Problem Based Instructional Task

Lesson Plan 1-In the Ball Park

Big Idea: Estimating the numbers
Common Core: CCSS. MATH. CONTENT. 2. NBT. B. 9
I can estimate the sum and determine the reasonableness of the answer
Launch: Hello 2nd grade class, I will handing out a worksheet that has problems for you to work through. You
will be working alone for the first five minutes and then in partners for ten minutes. The answers will vary for
everyone; therefore, if you and partner have different ways of getting to answer that is great. (pass out work
sheet) We are going to read the problems together to see what they are asking. Who is in this story? (call on
student to answer) What are they trying to figure out? (call on student to answer) Lets think in our heads how
we are going to help these characters figure out their problem.
Explore: Students work in partners or small groups to solve the problem. There should be multiple solutions
or multiple ways to solve the problem.

Students will be group in heterogeneous groups

Key Questions:
o Is it okay if the answer wasnt the exact number?
o How did your partner solve it differently?
o Could the answer be another number?
o What else could you estimate in the classroom?
o How does estimating help students learn math?
Assessment: This is what you will be looking for in the lesson to show what the students
understand. Some of things I will be looking for is; can students estimate sums or do they
become confused when the exact answer is not listed?

Summarize: (Have some students put answers on the board before coming to the carpet). Class, please come to
the carpet so we can go over what todays lesson was about. (Grab a handful of pencils) Okay in my hand I am
holding pencils, how many pencils do you guys think I have? (Show pencils but dont students count them.) Is
the amount of pencils in my hand closer to 50 or 15? (wait for them to say 15). Good class, you just estimated
the amount. What about how many links on this chain? (hold up chain but make it bunched up) Is the answer
closer to 100 or 20? (wait for them to say 20) I had some students put some of their answers on the board, can
we have these students talk about how they got their answers. Lets talk about the different ways we can
estimate, you guys respond with could be for the answer could be that or respond with crazy to say the
answer is nowhere near that number. The question is How many second graders are there in the school? Is
there 70? (answer is could be) What about 2,000 second graders (answer is crazy). What about 85 second
graders (answer is could be). What about 13 second graders (answer is crazy because there are more than 13
students in the class). Your homework is to complete the worksheet, Which Is Closer, because the big idea for
todays lesson was to estimate the sum and determine the reasonableness of the answer.
Evaluation: The homework page, Which Is Closer, will help determine if the students understand the concept
of the lesson or not.
Accommodations:
Enrichment: Students will be given more complex problems that will challenge their estimation abilities.
Remediation: Students will work with smaller numbers to estimate and if additional help is still needed, the
student will receive one on one attention.