Domain 3: Instruction

Lesson Plan:

Whole and Equal Parts

Teacher: Mrs. Frappier
Grade: Second Grade
Content Area: Math Commented [JF1]: 3c: Engaging Students in Learning
Instructional materials and resources

I. Content and Standards: By incorporating graham crackers into the lesson, I felt that
Comparison of Virginia’s 2010 English Standards of Learning with the Common the students would feel more involved. They would see
Core State Standards for English and Literacy something new that they normally don’t see used to teach.
The graham cracker got students curious and they started
2.4 The student will asking questions before I could start the lesson.

a) name and write fractions represented by a set, region, or length model for Commented [JF2]: 3e Demonstrating Flexibility and
halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, and sixths; Responsiveness Lesson Adjustment

b) represent fractional parts with models and with symbols; and
c) compare the unit fractions for halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, and sixths, with
models.
II. Prerequisites:
 Students should be familiar with what a whole means and how to split a whole
into a half. They should be able to identify how many parts are in a shape and
if they are equal or not.
III. Essential Questions:
 Are students understanding what a “whole” means?
 Are students able identify half, thirds and fourths when given an example?
 Are students able to identify what makes an equal and not equal whole?
3e Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
Persistence
Your procedure is written out to prepare you on what
information needs to be taught to the students. Sometimes as
a teacher you will run into circumstances where you may
need to adjust your lesson (while teaching it.) If you see
students aren’t understanding it, this is when the persistence
will come into play. How can you modify your technique to
help the students understand the lesson?
Overall, for this certain lesson the students were able to
follow the concept that was being taught and there was no
real need to for adjustment.
Commented [JF3]: 3a: Communicating with Students
Expectations for learning

3c: Engaging Students in Learning

IV. Instructional Objective: Structure and pacing
 Students will learn to divide whole objects into equal parts and to identify
those parts as fractions. Before starting a lesson it’s important to express what you
are expcting out of your students. Here I state to the
student’s what type of expectations I’m looking for during
V. Materials: this lesson. This prepares the students that even though I
maybe teaching I’m still looking for my friends who are
 Graham Crackers following along. It allows them to see that I will be
 Worksheet acknowledging those that are participating.

During this time is when the students should all be on the

wrong and ready to learn. Sometimes I’ll have students who
VI. Procedure: don’t want to participate, who are taking longer then
normal to follow directions. This will allow me to determine
Large group: the type of structure I may have for group time.
 During this time talk to students about what you are expecting out of them.
During rug time talk about the rules on sitting on the rug, following directions,

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Domain 3: Instruction

participating and raising their hands. I will express that I will be giving popsicle
Commented [JF4]: 3a: Communicating with Students
sticks to those friends that are following direction.
Explanations of content
 The teacher will first state the objective, students will learn to divide whole
objects into equal parts and to identify those parts. Explain to students why and The objective will myself to review what I need to teach and
how they are going to learn this. Learning will allow you to be identify what parts allow the students to understand what they are being
taught, how they are being taught and why they are
of a shape are equal. learning this.
 After the objective is stated, the teacher will show a whole graham cracker.
Commented [JF5]: 3b: Using Questioning/Prompts and
a. Students will be asked what they see? Discussion
b. Students will be asked how many parts are there to a graham cracker? Quality of questions/prompts
i. Explain to student that a graham cracker can have many different
parts. If I kept the parts all together it would be considered… Questions and discussion are very important when teaching
a lesson. I incorporated these questions because I wanted to
“Whole.” Write this word on the board. Ask students what a whole see what the students thought we were going to learn. ...
means? Have students state the word “whole equals all together.”
Commented [JF6]: 3a. Communicating with Students
ii. Break the graham cracker into halves. Ask the students how many Use of oral and written language
pieces do I have now? Confirm that there is two parts, ask them if ...
there is another word that means two. Write the word half on the
Commented [JF7]: 3b: Using Questioning/Prompts and
board. Have students say “half means two parts.” Discussion
iii. Now break the graham cracker into four pieces. Ask students now Quality of questions/prompts ...
how many parts are there to the graham cracker? Write the word Commented [JF8]: 3a. Communicating with Students
fourth on the board and have students say, “four parts equals a Use of oral and written language
fourth.” ...
iv. Now put the graham cracker back together and have students Commented [JF9]: 3b: Using Questioning/Prompts and
review the words that are written on the board. Discussion
v. Ask students would my graham cracker be equal if I were to eat a Quality of questions/prompts ...
piece? Talk about how if one piece is missing from the whole Commented [JF10]: 3a. Communicating with Students
graham cracker it couldn’t be equal again. Use of oral and written language
 Now explain to them that you are going to draw a few circles on the board. We ...
are going talk about how we can split different “whole” shapes into equal parts. Commented [JF11]: 3b: Using Questioning/Prompts and
Discussion
Now draw four different circles on the board. Show two circles that are equal and
Quality of questions/prompts ...
two that are not equal. Have students turn-and-talk and discuss why some of them
are equal and why are some are not. Count down from five to one to get their Commented [JF12]: 3b: Using Questioning/Prompts and
Discussion
attention. When you have student’s attention again, have some share their Discussion techniques and Student participation ...
reasonings. Talk about what makes an equal shape and why some do not.
Commented [JF13]: 3b: Using Questioning/Prompts and
 Allow a few students to draw some equal shapes on the board so they are Discussion
familiarized with the importance of how to draw and recognize a whole part and a Discussion techniques and Student participation ...
part that has no equal. Commented [JF14]: 3b: Using Questioning/Prompts and
Discussion
Individual Work: Discussion techniques and Student participation ...
Before students get their worksheet review your expectation for the worksheet. Explain Commented [JF15]: 3a. Communicating with Students
that you are looking for students that follow the directions and to see how they identify Use of oral and written language and Student participation
equal and not equal parts. Draw the first problem on the board. Talk with the class on if ...
this shape is equal or not equal, allow students to share why they came up with that Commented [JF16]: 3a: Communicating with Students
Expectations for learning
answer. Explain to students that they will continue the worksheet on their own during
...
groups. They will be required to write if the problem is equal or not equal. When they are
Commented [JF17]: 3a: Communicating with Students
done to hand the worksheet into the basket. Directions and procedures
...

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 Domain 3: Instruction
VII. Differentiated Instruction:
 For who need additional support make them a study guide to glue in their math
journal to use for further references.
 Give them cut out of circles, allow student to cut the circles in half different ways.
This will allow them to visually see that not all cuts are equal.
 During small groups if students need to be pulled this will be a time for the
teacher to pull the kids that need additional assistant and go over the worksheet
with them.
VIII. Assessment:
Observe students as they are sitting on the rug. When asked questions see how
students respond to those. Listen when students turn-and-talk and their interaction
with other students.
a. Provide a worksheet to student explaining that they will need to circle the
shapes that are equal.
 This a great way to see what type of understanding students
have on equal parts. What students still need more time on
equal parts? Are they ready to move onto the next part?
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Commented [JF18]: 3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
Lesson adjustment
When I teach a lesson, I’ve learned the importance of
having an open mind and being ready to adjust the lesson if
needed. When my friends who need the extra help raise
their hand, I love to call on them because I want them to
participate. When they get an answer correct the look on
their face is priceless. Having differentiation in order before
the lesson allows me to be prepared to teach them with the
class and adjust thing if needed.
Commented [JF19]: 3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
Assessment criteria
3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
Monitoring of student learning
Turn-and-talk allowed me to assess students as a whole
group. Where they following directions?
Where they able to answer questions? Did they understand
whole, half etc.?
If they didn’t write away during the lesson, did they start to
understand throughout the lesson.
Commented [JF20]: 3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
Monitoring of student learning
3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
Feedback to students
3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
Student self-assessment and monitoring progress
The worksheet allowed me to monitor my students
individually. Provide feedback or extra support to those
that needed it.
Domain 3: Instruction

Reflection of the lesson:

Domain 3 focuses on the “instruction” when presenting your lesson plan. My lesson

focused on whole parts and equal/not equal parts. This lesson was very important for the students

to understand because it was the lesson before going into fractions. I felt that throughout my

lesson, I made sure to communicate with my students, by asking questions and promoting

discussion. The discussion allowed students to be involved in the learning and share their

thoughts on how parts and whole parts work. The turn-and-talk method allowed students to

discuss but also be in engaged in the learning. I also incorporated students the chance to come to

the board and show their work on how to create an equal part. For my group of students, they

struggled with sitting down for a long period of time. Allowing them to get more involved by

having them show example and explain thinking gave the teacher the opportunity to assess and

allow the students to explain their reasoning to their peers. The students on the rug could have

the opportunity to explain why they would agree or disagree. Engaging students is a huge

process in teaching a lesson because you want them to understand what they are learning. The

procedure allowed me to be flexible, if students seemed like they needed extra support this

would be the time to do it. When teaching a lesson, you have to be up for anything and that

means if the kids are following along or not. This also allows me to observe and assess students

during large groups. When we are doing independent learning, this was another great way to

assess the students. I was able to see who needed extra support and see if students were ready to

move onto fractions.

Reflection of the whole process:

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Domain 3: Instruction

When I look back on this lesson and reflect on Domain 3 and how I incorporated it into

my lesson overall, I feel confident that I met the instruction that were required. The hook to the

lesson was incorporating the graham cracker. This allowed me to use 3c. Engaging students into

the lesson. As soon as I took out the graham cracker, I caught everyone’s attentions. The students

wanted to know what were we going to do with it. When incorporating a “hook” it engages your

students into the lesson to allow them to follow out. Even when I broke the graham cracker up

students were still amused that I was using food. They were able to answer the questions that

were given. I felt it was a clear way to teach students about wholes and how they can be broken

up into equal parts. But if one piece is missing you can’t put a whole back together. Here is used

3b. using questioning and discussion techniques. Before, I broke the graham cracker up into

pieces I wanted students to share what they knew prior to breaking the graham cracker up. That’s

when I included turn-and-talk method. My class really enjoys the turn and talk method, it gives

them the opportunity to take a break and talk with their friends. I also wanted students to be able

to be apart of the teacher lesson. My students enjoyed being able to come to the board and

answer questions. I have noticed that if my class is getting distracted or I’m losing them in the

lesson, if I change it up and allow them to come to the board it seems to bring them right back on

track. I wanted to make sure students stayed focused throughout this lesson because it was the

introduction to fractions. I picked a few friends to come to board and share how to draw a whole

and how to break the whole into equal parts. When students came to the board, they were able to

show me what they knew and explain to me and the class what they drew and explain their

process behind it. The students that got the opportunity to come to board was able to show draw

the parts and explain what they did. The only complication we came into, is even though the

students were trying to create equal parts it gets hard to draw it. Some of the students on the floor

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Domain 3: Instruction

would observe and state well those aren’t equal parts. We had to go into the discussions that

sometimes its’s hard to draw complete equal parts (especially on a board.) We talked about

trying our best and making it has equal as possibly. This process not only engaged the students it

also brought on a great discussion. This showed me the students that were paying attention

because they are the ones that pointed out the parts. This also allowed me to assess by using 3d.

Assessment instructions. I was able to see who could answer the questions that were given and

who noticed the little details on equal and not equal part. The closing of the lesson was reviewing

what we had learned. I had explained to students that they were going to get the opportunity to

draw their own equal parts during math stations. When I assessed the students that came to me

during math stations, I was able to see that students could distinguish the difference between a

whole and equal parts. This even showed on their worksheet that they had to do on their own.

When I reflect on this lesson and how well the students did when I assessed them it shows that

the lesson went well.

Goals:

There are two main goals I set up for myself through this lesson and future lessons. When I

teach a lesson, I always feel confident because I’m excited to introduce or review the material. I

feel that sometimes when I introduce the lesson and the objective, I state it in more of descriptive

way instead of stating, “Today we are going to learn to divide whole objects into equal parts and

to identify those parts as fractions.” I know that this may same easy to say but for me I feel that if

I go straight into this student are going to be confused on what I just said. I have noticed that I

have gotten better at explaining this first. I explain the objective then I go into details and explain

what I just said so the students fully understand. The second goal for Domain 3 is coming up

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Domain 3: Instruction

with other discussion techniques. I enjoy using the turn-and-talk method but I would also like to

come up with other ways to allow students to show their ideas.

Reference:

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Domain 3: Instruction

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/

Appendix 4: Teacher Professional Practice Rubric. (n.d.). Retrieved November, 2011, from
http://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Teachers-and-Administrators-Excellent-
Educators/Educator-Evaluation/Education-Eval-Main-Page/Teach-ProfPractice-Rubric.pdf