How will you stimulate
interest and motivation for learning?
Order Thinking, Technology
The content will be presented in two different forms. Game and pair work Higher order thinking is taken into consideration with this
will be incorporated to engage students in learning algebra. I will unit. Rather than memorizing, I want students to apply
 differentiate the ways students can express what they know by asking and use their knowledge when solving and creating their
questions to the students during the game and providing written question own problems. Allowing students to create their own
on the board at the end so that they have the opportunity to visually see problems is a way to make algebra fun and more
the problem, think, and answer it. Having an interactive game with prizes engaging for the students. Since creating a problem
will be an exciting way to stimulate interest and motivation for learning. requires critical thinking, knowing their answer, and
Also, the pair work will be used throughout the unit so that the students checking their work, it goes beyond the rote
can work collaboratively and ask each other questions for things that are memorization and students will be able to connect
unclear. I will be walking around to see their understandings and provide algebra with their interests.
help and guiding questions if needed.

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks: Through what authentic performance tasks will students demonstrate the Other Evidence: Through what other evidence (e.g. quizzes, tests, academic prompts, observations,
desired understandings? By what criteria will performance of understanding be judged? How will students homework, journals) will students demonstrate achievement of the desired results? How will students receive
receive feedback from which to base improvement? feedback regarding these?

The performance tasks that students will participate in to demonstrate
their understanding will be answering questions during the lessons,
participating in the activity, working in pairs, and completing worksheets
that are distributed during class. Students understanding will be judged
based on their initial thought process, reasoning, and answers throughout
the unit. Students will receive verbal feedback during the activity and
written feedback on the worksheets. These feedbacks will be based on
clarity, correctness, and their thought procedures that they used to solve a
problem and these feedbacks will help them improve their problem-
solving skills and understanding of algebra.
Students will be able to demonstrate achievement of the desired results
by completing the worksheets that are distributed during the lessons,
participating in the class discussions, and finding examples in our daily
lives that are relevant to algebra. They will receive feedbacks from peers
and the teacher throughout the discussions and teachers written
feedbacks on the worksheets.

FORMATIVE - Assessment FOR learning FORMATIVE - Assessment AS learning: What SUMMATIVE - Assessment OF learning: What
How will you use assessment to promote learning? How will you show opportunities will you provide for reflection and self-assessment to help tools and task will you use to provide evidence of achievement for
students their strengths and suggests how they can develop further? students develop, practise, and become comfortable with critical reporting?
analysis of their own learning?

I will use assessment to promote learning by
evaluating their performances during the class
discussions, activity, and on their worksheets.
This will promote multiple ways of learning for
students and multiple ways of assessing the
students for the teacher. I will also show
students their strengths and suggestions for
Students will be provided the opportunity for
reflection and self-assessment to help with their
understanding by participating in class
discussions and activity, and discussing any
questions or ideas that arise with their peers.
Also, students will be creating their own
problems and receiving feedback from their
The tools and tasks that will be used to provide
evidence of achievement for reporting is their
demonstrated knowledge on the completed
worksheets, problems that were created by the
them, and the number of correct answers that
they provided during the class discussion and
the activity. Their reasoning and rationale will
improvement by providing feedbacks and
suggesting videos, books, and online resources,
which provide alternative explanations of the
definitions and concepts, and more complex
problems for them to attempt.
partner to make sure that they are on the right be evidences of achievement as well.
track. Furthermore, they will have a chance to
work with a pair when completing a worksheet
to discuss the problems and share their
knowledge, and once they become comfortable,
they will work alone to develop and practice
their own learning.

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Where are your students headed? Where have they been? How will you make sure the students know where they are going? How will you hook students at the beginning of the
unit? What events will help students experience and explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge? How will you
cause students to reflect and rethink? How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and refining their work? How will you help students to exhibit and self-evaluate their
growing skills, knowledge, and understanding throughout the unit? How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the learning plan to optimize the engagement and effectiveness
of ALL students, without compromising the goals of the unit? How will you organize and sequence the learning activities to optimize the engagement
and achievement of ALL students
Learning Focus: Key ideas: Assessment:

Introduction (10 minutes): By observing students

Day 1 Begin the class by asking the class if they like to solve answers to the questions
Introduction to Algebra: puzzles that I ask during the class
Algebra = Puzzles! State the learning objective and by circulating the class
Give the definition of algebra with an example during the second activity, I
Explain why algebra questions are like puzzles will be able to know
whether students
Brief history about algebra understand the new terms
that are introduced or not.
Ask if they think algebra is relevant in our daily lives

Activity 1 (15 minutes):

Explain key vocabularies with an example: 2x+1=3

o Variable, coefficient, constant, degree, term, like

terms, expression, and equation

Explain why we use a letter for the unknown

Come up with 3 different examples (gradual increase

in difficulty) and ask the class to tell me where the
 variable, coefficient, and constant are, what degree
the example has, and whether the example has any
like terms or not

Activity 2 (15 minutes):

Separate class into groups of 2 and tell them to come
up with 5 different examples of algebraic equations
and/or expressions
In their examples, tell them to figure out
o Where the variable, coefficient, and constant
are
o Whether the example is an equation or an
expression
o Number of terms in the equations and/or
equations
o Whether the equations and/or expressions have
any like terms or not
Tell them to keep the answers on the separate piece
of paper
Switch their examples with another pairs and indicate
o Where the variable, coefficient, and constant
are
o Whether the example is an equation or an
expression
o Number of terms in the equations and/or
equations
o Whether the equations and/or expressions have
any like terms or not
Once done, switch the examples again and mark their
answers
Discuss any answers that were incorrect

Activity 3 (10 minutes):

Show the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FJ8tprGELds

Ask the class if they think algebra is relevant and

 useful in our daily lives now after watching the video

Ask them if they can think of a real world example of

algebra and share it with a class

Conclusion (10 minutes):

Ask if they have any questions
Instead of using boring xs and ys for the unknown
variables, ask them which objects or letters they
would rather use in algebraic equations
Conclude the class by stating how algebra is found in
so many areas of life and that all of math, even the
ones that look like the examples discussed in this
lesson, is hidden in the world somewhere

Learning Focus: Key ideas: Assessment:

From this days lesson and on, students will be learning how Provide approximately 5
Day 2 to solve algebraic equations step by step. They will begin by examples for the students
How to manipulate learning how to manipulate algebraic expressions. To to work as a pair to discuss
algebraic expressions: provide multiple representations of the lesson, I will be and gather ideas and
Keep the Balance! showing the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? information, and provide 5
v=l3XzepN03KQ to capture their interest and attention. This more examples so that the
video gives an excellent introduction to the steps of solving students have a chance to
algebra problems and why it is important to keep the practice on their own. I will
equations in balance. Students will build on their knowledge be circulating in the
of arithmetic and apply it to algebra. classroom to see if
students are having any
troubles, and ask guiding
questions to students who
are having difficulties and
more advanced questions
to students who are finding
the examples too easy.

Learning Focus: Key ideas: Assessment:

By now, students have a good understanding of how to The worksheets that are
 Day 3 manipulate algebraic equations and the purpose of keeping distributed during the class
Solving first-degree the equations in balance. They will now learn how to solve will be collected and
equations with one first-degree equations with one unknown. This video: graded for the next lesson.
unknown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NybHckSEQBI will help This will allow me to see if
them understand the steps of solving an algebraic students understood the
equations using the manipulation that they learned during concepts, and students will
the last lesson. It is very important to emphasize that they be able to receive written
only need one equation to solve for one unknown variable. feedbacks.
Worksheets will be provided during the last 20 minutes of
the lesson. Students will work in a group of 3 to help each
other and practice their skills. Worksheets will be collected
for me to grade (not for marks, but to give feedbacks), but
they must be handed in individually.

Worksheet is found here:

http://www.mathsisfun.com/worksheets/print.php?
w=11154&ID=20064

Learning Focus: Key ideas: Assessment:

Students are now able to solve fist-degree equations with By leading the class
Day 4 one unknown. To increase the difficulty, students are now discussion, I will be able to
Solving word problems introduced to simple word problems. I will solve 2-3 observe and comment on
using first-degree examples to give students an idea at first, and more students thought
equations with one examples will be given so that we can have a class processes. Students will
unknown discussion and solve the problems together. This way, need to engage deeply with
students are not overwhelmed by the difficult problems and the materials that they
have a chance to observe other students ideas. Also, I will learned in previous lessons.
be providing tips and guidance for solving word problems.

Learning Focus: Key ideas: Assessment:

Introduction (5 minutes):
State the learning objective The first activity allows me
Day 5 Revisit the definitions to see if students are
Applying algebra to a Ask if they had any questions from the previous having any difficulties, and
real life examples & classes or things that were unclear if so, where they are having
Review troubles. The second
Activity 1 (15 minutes): activity allows me to assess
 Review solving first-degree equations the students based on their
thought processes
Revisit the problems that students had the most (information gathering,
difficulty with deciding which method is
the most effective and
Revisit the common mistakes students made accurate, planning their
work, making adjustments
Ask them to share where they made mistakes when necessary, and
checking if their response is
o By verbally saying it out loud, students become accurate).
aware of their own and others mistakes

Activity 2 (35 minutes):

Put students in a group of 4 and tell them to come up
with their own word problem that interest them
Once they came up with a problem, tell them to bring
it to me so that I can check if the problem makes
sense and is on the right track. I will provide
suggestions if needed and make sure that the level of
difficulty is similar among all problems
After checking their problem with me, tell them to
write the problem in a form of a cartoon
o Use colours and be creative.
Ask them to switch their problems with other group
and solve theirs
There will be two prizes given:
o One prize will be awarded to a group for being
the most creative
o And the other prize will be given to the group
that solved a problem accurately in a shortest
period of time

Conclusion (5 minutes):
Ask if they like algebra and if they think algebra is
useful
Show brief examples of advanced algebra that they
will be learning later
 Tell them which kinds of careers are available which
uses algebra, as well as other math concepts
Conclude by showing the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBYwrwJAWTw