Danielle Dolecki

Math Lesson Plan Assignment

A. TITLE OF LESSON: Practice with Algebraic Expressions

B. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING

5.19 The student will
a) investigate and describe the concept of variable;
b) write an equation to represent a given mathematical relationship, using a
variable;
c) use an expression with a variable to represent a given verbal expression
involving one operation; and d) create a problem situation based on a given
equation, using a single variable and one operation.

C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

UNDERSTAND - What are the broad generalizations the students

should begin to develop? (These are typically difficult to assess in one
lesson.)
Students will understand that algebra is a form of
mathematics that involves unknown quantities expressed as
letters and can be combined to create expressions, equations,
and formulas.

KNOW - What are the facts, rules, specific data the students will gain
through this lesson? (These must be assessed in your lesson.)
Students will know that variables represent an unknown
number or a quantity that changes.
Students will know that algebraic expressions include a
variable and a mathematical operation (addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division), but do not include an equals sign.

DO - What are the specific thinking behaviors students will be able to

do through this lesson? (These will also be assessed in your lesson.)
Students will verbally describe the meaning of a variable and
an algebraic expression with a small group.
Students will create and solve their own algebraic expressions.
Students will determine their peers algebraic expressions by
evaluating inputs and outputs.

D. ASSESSING LEARNING
What is your plan to find out what kind of impact your lesson made on the
students learning? You should write your assessment specifically tailored to
the objectives you are teaching. What will your students do and say,
specifically, that indicate every student has achieved your objectives? You
must collect a concrete artifact, which determines whether or not your
 Danielle Dolecki

students met the objectives. If you use observation to assess your

objectives, you must include a data collection form that shows how you
maintained a record of your observations, as well as, a description of the
criteria you used to make your decisions about your students level (for
example a rubric describing what youre looking for.) YOU MUST PROVIDE A
COPY OF YOUR ASSESSMENT OR A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU WILL BE
DOING TO ASSESS YOUR STUDENTS.

During the beginning warm-up activity, I will listen to the small group
conversations to ensure students understand the concept of algebraic
expressions and particularly variables. I will ask students, especially ones I
hear not participating in the group discussions, clarifying questions such as
So what does the n mean?, and What if I changed it to a k? and take
notes on their responses. I will be looking for responses along the lines of
the n (or variable) represents an unknown number and you can substitute
other numbers in to find an answer. I will also be looking for students to
understand that the specific letter does not matter because they are all
variables representing an unknown quantity. I will have a sheet with their
student numbers and put a check next to each students name as I observe
their conversations. During the game, students will be filling out recording
sheets when they are guessing the rule. The sheet will include a spot for the
partners name, the three numbers they guessed and the results, possible
rules, and then the correct rule. After the game, I will collect their recording
sheets to ensure each student was participating and practicing using and
guessing algebraic expressions. I will especially look at students possible
rules section to see their thinking during the guessing portion of the activity.

My Name:________________________________

My My 1st Result My Resul Possible My My My

Partner # 2nd # t Rules 3rd # Guess Partner
s Name s Rule

(The Table will be printed in landscape so the students will have more room
to write)

PART TWO: LESSON PLAN PROCEDURE (15 Points)

Provide examples of the questions you plan to ask, and details about
everything you plan to do. As you plan this part of the lesson you should be
keeping in mind the 5 NCTM process standards. What will you be doing to
 Danielle Dolecki

address PROBLEM SOLVING, REASONING AND PROOF, COMMUNICATIONS,

CONNECTIONS, and REPRESENTATIONS.

A. CONTEXT OF LESSON
I am going to do a review lesson on algebraic expressions. This is a
topic the students have already covered with my cooperating teacher and
could benefit from more practice with before the SOL tests. In addition, the
students recently started learning about function rules, which are closely
related to algebraic expressions. Reinforcing the concept of algebraic
expressions through this practice activity will also contribute to their
understanding of function rules.
I am hoping at the end of this lesson, all students will have an
understanding of the concept of variables and understand the basic format
and use of algebraic expressions. To start, we will be quickly reviewing the
concept of a variable and describing the meaning of a few examples of
algebraic expressions. We will be participating in an interactive activity
where students will create their own rules (algebraic expressions) and then
guess their peers rules. I am asking students to choose between addition,
multiplication, and subtraction. I am hoping that some students will choose
each so all students will get practice with each operation. Students will also
be filling out a recording sheet. Lastly, if there is time, they will be
participating in a quick, I have who has? game in small groups.

B. MATERIALS NEEDED
Index cards with expressions (6-8)
Pencils
Recording sheets (24)
Post-its (lots)
Envelopes (12)
I have who has? cards (if time)

C. PROCEDURE
Provide specifics about what you plan to say, questions you may ask, and
strategies you will use to make the lesson a success.

What will you be doing to ensure these

things happen
Before Activate Prior I will students into small groups and give each group
10 min Knowledge a simple algebraic expression (ex. n-11). Each group
will be given addition, subtraction, multiplication, or
9:15-9:25 division. I will ask students to talk about what it
means and to come up with as many possible ways to
describe it. (a number minus 11, a number decreased
by 11) What does the n mean? What is a variable?
What if I changed the n to a k?
Index cards with n-11, n+14, n/4, nx5
 Danielle Dolecki

I will be used n as the variable for this warm up

activity because students are used to my CT using
that letter to represent a number

While students are discussing, I will be walking around

observing student conversations, asking questions,
and recording. After giving students a few minutes to
talk in their groups, I will ask one student from each
group to share their algebraic expression and their
interpretations to the whole class.
Directions for Guess My Rule
Each student will have his or her own rule
using their own special variable (first initial)
Their rule can use multiplication, addition, or
subtraction and can only use numbers 1-9.
I will give students one minute to think of their
rule in this head.
I will give directions for the activity. Students
will walk around the classroom and guess each
others rules. Students will pick 3 numbers and
use those 3 inputs for each partner. The
student will write the first number on the post
it and put it in the envelope. The other student
Be Sure the will open the envelope, use their rule with the
Problem is provided number, and write the answer on
Understood another post it. The student will put the new
post it in the envelope and send it back. This
will repeat again. The student that is guessing
will write down their numbers, the answers,
and the possible rules each time on the
recording sheet. On the third try, the student
will write down their third number and their
guess for the answer. The student will confirm
or deny their guess. After the student
discovers the rule, the students will switch
roles (the other partner will guess).
I will model this activity using my CT as my
partner.

Every time I ring the bell, the students will say

thank you to their current partner, stand up,
and walk to find a new partner.
I will remind students to make good choices
Establish Clear when choosing their partners and to be sure to
fill out their sheets so I can see their thinking.
Expectations Lastly, I will encourage students to stay quiet
when passing their envelopes back and forth
because everyones rule is a secret! Students
will be allowed to talk on the third guess and
when finding a new partner.
Let Go! Students will start playing. I will ring the bell every 2
minutes (I will adjust based on how quickly/slowly
students are working) I will walk around answering
During any questions as the students begin the game. I will
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25 min remind students to write down their guesses,

9:25-9:50 answers, and predictions on their recording sheets.

Notice I will ask clarifying questions such as, How did you
figure out the rule? to students. How did you know
Children's
to use addition/subtraction/etc.?
Mathematical I will ask students with both correct and incorrect
Thinking answers/guesses.
If students are struggling to guess a rule, I would first
ask students if the new number increased or
decreased when it changed. What are two ways we
This can increase a number? (addition and multiplication)
Provide What are two ways we can decrease a number?
portion of Appropriate (division and subtraction). How much did the number
the lesson change by?
Support
will be Some of the students struggle with basic math facts
where you so I would encourage these students to show their
will work on a separate sheet of paper and provide a
calculator as necessary.
address
differentiat
ion Provide Students could incorporate division for an extra
Worthwhile challenge. Students could use calculators to find the
Extensions answers for these rules.

After the activity, I will ask students for comments

about the activity. What did you think was easy? What
did you think was hard? What did you like about this
activity? What did you not like about this activity?

Lastly, I want to have students complete an I have

After Promote a who has? activity as small groups of about 6-8
students. Students will each be given a card and the
10 min Community of small groups will work together to find the correct
9:50-10:00 Learners order of cards and to complete the activity quicker
than the other teams. The students love to compete
so I think they would really enjoy this quick review
activity. I wanted to do this activity last so students
have already had practice with a partner before
competing with other groups so they would be more
confident and prepared.

Listen Actively While students are playing, I will be observing their

without conversations and listening to their rationales. I wont
Evaluation interfere unless one student is controlling the activity.

Finally, I will ask students to tell a partner what they

Summarize learned about today. I will remind students that what
we practiced today can be applied when they are
Main Ideas and
practicing their function rules and in the next few
Identify Future years as they continue to learn more about algebra. I
Problems will thank them for their participation and
cooperation!
 Danielle Dolecki

PART THREE: REFLECTION ON THE NCTM STANDARDS (10 POINTS)

Problem Solving
First, this activity was based on creating their own problems, solving their
problem in a variety of contexts, and solving their peers problems. Based on
my observations and reviewing students recording sheets, I believe that
these problems were challenging. They were solving problems by
manipulating numbers in their heads, which is not something they usually
do. In addition, this lesson was a review of algebraic expressions and
indirectly function rules; however, this type of problem solving provided a
new and challenging context for students to practice and grow their
knowledge and skills of this topic. Looking back, I did not provide time for
students to reflect much on their process of problem solving verbally or
written. I would have liked to add this to the very end of the activity;
however, we ran out of time very quickly because the students needed to
hear the directions/watch it modeled several times before beginning. I asked
students to write down their guesses for their partners rule which allowed
students to write their thoughts for this part; however, I would have asked
students more questions about how they found these answers and asked for
more explanations about their general problem solving strategies.

Reasoning and Proof

This activity was focused on finding patterns by making and
investigating mathematical conjectures. Students create guesses about their
partners rules and then test further to determine the validity of each
conjecture. Students used their recording sheets to justify their results and
create a proof of their problem solving. If I were to do this activity again, I
would have provided an opportunity for students to select other methods of
proof that may have been more suitable for their learning preferences and to
give them exposure to multiple methods of providing reasoning and proof.
Although students were developing and evaluating mathematical arguments
by completing the activity and the table on the recording sheet, I should
have also expanded this by asking students to verbally or explain their
writing a few of their conjectures to ensure they were providing accurate and
complete reasoning and proof and not just filling in numbers. I struggled to
be able to complete this based on time and classroom management issues,
and if I were to teach this again I would be sure to make it a priority.

Communication
This particular standard is an aspect that I struggled to address in my
lesson. I wanted to provide time for reflection, consolidation of ideas, and
sharing with peers but time passed way too quickly. If I were to teach this
lesson again, I would have provided time at the end for students to talk or
write about finding a particular rule. I would also encourage several students
to share their explanations to the whole class. In my practicum class, I have
never seen students explaining their thoughts, strategies, or even
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procedures when solving problems orally or in writing, so I would expect this

to be challenging at first for many of the students. Especially for these
students, I think listening to others explanations could help them
understand certain topics better. Students could provide an explanation or a
different way of solving the problem that helps that idea click, in comparison
to listening to my CT describe the standard algorithm. This section also
addresses the importance of expressing ideas coherently and precisely.
These interdisciplinary skills are essential for school and success in the future
so giving students practice and time to develop this early is so valuable.

Connections
Connection is another area I wish I had spent more time addressing
when teaching this lesson. My particular SOL was focused on algebraic
expressions; however, the activity (and this topic) is closely related to
function rules. The students had just been learning about function rules the
week before my lesson and I mentioned in the beginning that this activity
was similar to that topic briefly. I wish I would have spent more time
illustrating this connection to allow students to understand and use this
connection. If I were to teach this lesson again, I would have utilized the
function man idea I saw the students use the week before to explain the
activity in the beginning. I would have also provided more of a physical
model of the input/output idea for students to utilize to get used to the
activity.

Representations
During this activity, we focused on the representation of variables as
any, unknown number. This is an aspect of algebraic expressions (and
function rules) that students struggled with over the last few weeks so I
wanted to draw extra attention to this concept during the introduction
portion of the lesson. In addition, we drew particular attention to
remembering the multiple ways you can represent an algebraic expression.
For example, d X 2, 2d, etc. If I were to teach this lesson again, I would have
asked students to create their own representations of what they were doing
in their head during this activity. Students could draw, create a diorama, or
act it out. Having multiple representations of this concept would allow
students to have a variety of options to use when recalling and applying
these ideas in future problems. This standard is so valuable for students to
be able to create their own, differentiated, understandings of a concept.

What impact did planning your lesson around these standards have
on you and your students?
Planning lessons based on these standards helped me focus on
creating a well-rounded activity. It was so helpful to have the standards to
plan and to reflect because this way of teaching math is so different from
what I experienced in school and what I see in my practicum classroom.
Unfortunately, I ran out of time and was distracted by other behavior issues
 Danielle Dolecki

and wasnt able to address everything I wanted to from my lesson in my

teaching. Reflecting on teaching and creating a plan on how to improve for
the future is an essential skill to develop now in order to grow as a future
teacher.

Is this style of teaching something you were comfortable with?

Overall, I love the idea of teaching math in this way. I struggled with math
throughout my schooling career and learning all these meaningful and
authentic standards to incorporate into my future teaching will hopefully
allow me to be able to create that strong foundation and love for math that
will carry my students for years to come.
In this particular situation, the students were also not used to or perhaps
comfortable with learning in this more alternative (to worksheets) approach
and many struggled to be successful. There were many factors that
contributed to the classroom management issues that arose during this
lesson including the timing (first activity on the first day back from spring
break) and the importance of interacting with peers. My CT does not focus on
classroom community and therefore most of the students do not like their
peers. I didnt think this would be much of an issue, or at least the benefits
would out weigh the negatives, however about seven of the students refused
to participate. At first, this was discouraging because the students had
reacted so well to all of my other lessons during the semester so I went into
my last lesson very confident. I thought that providing a different and more
engaging experience during math would be beneficial and I was immediately
so disappointed with the results. These issues with behavior also contributed
to my lack of time and inability to address some of the aspects of the NCTM
standards that I had hoped to. However, once I went back and looked at the
recording sheets after the lesson, I realized that many of the students that
usually struggle (including the 3 students in the class with IEPs) were able to
successfully complete the activity. Although this activity and lesson didnt go
as I had hoped or planned, I really see the benefit of teaching in this style.
Learning to teach in this way involves a learning curve because this is not
how I was taught and I look forward to continuing to put in my best effort and
improve each time I try.

What elements of this lesson were things you could see yourself
using in your teaching career?
I especially loved the interactive focus of this activity. The students in
my practicum class are very, very active and arent given the opportunity to
move or talk to their peers very often. The students that struggle the most
on the day-to-day basis (mostly because of the structure of the classroom)
were able to be successful because this lesson met their needs. This lesson
also focused on flexible grouping. Although this aspect wasnt as beneficial in
this particular class because of the lack of classroom community, this is an
element of teaching that I want to incorporate into as many of my future
lessons as possible.