Planning a Math Lesson
The math lesson plan is the fundamental part of the math block because it typically involves 45 to 60 minutes of math instruction, introducing a specific expectations/objective to students based on the math curriculum. As a result, it becomes necessary to plan a math lesson that provides students with opportunities to learn from the teacher, learn with the teacher, and learn on their own. The I Do, We Do, and You Do model of instruction is quite helpful for teaching math. It can also be referred to as the Introduction to New Material, Guided Practice, and Independent Practice process. More specifically, it allows for a gradual release of responsibility with students being introduced to new material, practicing through guided instruction and collaboration, and then working on their own to apply the skill and showcase understanding.
In order to plan the math lesson and before using the above approach to planning a lesson, we have to use the backwards design process, which involves the following:
These are the three steps for drafting a lesson plan, including for math lesson plans. The desired results are the curriculum objectives (e.g. Students will be able to continue a pattern). The acceptable evidence includes the assessment students will be able to answer (e.g. The pattern is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. What comes next?) or rather what they will be able to do, as a way to show they have achieved the objective. Finally, after knowing the desired results and the acceptable evidence, the lesson itself can be planned using the I Do, We Do, and You Do approach.
An Example of a Math Lesson
Considering the objective (e.g. to continue a pattern) and the assessment, this is an example of a 45-minute lesson plan based on the I Do, We Do, and You Do approach. It should be noted that it is assumed that our students have had prior lessons around the topic of patterns as a part of the Patterning and Algebra strand from the math curriculum.
Opening (2 Minutes) |
Start with a hook or an introduction related to the topic, explaining to students what objective they will be learning in the lesson. |
I Do (8 Minutes) |
This is the introduction of the new material, where the teacher models the learning to the students. By teaching students how to continue a pattern, the teacher can go over several examples and the thinking that occurs to approach that pattern. Non-examples are also helpful. |
We Do (18 Minutes) |
This is the guided practice part of the lesson, which provides an opportunity for students to work on practicing the new material without support from their peers and the teacher. |
You Do (15 Minutes) |
Have students work independently, providing them a space to complete a formative assessment, which can be used by the teacher as a form of assessment for learning. |
Closing (3 Minutes) |
Collect any work, summarize the lesson's objective, and transition to the next lesson. |
This is a basic outline of a math lesson, which teachers can use to plan and execute a math lesson. I have included a short version of lesson plans and a long version of lesson plans from my second year of teaching, which can be used to further think about the I Do, We Do, and You Do approach.
While this five-step lesson plan using the I Do, We Do, You Do approach is the most widely used, this model can be changed to fit a math lesson based on the abilities, interests, and readiness levels of the students. As a way to increase student talk time and practice time, I particularly like this model:
From Planning to Preparing
Boaler (2008) acknowledges that there is a mathematics myth that some are gift at it while others are not. Furthermore, this myth is carried forward into adulthood. While learning math and navigate different topics is already a pressure, Boaler (2008) adds that many students "hate math and for many it is a source of anxiety and fear" (p. 3). As a way to navigate concerns around math, The Classroom Chef is an excellent resource, which goes from planning a lesson to preparing a lesson.
The Classroom Chef is a book written by two math teachers, John Mortimer and Matt Vaudrey. Although a lot of the examples in the book are geared towards high school students, there is a lot that can be learned for all teachers who execute math lessons. A major part of the advice focuses around taking risks and being open to failure, which I believe are reassuring as a teacher. More specifically, a lesson is divided into five parts in the book: preparing the kitchen and setting the table, appetizers, entrées, side dishes, and desserts.
The first part of the book explores preparing for a lesson as opposed to simply planning for a lesson. Mortimer and Vaudrey (2016) explain that while preparing for a lesson "takes research and new ideas to push the learning toward the objective" (P. 18), lesson planning is a step-by-step process based around the objective. The first step is to have a desired outcome. Our students do not connect to a standard (e.g. Standard 2A) or an objective. Mortimer and Vaudrey (2016) suggest taking that teacher language and turning into learner language. They suggest using a hook in the form of an argument, a challenge, or a question to draw students into the lesson. By preparing a lesson, teachers also have to investigate how to make the lesson experience meaningful by connecting to the real world or making it interesting. They also have to plan a narrative to the lesson while also taking into consideration that a lesson should have a natural flow to it rather than being scripted. Then the teacher should seek out feedback on the lesson from their peers. That means not simply seeking out validation, but being open to constructive criticism around making the lesson better. In addition to preparing for a lesson, the authors reverberate the importance around a strong classroom culture. The way we begin our days to the way we set positive expectations really bolsters the way the lesson turns out.
The second and third part of the book delves into the appetizers and entrées. The appetizer of the lesson is essentially the hook. The authors recommend the hook be frequent, interesting, real, and entry-level (i.e. something they can relate to). The next part explores different ways the authors have made the entrée of their lessons interesting. They go over the Barbie Zipline, Muller Ratios, Scale Factor Billboards, Big Shark (my personal favourite), and September 11th as examples on how to make lessons more interesting. A few of these can be found on their website, The Classroom Chef.
The last two parts of the lesson include the side dishes and the dessert. The side dishes are a way to make the lesson pop; the focus is not t make students engaged in learning, but to make them curious about the learning process. It can include but is not limited to wearing a costume to fit the theme that unit, using a beach ball to pass around when students answer questions, and even building something as a class. These side dishes are not a distraction to the lesson. In fact, Mortimer and Vaudrey (2016) mention how these side dishes "demand attention for it" (P. 142). And then comes the dessert, or rather, the assessment. The assessment helps a teacher provide closure to the lesson and it gathers information about the success of the lesson. Check out the math assessments page for more information on different ways to assess our students in math.
The Classroom Chef is a book written by two math teachers, John Mortimer and Matt Vaudrey. Although a lot of the examples in the book are geared towards high school students, there is a lot that can be learned for all teachers who execute math lessons. A major part of the advice focuses around taking risks and being open to failure, which I believe are reassuring as a teacher. More specifically, a lesson is divided into five parts in the book: preparing the kitchen and setting the table, appetizers, entrées, side dishes, and desserts.
The first part of the book explores preparing for a lesson as opposed to simply planning for a lesson. Mortimer and Vaudrey (2016) explain that while preparing for a lesson "takes research and new ideas to push the learning toward the objective" (P. 18), lesson planning is a step-by-step process based around the objective. The first step is to have a desired outcome. Our students do not connect to a standard (e.g. Standard 2A) or an objective. Mortimer and Vaudrey (2016) suggest taking that teacher language and turning into learner language. They suggest using a hook in the form of an argument, a challenge, or a question to draw students into the lesson. By preparing a lesson, teachers also have to investigate how to make the lesson experience meaningful by connecting to the real world or making it interesting. They also have to plan a narrative to the lesson while also taking into consideration that a lesson should have a natural flow to it rather than being scripted. Then the teacher should seek out feedback on the lesson from their peers. That means not simply seeking out validation, but being open to constructive criticism around making the lesson better. In addition to preparing for a lesson, the authors reverberate the importance around a strong classroom culture. The way we begin our days to the way we set positive expectations really bolsters the way the lesson turns out.
The second and third part of the book delves into the appetizers and entrées. The appetizer of the lesson is essentially the hook. The authors recommend the hook be frequent, interesting, real, and entry-level (i.e. something they can relate to). The next part explores different ways the authors have made the entrée of their lessons interesting. They go over the Barbie Zipline, Muller Ratios, Scale Factor Billboards, Big Shark (my personal favourite), and September 11th as examples on how to make lessons more interesting. A few of these can be found on their website, The Classroom Chef.
The last two parts of the lesson include the side dishes and the dessert. The side dishes are a way to make the lesson pop; the focus is not t make students engaged in learning, but to make them curious about the learning process. It can include but is not limited to wearing a costume to fit the theme that unit, using a beach ball to pass around when students answer questions, and even building something as a class. These side dishes are not a distraction to the lesson. In fact, Mortimer and Vaudrey (2016) mention how these side dishes "demand attention for it" (P. 142). And then comes the dessert, or rather, the assessment. The assessment helps a teacher provide closure to the lesson and it gathers information about the success of the lesson. Check out the math assessments page for more information on different ways to assess our students in math.
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