LITERATURE-BASED

PROBLEM SOLVING LESSON in MATHEMATICS

Lesson Title: Converting and Measuring Time

Grade Level: 4th grade

Childrens Literature Book:

Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Karen Barbour
This book contains poems about many different math concepts for different levels of
elementary math. There are short poems for fractions, length, and more. We will read our
students two poems about the concept of time to preface a lesson about time conversions
(seconds in a minute and minutes in an hour).
This book will relate to and complement the lesson well as it introduces and incorporates
important concepts regarding time.

Instructional Objectives / Learning Goal:

Students will be able to recognize that there are 60 seconds in 1 minute, and 60 minutes in
1 hour.
Students will be able to convert seconds to minutes and minutes to hours.

Arizona College and Career Ready Math Standards:

Grade 4- 4.MD.A.1: Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units
including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of
measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record
measurement equivalents in a twocolumn table. For example, know that 1 ft is 12 times as
long as 1 in. Express the length of a 4 ft snake as 48 in. Generate a conversion table for
feet and inches listing the number pairs (1, 12), (2, 24), (3, 36)
4.MD.A.2: Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of
time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple
fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger
unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as
number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.

TASK(S) and WHY:

After reading, teacher will summarize reading and ask students what they think they
will be learning today. Throughout the lesson the teacher will relate the learning back
to the poem in the read aloud that repeats that there is 60 seconds to a minute and
60 minutes to an hour.
Students will complete bellwork on slates to ease into the material and activate
their prior knowledge. The bellwork related to the previous math lesson, asking them
to convert a series of numbers from feet to inches. We will have the students
complete bellwork that will allow them to ease into the material. The bellwork relates
to the previous math lesson, asking them to convert a series of numbers from feet to
inches.
We will then show them a chart that had the hour on one side and the number of
minutes in that amount of hours on the other. The chart started at 1 hour- 60
minutes, 2 hours- 120 minutes and 3 hours- 180 minutes. The students were asked
to find the rule and pattern in the chart. Most students had concluded that each hour
was being multiplied by 60 minutes. We asked them to explain their reasoning behind
the pattern and rule and emphasised that there are 60 minutes in one hour. The
students were then given an extension question to continue the pattern finding the
number of minutes in 4 hours and then 10 hours. The students were able use their
understanding that 60 minutes are in an hour, to multiply the number of hours by 60.
The same process was used when we moved on to minutes and seconds. There was
a chart set up listing 1 minute- 60 seconds, 2 minutes- 120 seconds and 3 minutes-
180 seconds. The students were asked to find the pattern and rule. Eventually they
all shared their findings and explained their reasoning. We continued by sharing the
idea that there is also 60 seconds in one minute and allowed them to make the
connection from their previous findings that 1 hour=60 minutes.
Their extension question involved 4 and 10 minutes, where they were expected to
solve for the number of seconds within each.
We summarized the lesson and discussed our overall discoveries before displaying a
word problem that required the conversion of both hours to minutes and minutes to
seconds: (Emma worked on her homework for a total of 2 hours and 12 minutes.
How many minutes did Emma spend doing her homework? How many seconds did
she spend doing her homework?).

ANTICIPATED STUDENT RESPONSES: Thinking about the Students Thinking

Students might confuse minutes and seconds.

Might multiply the 2 hours and 12 minutes by 60 to find minutes rather
than adding the 12 minutes.
Students might think that there are 60 seconds in an hour.

EXTENSIONS UP AND DOWN

Extensions up- going beyond the numbers shown on the conversion chart (ie. 4 and 10) or
introducing problems with more difficult numbers

Extension down- rather than proposing a problem where students are solving for both the minutes
and seconds, doing the problems separately. The students are given a problem to solve for the
number of minutes and later given a problem asking to solve for number of seconds.

Vocabulary and Language Objectives

minutes
seconds
hours
conversion
time/time measurement

Materials & Tools

Students will have slates and markers for bellwork

Math journals will be used for class notes and practice
Students will use slates to solve the concluding word problem
A smartboard will be utilized throughout the lesson

3 PART LESSON PLAN for a Literature-Based Lesson

1) BEFORE: Introducing and Reading the Book

Teacher will start the lesson with a read aloud. After reading, teacher will summarize
reading and ask students what they think they will be learning today.
Students will listen to read aloud and answer any questions asked by teacher to
engage with the reading.
Students will complete bellwork on slates to ease into the material and activate their
prior knowledge. The bellwork related to the previous math lesson, asking them to
convert a series of numbers from feet to inches.

2) DURING: EXPLORE the TASK

Teacher will show the notes or a chart that had the hour on one side and the number of
minutes in that amount of hours on the other. Students will copy the chart into their math
journals. The chart starts at 1 hour- 60 minutes, 2 hours- 120 minutes and 3 hours- 180
minutes. The students will be asked to find the rule and pattern in the chart. Teacher will
be walking around classroom to observe student process and discoveries.We will ask that
they explain their reasoning behind the pattern and rule and emphasize that there are 60
minutes in one hour.
The students will then be given an extension question to continue the pattern finding the
number of minutes in 4 hours and then 10 hours.
The students were able use their understanding that 60 minutes are in an hour, to
multiply the number of hours by 60.
The same process will be used when we move onto minutes and seconds. There will be a
chart set up listing 1 minute- 60 seconds, 2 minutes- 120 seconds and 3 minutes-180
seconds. The students will be asked to find the pattern and rule. Eventually they will all
share their findings and explain their reasoning. I will continue by sharing the idea that
there is also 60 seconds in one minute and allowed them to make the connection from
their previous findings that 1 hour=60 minutes.
Their extension question involves 4 and 10 minutes, where they were expected to solve
for the number of seconds within each. Teachers will observe groups/students as they
work. Students will be asked to share their process.
Throughout the lesson students are given opportunities to problem solve and asked to
share and explain their reasoning so other students may pick up any other strategies and
to further stress the idea that there are 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an
hour.

3) AFTER: Summarizing / Final Discussion

 The teacher will summarize the lesson and discuss the overall discoveries before
displaying a word problem that required the conversion of both hours to minutes and
minutes to seconds: (Emma worked on her homework for a total of 2 hours and 12
minutes. How many minutes did Emma spend doing her homework? How many
seconds did she spend doing her homework?).
While students are working on the word problem, teacher will go around and provide
support as needed. Several students will be asked to share their problem solving
process and explain it to the class.