EDUC 531: Term III Assignment

Plan, Teach and Analyze, and Represent a Mathematics Lesson

Student teacher(s): Melina Varney and Kelsey Jurewicz
Location:
Penn Alexander School
Grade:
First grade
What
In this lesson, students will learn to apply their additive reasoning to an unfamiliar problem
structure--an equal grouping multiplication problem. The first grade at Penn Alexander uses the
Investigations curriculum, which has recently introduced number stories in the form of
contextualized addition problems. The primary focus of these number stories has been addition
within 20. In our placements, we have noticed that some of the students in our classes are doing
this fluently and utilizing advanced additive strategies such as expanded algorithms. The goal of
this lesson is to challenge these students to extend the use of these additive strategies to
multiplicative situations. The task presented during this lesson will be a contextualization of 4 x
11 = 44. Although our students have not yet worked with problems involving more than two
addends, we believe that they will recognize the problem situation as repeated addition and apply
strategies that fall within the early additive and additive strategy portions of the OGAP
Multiplicative Reasoning Framework. Furthermore, we are interested to see if students will use
the fact that 11 is one more than 10 to skip count 10, 20, 30 40 and then add the four leftover 1s
to get 44.
In addition to the development of early multiplicative reasoning strategies, our secondary
goal for this lesson involves the associated mathematical practices, which are twofold. First,
students will choose, among a variety of tools, the one that most appropriately represents their
thinking. Second, because there will be multiple ways students may go about solving this
problem, we want students to participate in a reflective discussion of the various ways that they
and their peers approached the problem. This second goal involves both the ability to articulate
their own thought process and the practice of listening to and reflecting on alternative strategies.
How
The goals of this lesson will be accomplished through the three-phase lesson format: launch,
work and explore, debrief and wrap up. Upon being presented with the mathematical task,
students will be given ample time to work through the problem independently with their choice
of tools. During this time, we will closely observe the strategies students in our respective small
groups are using, asking probing questions and providing support as needed. Our hope is that by
providing a variety of different tools, students will develop multiple strategies for solving the
problem. In the discussion to follow, we will act as facilitators, helping students to articulate how
they thought about the problem and how they approached solving the problem. To further
evaluate how the whole group debrief and discussion informed students approaches to solving
equal grouping problems, we would conclude the lesson with one of two exit slips, depending
on which we feel is most appropriate given the strategies and discourse we observe taking place
throughout the lesson. The first option will ask students to show how one of their peers solved
the problem in a different way. This would emphasize the importance of listening to and
attempting to understand the approaches taken by their peers. Alternatively, the second exit slip
option will ask students to show how they would solve the problem if a 5th group was added to
the initial 4 groups of 11. This exit slip would further demonstrate to us the ways that students
are thinking about equal groups, and possibly demonstrate a students ability to apply a more
efficient strategy used by one of their peers, which would provide insight into the effectiveness
of the debrief portion of the lesson.

Why
The task for this lesson was chosen specifically as a means of challenging students to apply their
additive reasoning skills to a multiplicative situation. The students we will be including in these
groups are students whom we have consistently observed to use advanced addition strategies (i.e.
partial-sums algorithms, number decomposition, skip counting) to solve number stories in class.
Hiebert et al. discuss that tasks should allow for students to invent and examine strategies for
solving problems, but that tasks must also be structured in a way that allows students to use skills
and knowledge they already possess. Our hope is that by presenting our students with an
unfamiliar problem format, they will extend their additive reasoning strategies to invent solutions
to an equal groups multiplication problem.
Although addition involving more than two two-digit numbers is not included in the PA
Common Core State Standards until grade 2 (2.NBT.6), we believe that the students selected for
this small group lesson are capable of developing solutions to this problem. Our goal is to
present them with a task where the solution approach is not immediately evident, thereby forcing
them to think creatively and invent strategies to solve the problem. Furthermore, their ability to
solve this problem will demonstrate mastery of several grade 1 Common Core Standards,
outlined in the standards section below. While our chosen task falls beyond the scope of the
Common Core Standards for grade 1, it is supported by a number of grade 1 NCTM Content and
Process Standards, identified in our lesson plan below. The applicable NCTM standards include
multiple aspects of the task, such as the ability to understand the problem as repeated addition,
visually and numerically represent their thinking and choose appropriate tools to model the
situation. Finally, the task encompasses components of the grade 1 Investigations curriculum
used by Penn Alexander, including composing numbers with three addends and the ability to
name and compare different strategies used for solving problems, as well as discuss how
different tools can be used to model and solve problems. The latter elements will be emphasized
directly during the debriefing at the end of the lesson.
Task: Solve a contextualized multiplication problem using existing additive strategies. Based on
our knowledge of our students, this task will challenge them to invent solutions to an unfamiliar
type of problem, but will remain accessible because they can use strategies that they already
know.
Discourse: The debriefing will encourage student-to-student talk, with the student teacher acting
merely as a facilitator. The purpose of this discussion is for students to articulate and reflect on
their own problem solving approach, as well as listen to and understand the alternative strategies
used by their peers.
Tools: Students will be provided with a variety of appropriate and familiar tools to complete the
task. A component of our formative assessment for this task will be making note of the tools
students select and how they use them.
Norms: Explicit expectations at the beginning of the lesson will remind students that there are
multiple right and appropriate ways to approach the problem and that each student will be
responsible for engaging in discussion around these various strategies. This discussion will
involve both explaining and justifying their own solution methods as well as listening to the
methods other students used.

Goals & Objectives

Content
2

Students will invent strategies for solving a contextualized multiplicative problem by

extending their existing additive reasoning strategies to an equal grouping multiplication
word problem. For example, they could apply repeated addition through counting or they
might decompose 11 into 10 and 1 and add or multiply the tens and ones separately.
Mathematical Practice
1. Students will be able to represent their thinking through the use of appropriate tools and visual
models.
2. Students will actively participate in a discussion of various approaches to the problem by
explaining their own thinking to the group, as well as listening and responding to the strategies
used by their peers.

Standards
PA Common Core State Standards
1.OA.2 Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
Solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less
than or equal to 20, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the
unknown number to represent the problem.
2.NBT.6 Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.
Add up to four two-digit numbers using strategies based on place value and properties of
operations.
PA Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.

Materials and preparation

Instructor Needs
Whiteboard
Dry-erase markers with eraser
Behavior expectations chart
4 packets of seeds
Observation checklist
Exit slips (to be handed out after debrief)
Each student needs
Clipboard
Worksheet to record thinking with problem written on it
Pencil & eraser
Available tools: blank paper, crayons & markers, connecting cubes, hundreds chart, bear counters

Classroom arrangement and management issues

Location

This lesson will be conducted in one of the small conference rooms at Penn Alexander. The room
contains one small circular table with room for about six students. Around the perimeter of the
room are several arm chairs. There is also a counter behind the circular table where the
whiteboard and materials will be placed. For the launch of the lesson, all students will be sitting
at the circular table facing the whiteboard. This small learning room will limit the number of
distractions and noise from other students that would occur in the classroom or in the hallway.
During the exploratory portion of the lesson, students will be able to move throughout the room
to work on the floor or in the armchairs. Then, theyll come back to the table for the discussion
portion to share strategies.
Materials
During the launch, students will be given the worksheet where the word problem is written. A
container with pencils and erasers will be set out on the table after the launch (to ensure that
students are listening while directions are given). The other tools (crayons, connecting cubes,
hundreds charts, and bear counters), as well as the clipboards, will be set up on the counter
beside the whiteboard. There is not very much space in the room, so half the students will be told
to line up to choose their tools while the other half re-read the problem and write their names on
their papers at the table. Then, theyll switch. Once everyone has their tools and name written on
their paper, they can spread out throughout the room. If students decide they want to use a
different tool, they can come back to the counter at any time throughout the assignment. At the
end of the exploration, students will be called in groups of two to put their tools away and move
to the table. After the lesson, students will put their pencils and erasers back in the container and
leave their papers in a pile on the table. Each student will be asked to carry a box of materials
back to the classroom.
Management
Overall, I dont anticipate management concerns. Students were chosen because they
demonstrated advanced math knowledge. The material should be at the appropriate level for all
students. Furthermore, behavior expectations and norms will be explicitly established at the
beginning of the lesson. All directions will be given before materials are handed out. The only
concern is that the room is small, so not all students can be moving at once. To avoid any
management concerns, Ill only have a few students moving around the room at once and give
specific directions for who should be moving when.

Plan
Task (50 min total)
Ms. Jurewicz and Ms. Varney want to plant flowers in their garden. They bought 4 packets of
seeds. Each packet has 11 seeds in it. How many seeds are Ms. Jurewicz and Ms. Varney
planting?
Launch (15 min)
Expectations and Norms
a. Go over behavior expectations and norms through anchor chart
4

i. Connect to number talk, explain that at the end they need to be able to explain their thinking to
other members of the group and listen to other group members thinking
ii. Explain that there is more than one way to solve the problem and more than one tool to use
b. Tell students theyll be working independently, talk about what that looks like
a.

b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

a.
b.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
c.

Task introduction
Make sure students understand the context of the problem (packets of seeds)
i. Has anyone ever planted seeds before?
ii. Have you seen how seeds are sold in packets?
iii. Show them a packet of seeds and open it up to show the seeds inside
iv. Let each student hold and observe the packet of seeds
Warm up problem involving equal grouping: 4 packets of seeds with 2 seeds in each packet (4 x
2 = 8)
Introduce word problem (using 4 real packets of seeds) & tools and their appropriate uses. Pass
out worksheet, reread word problem asking students to follow along with finger.
Ask students to repeat information such as how many seed packets we purchased, how many
seeds are in each packet, and the problem were solving
Ask students to repeat the directions & ask if anyone has questions
Place pencils and erasers on table. Call half of the group to choose tools while half re-read
question and write name on paper. Then groups switch.
Work and Explore (15 min)
Students spread out to solve problem
Questions to guide my observations and discussions with students while they work on the
problem:
What tools are students using?
How are they (counting the items/using a derived fact/using a 100s chart)?
How are they grouping the numbers?
How are they keeping track of the numbers?
Are they representing their strategy on paper?
Adjust the problem for students who need additional support or challenge (see accommodations)
During the work period, my role would be to facilitate students thinking. Ill be checking in with
individual students while they work to find out how theyre solving the problem and what tools
they have chosen to represent their thinking.

a.
b.
i.
ii.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Debrief (20 min)

Close task & introduce discussion
Call students in pairs to return their tools and sit at the table
Reiterate norms of discussion
Student shares their strategy & representation
Student sharing calls on students for feedback and questions -- model good feedback
Discussion
Call on each student/group of students to share their work with the group
Let students provide feedback and ask questions (limit to 2 students due to time)
Once other students have asked questions, Ill ask follow up questions, such as How did you
keep track of the groups? as needed & provide feedback
If students used the same strategy, ask how we could use (a 100s chart, a derived fact)

e. If students use a range of strategies, ask students to make comparisons between different
strategies. For example, is there a connection between the way that a student who used direct
modeling and a student who used repeated addition both chose to represent the groups of 11?
Close
a. Exit slip: number sentence for how to add one more packet of seeds OR describe someone elses
strategy
i. The show someone elses strategy exit slip will be used if students seemed to
have struggled with solving the problem. This would give them more practice
thinking about equal groups and how to approach problems involving equal
groups. The exit slip involving writing a number sentence for how to add a fifth
packet of seeds would be used if I felt that students really grasped the idea of
equal groups as repeated addition in the problem situation. This option would
give me a better idea of the extent to which each student understood the problem
and the relationship between the problem context and the numbers in the
problem.
b. Students turn in exit slip & worksheet
c. Each student brings one container of tools/supply back to the classroom
I want the discussion to be student led. Often in the classroom, I revoice students thinking to
make it accessible to the class. However, I want students to be able to demonstrate and explain
their own thinking. I also want to give students the opportunity to respond to their classmates
thinking. The student sharing the strategy will have the choice of which students to call on. I will
have asked clarifying questions during the work period, so students will have already thought out
their work.

Assessment of goals/objectives
Checking in with students as they complete the task
Listening to how students explain their strategies
Observations based on follow-up discussion (students revoicing other students strategies,
questions posed by students)
Worksheet with students solution and strategy
Exit slip: Number sentence showing how they would solve the problem if another packet of
seeds was added OR showing a strategy that someone else used
Informal assessment will be conducted throughout the lesson. While students are working, Ill
walk around to individual students, asking clarifying questions about their strategies and
representations. Ill focus on whether students are direct modeling, counting by 1s, skip
counting, or using an algorithm to solve the problem. I will use the checklist included at the end
of this lesson plan to record my observations. Furthermore, Ill ask questions about how students
are choosing to represent the groups on paper: whether their drawings reflect grouping, include
labels, etc. After the explore period, Ill be listening to how students articulate their thinking to
the group. Ill also be looking for engagement with other peoples strategies through revoicing,
questioning, or providing feedback. Finally, Ill give one of two exit slips depending on how the
lesson goes. If the students seem to understand the problem well, I would ask them to provide the
open number sentence that represents the problem if I purchased another package of seeds. If it
seems like students struggled, I would ask them to represent someone elses strategy. Both exit
slip would reinforce one of the initial goals.

Anticipating students responses and your possible responses

Student Strategies
Direct modeling
This is probably going to be the most frequently used strategy. Response: Help students
make a connection between this strategy and repeated addition or skip counting. Ask how
students could group items to make counting easier. Ask students to label the groups. Ask what
the number sentence is that corresponds to the work they did.
Repeated addition
Students might understand that its a repeated addition problem when they write the
number sentence. The students dont know an algorithm for adding two digit numbers, so they
would either invent their own or rely on counting strategies. Response: Suggest students use a
100s chart to see if they can invent their own algorithm or if they count by ones.
Skip counting
Skip counting will probably be the second most likely strategy. Also, students who
counted by ones may group the items when they represent them on the paper. Response: Ask
students who represent the items in groups to model how they counted the items. If students
counted by ones, ask if they think it would be quicker to skip count. Ask students if they can
think of a number sentence to represent their skip counting (e.g., counting by 5s, 5+5+1=11) to
encourage they think about derived facts.
Multiplication fact/derived fact
Its unlikely that students will know a multiplication fact to solve the problem. However,
they may solve the problem using a derived fact. Many of the students chosen for the group use
derived facts in class to solve addition problems. 11 was chosen to see if students would use
10+1. Response: Ask students to describe how they know 11 is the same as 10+1. Ask how they
could best represent this.
Possible points of confusion
Students have never worked with more than two addends at a time. Response: Help students
think about the problem, encourage their use of tools to represent the problem
Students may see the 4 and 11 and automatically add those two numbers together. Response: ask
students to explain what the 4 and 11 represent and what we should be adding. Help the students
model one seed packet of 11 seeds.
Students arent used to working with such big numbers, may lose track when counting.
Response: ask students if they could group items to make them easier to keep track of.
Encourage students to check their work with someone else if theyre having difficulty.
Management issues
Scenario 1: Students finish work quickly and are distracting other students
Response: Ask them to solve with another tool or give them a more difficult problem to
solve (see accommodations)
S2: Students begin to draw on their paper, play with cubes, etc.
R: Ask the student to explain their thinking. If the problem is too difficult, help break it

into manageable sub-steps (see accommodations). If the problem is too easy, give the
student an additional challenge (see accommodations).
If the student continues to play with the manipulatives
R: Tell her that the tools are there to help her solve the problem and if the student
continues to misuse them, shell have to find a different tool
Scenario 3: The problem is too difficult for multiple students and theyre doing
nothing/talking to each other/coloring
R: Sit with the group of struggling kids and ask them to solve an easier problem (e.g., two
seeds per packet, see accommodations)

Accommodations
For students who find the material too challenging
I would talk to individual students to see if anyone was finding the material too
challenging. If a student was stuck, I would first break the problem into sub-steps by asking
something like Could you show me using one of the tools how many seeds are in one packet?
If the student needed further assistance, I would try to find another student in the group who
would be able to explain their thinking. If the problem is still too difficult for a student, I would
ask him how hed approach it if there were only 2 seeds in each packet. Using his strategy, I
would try larger numbers, and finally return to the original problem of 11 seeds.
For students who need greater challenge and/or finish early
If students finish the problem quickly, the first question I would ask is if they can find a
different tool or way to represent their strategy. For example, if a student used direct modeling, I
would ask if she could represent her thinking using a 100s chart, or if a student drew out the
objects, I would ask if he could group them in another way. If the problem is not challenging
enough for a student, I would ask him what would happen if each of the seed packets had another
number of seeds (between 12-20 depending on how much challenge the student needed).

Name: ______________________________________
Ms. Jurewicz and Ms. Varney want to plant flowers
in their garden.
They bought 4 packets of seeds.

Each packet has 11 seeds in it.

How many seeds are Ms. Jurewicz and Ms. Varney
planting?
Show your work.

Number sentence:
__________________________________

Exit slip
Name: ____________________________________________________

Write a number sentence to show how many seeds Ms.

Jurewicz and Ms. Varney would have if they bought five
packets of seeds.

Exit slip
Name:
_______________________________________________________

Use pictures or words to show how someone else solved

the problem differently than you.

Assessment checklist: solving an equal grouping multiplication problem

Understanding

Strategy

Notation

Other

10

Student name

Interprets
problem
correctly

Represents
problem
correctly

Direct
model /
counting

Repeated
Addition

Skip
counting

Multiplication
fact or derived
fact

Writes
number
sentence
correctly

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