Recent Changes

During the videos we watched in class, Marian Small brought about a few good points. During her "Inquiring About Mathematics Instruction" introduction, she talked about having to respond differently from child to child. It is very important for us as teachers to realize that students are individuals, and their emotional, psychological, and cognitive needs have to be met.
In the "Research About Students' Mathematical Learning and Knowing" segment, what stuck out to me was how teachers worry that students lack perseverance. The fact of the matter is, however, that students need to be given sufficient time, as well as made to feel like they are capable of completing the task in order to persevere.
Ms. Small then went on to talk about "Initial (Diagnostic) Assessment Strategies." It is critical to do an initial diagnostic in which the teacher learns where the students stand before beginning a new unit. This creates a stable base from which to build upon.
The last segment was on "Open-Ended and Parallel Learning Tasks for Instruction." The biggest thing that struck me during this talk was how we want every single student to engage in some way and at a certain level. This can be done effectively by using parallel tasks from which students are given a choice.
WHAT DOES DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION MEAN TO YOU?
After seeing these video clips, I began to think more about what differentiated instruction really means to me. I believe that each child is different, and as a teacher I need to prepare lesson plans accordingly. I need to involve auditory, visual, and kinesthetic teaching to reach all of my learners, and I need to incorporate different types of assignments as well. Students cannot always be grouped together as one big class, but need to be seen as children with different needs. I will do everything I can to meet those needs.
WHAT STRATEGIES HAVE YOU USED/OR WITNESSED IN THE CLASSES YOU HAVE BEEN IN?
During my first practicum, I had the opportunity to use differentiated instruction in Math. I did this by incorporating lecture, example problems, different types of group work, as well as individual work. I was able to give the students a base from which to work off of, and then they could teach each other while working in groups. I was fortunate to have a class who worked very well together, and it was encouraging to see them engaging each other in the material, and actually getting excited about creating and solving math problems together!
WHAT ARE SOME POSSIBLE CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING SUCH STRATEGIES?
Possible challenges to these strategies would be if you have students who don't get along well, and are reluctant to work together. It may also be difficult for students who don't handle transitions well to go from lecture, to group work, to individual work in one period.
WHAT DO YOU WONDER ABOUT AND STILL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION?
I would still like to know more about different types of differentiating instruction, and how to incorporate it in all subjects. I wonder how it is possible to ensure that you are reaching every single child, or if this is even realistic to think. I would also like to learn more about parallel learning tasks, and how to properly implement them in a classroom. I strongly believe in differentiating instruction, and would like to learn all there is to know about it, and how I can make it work with my teaching style.

view of the lesson plan
Unit 3 Lesson: Investigating Angles (Grade 6)
CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS (Overall):

The following fileYou can see our lesson plan below, and click on the link at the bottom of the page for a full view of lesson plan and worksheet.
Unit 3 Lesson: Investigating Angles (Grade 6)
CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS (Overall):
Classify and construct polygons and angles
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
The students will:
1.) Measure and construct angles up to 180 degrees using a protractor, and classify as acute, right, obtuse, or straight angles.
RESOURCES:
Computers
Internet
Smart Board
Math Journals
180 degree protractors
Work sheets for evaluation
4 Que Cards per student
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY:
Interactive Pool Game; www.coolmath-games.com/0-poolgeometry/index.html
We will have students get their own laptop from the school set.
They will then be instructed to go to the link above and play the pool game for 5 minutes to introduce themselves to angles in an interesting way.
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES:
Kids will be asked the question, “What are angles and how do they relate to math?” they will raise their hand and the teacher will allow for them to write their idea on the smart board; this will give the teacher a good starting point to what the students know.
We will then teach students the difference between acute, obtuse, right and straight angles. We will go over this on a smart board using simple angle diagrams, which they will take younotes on in their journals. We will then ask students to raise their hands, and we will select one student for each angle to come up and draw one themselves. We will then show everyday objects, such as open and closed books, to demonstrate application in every-day life. Ask them what other objects portray these angles.
Review how to use a funprotractor using the smart board tool. Align the protractor on a certain angle and ask students to identify the degrees to which it is measuring.
Students should be split into pairs, where they will work together in creating and measuring different angles. Have students draw different angles on cards, then record the angle measure on the backs of the cards. They trade cards with their partner to measure and check. Each student will be asked to create 4 different cards, and in turn will receive 4 different cards. They should also be able to identify the type of angle that is drawn.
CONCLUDING ACTIVITY:
Each student will complete the following, “Draw a picture of a house with exactly 24 right angles, 6 acute angles, and 2 obtuse angles. Measure one of each of the angles and record them” within their journals and hand them in.
This will give the teacher a sense of what they learned from the lesson and if they need any help with specific objectives to meet their expectations.
METHOD OF EVALUATION:
Each student will get a work sheet with three different angles drawn separately. (See link below)
They will be asked to measure these angles using their protractors and to classify them.
This will be handed in to the teacher to evaluate and make sure the class is up to speed and understood the lesson.
FOLLOW-UP IDEAS:
For the next class students will review what they learned the previous class by playing Angle Tic-Tac-Toe.
Angel Tic-Tac-Toe Instructions: Students play with a partner. Students use a circular grid. They say the coordinates of a point, then mark the point on the grid. The first coordinate tells the distance from the centre. The second coordinate tells the angle measure. One player uses Xs, the other uses Os. The first player to get 3 points in a row along a line or around the circle wins the game.
Then they will move on to constructing polygons using different tools; which would be the next phase of the lesson.
SELF-REFLECTION: (to be completed following the lesson)
{Math Lesson Plan.docx}

{math lesson.doc}The following file will take you to a fun and
{Math Lesson Plan.docx}

{math lesson.doc}

{Picture_1.png}Expectations are specific or overall and are what the Curriculum guideline outlines for the target strand and grade level. Teachers should take these and integrate them into their lesson plans. They should be found at the beginning of the lesson plan. Learning objectives should also be at the beginning of the lesson plan, but are what the teacher comes up with. It is the teacher’s own goals for the students’, rather than the Curriculum’s. Learning objectives are also often posted at the front of the class prior to the lesson.
There are many key elements to a lesson plan. One is of course to determine your objectives, in other words what you want the students to know and be able to apply at the end of the lesson. Going along with this you need to determine which curriculum expectations your lesson will meet, so that you are staying on track with the guidelines. Another important element is the lesson intro, or hook. This is perhaps the most important aspect of your lesson plan, because it is critical in sparking your students’ interest in the subject matter. Finally, perhaps the most important part is the reflection, which comes at the end of the lesson. This is the area where the teacher reflects upon what worked, what did not, and what he/she should change for next time. Reflection is critical in growing and maturing as a teacher.
Please find a more creative version of these responses below!
{Picture_1.png}

{Picture_1.png}