Context:

I taught three consecutive math lessons at Mountain View Elementary for my third graders. I taught all three lessons on fractions with an introduction and the last two were naming fractions. This was done for my CI 4030 class in Block II.  I used children's literature in my lessons such as The Doorbell Rang, Hershey's Milk Chocolate Fractions Book, and Fraction Fun.  I also used a lot of materials in my lessons such as cut out cookies and people, Hershey bar cut outs, paper plates to display fractions, and connecting cubes. I started off with introducing fractions and then built up to naming fractions. The students were also given homework one night to review what they learned. I reflected on all three math lesson plans describing what went well, what did not go well, what I would change, and my teaching experience. I also talked about in my reflection using evidence if the students understood the concepts by taking samples of three students work which were at a low, medium, and high level.

Impact:

These three lesson plans impacted my students by learning through doing and actively participating. My students did not just sit and listen to me talk the entire time. They went up the board showing others how do certain math problems teaching their fellow classmates. All of the students had materials to work with, so they could look at certain math concepts dealing with fractions. Many of the students learned to make diagrams if they could not figure out a problem to help them solve it. Students worked together to figure out math problems, so they could bounce ideas off each other. Students also got to be the teacher when they made index cards by asking the questions. I saw how each assignment impacted three students by looking at their work and difficulty level for them. I saw they understood naming fractions well, but had more problems with word problems. The students all got something out of it by looking at their work and these three lessons were a learning experience with fractions since they had not done any the entire year. It also helped them with their division that they had not done much of before these lessons.

Alignment:

I met Standard 2, Indicator 1, by teaching and illustrating fractions in all three lessons. I used diagrams to help explain fractions.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 1, by aligning my objectives with the North Carolina course of study.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 3, by asking students about their prior knowledge in fractions. I also knew they introduced division before I started writing my lesson plans.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 4, by using different strategies to teach. I used books, models, group work, individual work, use of different materials to teach, and had students teach one another.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 5, by teaching students different ways to solve problems such as diagrams, breaking up the word problem, and using different materials to show fractions.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 6, by allowing students to work with each other when they were having trouble and having other students teach the materials to help better explain it.

I met Standard 7, Indicator 7, by using different assessments. I gave some points for just turning in a problem and attempting it, notes cards were checked off, I assessed myself by going around asking them problems with quiz cards, students were given homework, and they were graded on their fruity fractions with certain criteria it had to meet.

I met Standard 9, Indicator 1, by introducing students to a fraction problem that had to be solved in any way they wanted to do so, but had to show their work. Many decided on diagrams and then I told them to think about fractions and how a whole can break into pieces. Some tried one time and then tried working on it a different way.

I met Standard 9, Indicator 3, by having the students explain their answers when given. Students came up to the board explaining answers to me and their peers. Other students saw how others figured out problems by seeing their work of another student on the board, sometimes multiple ways. They also had to explain using vocabulary such as denominators, fraction, part of a whole, and numerators in their explanations.

I met Standard 9, Indicator 4, by asking students for the division sentence while reading The Doorbell Rang.  They saw the connection between fractions and division. We also talked where we use fractions such as cutting a pizza or sandwich and in age.

I met Standard 9, Indicator 5, by allowing students to draw out fractions to explain their thinking and mathematical ideas.