Alignment:

Standard 2: Elementary teachers have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in mathematics.

Indicator 2: Teachers have knowledge of geometry and measurement.

This standard has been met by presenting a list of instructions using the protractor to make folds at indicated angles to create an origami style fish. I have student geometric understanding to develop this list of instructions, as well as provided a visual example of each step.

Standard 7: Elementary teachers use developmentally appropriate strategies to design and deliver instruction in all areas of the elementary curriculum.

Indicator 1: Teachers develop and implement the pacing and alignment of curriculum that is consistent with the NC SCOS, LEA standards and pacing guides, and national standards in all subject areas.

This lesson meets North Carolina Standard Course of Study Objectives in both Mathematics and Language Arts. It is written so that teachers can incorporate language arts into their mathematical day, and vice versa. By implementing such a lesson, I have proved my ability to not only create lessons that meet state standards, but also a way to meet them in the most efficient way possible, through integration of subjects.

Indicator 2: Teachers understand and use an interdisciplinary approach to teaching by connecting and integrating language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, healthful living, and arts concepts and processes, with appropriate technologies to enhance their teaching.

I have met this lesson by integrating mathematics with language arts as well as included art concepts in this lesson. By allowing students to create the origami fish through mathematical processes, I have integrated the two subjects. Including photographs of each step has included technology in the classroom, in that I can show the students what each step should look like after they have made their measurements and folds.

Indicator 4: Teachers implement a variety of teaching and communication strategies for instruction.

I have met this standard by including the reading of the children’s literature piece as part of the mathematical instruction of using the protractor. Students may learn more from reading in the children’s literature than they would from lecture, or they may learn more from looking at the pictures in the book than the words, but providing all three of these opportunities has helped me to communicate to the students in multiple forms of instructions.

Indicator 6: Teachers modify instruction and assessments to meet the needs of individual students.

This lesson has provided instruction to both gear up for students who are ahead, as well as gear down for students who need to work at a slower pace. Including this information meets the needs of each individual student in the classroom.

Standard 8: Teachers design instructional programs and strategies that build on students’ experiences and existing language skills to help students become competent, effective users of language.

Indicator 4: Teachers encourage students’ enjoyment of reading.

I have met this indicator by including children’s literature within the mathematical day. By including children’s literature, I have shown the students that I believe reading an enjoyable way to learn about new concepts. This reading time does not put stress on the students to have perfect reading fluency, but requires for them to read it to get new concepts. The reading is fun and enjoyable both for students and for teachers.

Standard 9: Elementary teachers understand and use the processes of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connection, and representation as the foundation for the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Indicator 4: Teachers develop instruction in making connections that enables all students to:

• Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas;

• Understand how mathematical ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole;

• Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics

Students in this lesson are using mathematical strategies to create a piece of art work. They will begin to see how mathematical ideas and strategies are transposed into other parts of the world. It will be important to mention to the students about other places geometric measurement is important, such as construction. Students will begin to see the importance of the concepts outside of the mathematical classroom, and begin to realize the value that mathematics has on their own lives.

Indicator 5: Teachers develop instruction in representation that enables all students to:

• Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas;

• Select, apply, and translate among mathematical representations to solve problems;

• Use representations to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena

I have met this standard by allowing students to create their own representation of using a protractor to measure angles to create an origami fish. This is a smaller representation of the way people in the real world employ geometric measurement concepts, such as architects and construction workers.