4.1.

2: Instructional Strategies a) What research-based instructional strategies do you plan to use with students to engage them in the following? Content area language Critical thinking Inquiry Reading integrated within the content area

I use several different strategies during this lesson to engage the students. I use content area language when I use the term expanded form. The students understand that this is a Math term for drawing the numbers out. For example, 21 would be equal to 20 +1. I require critical thinking when I have students answer problems by themselves and justify their answers and demonstrate reasoning. The students are thinking critically when they tell me the different steps to take for adding two digit numbers. There is very little reading integrated in this particular lesson. However, for homework, as a follow up to the lesson, students are given several word problems to answer that require two digit addition.

b) How will each of these instructional strategies enhance your teaching skills and improve your students learning? These instructional skills have improved my teaching in which they have allowed me to use proper language for Math. Originally, I was asking the students to drag the numbers out. Once I realized that standardized testing uses the term expanded form, I corrected myself and began to use the proper terms. Critical thinking has helped the students, tremendously. It is entirely too easy for a student to guess a number and put it down on paper. However, when the student is asked to justify their answer and provide reasoning, it requires them to think and understand the content better. It benefits the students when they are asked to discuss how they solved their problems. It also serves as a constant review. Reading within the content area was a big step for these students. It was hard for them to understand Math when it was woven into paragraph form. However, once the students practiced reading word problems, they began to understand them better. It became easier and easier for them to read them quickly and take the numbers from the problem that they needed to solve it. These strategies were a beneficial practice for both me and the students.