Virginia Mathematics Teacher Fall 2016

STAGE 1: Desired Results ~ What will students be learning?

NCTM process and content standards for mathematics. Videos of effective mathematics instruction were shown to illustrate the use of rich mathematical tasks in the classroom. Discussion revolved around mathematics proficiency and what good mathematics looks like in a middle school classroom. data has been collected from teachers and principals who participated in the first year of activities. To determine the impact of the program, we gathered data on participant self- efficacy (i.e. one’s belief in his/her ability to produce desired student outcomes for learning), and content knowledge. Teachers completed a pre-post content assessment, a self- reported knowledge growth survey and a self-efficacy survey. The surveys used in this study were designed by the VCU Metropolitan Education Research Consortium who created the survey items and tested Results At this point in the project, quantitative

SOL/Learning Ob- jective Essential Questions & Understandings/ Big Ideas

8.1b - Compare and order fractions

How can we compare and order fractions in a real life situation?

STAGE 2: Assessment Evidence ~ What is evidence of mastery?

Assessment Strate- gies

Students will compare and order fractions on a number line.

Possible miscon- ceptions or learn- ing gaps Students may struggle with creating fractions from a given situation. Students may struggle with mentally comparing fractions when looking at the relationship between the numerator and the denominator. STAGE 3: Learning Plan ~ What are the strategies and activities you plan to use?

Prior to activity: Teacher will create number lines with 0, ½, and 1 as benchmarks. Teacher will need to make “paper basketballs” or purchase balls to be used during the activity. Each student will need 2 or 3 sticky notes.

Guided Practice: Teacher will prompt students to explain how numbers are organized on a number line. Teacher will provide an example such as: If you get an 8/10 on a quiz, where would that fall on the number line?

Task: Who Has the Best Shot? Students should be placed in small groups of 2-3.

Students will each be given 2 numbered cubes (both numbered 1 – 6). Students will roll the number cubes to determine the number of “free throw attempts”. Students will shoot paper basketballs according to the number of at­ tempts rolled, and record their baskets made. Students will write their fraction on the sticky note. In their groups, students must determine how to organize their free throws on a number line from least to greatest. Groups will explain their order. Questions: How did you order your numbers on the number line? What if we took all of the groups and compared the fractions, which group has the highest free-throw average? Explain. Who is the closest to a free throw average of 50%? Explain. Who had the same number of attempts?

Teaching and Learning Activities (Task) .

Checking for Un- derstanding

Students will explain their methods for comparing and ordering “free throws”.

STAGE 4: Closure ~ What did the students master & what are they missing?

Once the entire class has placed their fractions on the number line, there will be a whole group discussion about where and why they placed them in that location. There will also be dialogue about the various shot at­ tempts and why some students had more or less attempts and what that did to their fractions. The teacher can do one for him/her and have the class discuss where to place it on the number line.

Task Closure & Student Summariz- ing of their Learn- ing

Figure 2. Mathematical Task Example

Virginia Mathematics Teacher vol. 43, no. 1

37