Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Math Lesson Plan

CAEP 2018 K-6 Elementary Teacher Preparation Standards

Investigating to Use Math Tools

LESSON RATIONALE
This lesson of subtraction is important because students need a good foundation of this strategy to
complete more complex operations later in the year and in later grades; the collaboration, hands-on
activities, and the use of number lines and counters involved in this lesson will help students deepen their
understanding of the concept of subtraction.

READINESS
I. Goals/Objective/Standard
A. Goal: The students will practice subtracting double-digit numbers through real-world problems.
B. Objective: Given real-world problems and by completing the activities, the students will subtract two-
digit numbers and analyze the use of different strategies.
C. Standard: 2.CA.2: Solve real-world problems involving addition and subtraction within 100 in
situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in
all parts of the addition or subtraction problem.

II. Management Plan

o Time
o Mini-Lesson: 20 minutes
o Partner Work/Guided Math Group: 20 minutes
o Closure: 5 minutes
o Space
o Mini-Lesson: students will be seated at the carpet
o Partner Work: one pair will be seated per table
o Guided Math Group: students will be seated at kidney table with me
Jeremiah, A’mare, Alisha, Sebastian
o Closure: students will return to their own seats
o Materials
o Cookie video, cookie package pictures, package of Oreos, clipboards with white computer
paper and plastic protection paper or whiteboards (17), 17 markers, counters (appx. 100), 17
subtraction papers, 17 challenge sheets, 1 individual activity paper, bag of M&M’s, 10 or
more stackable cubes
o Expectations/Procedures
o Students will be expected to actively participate throughout each section of the lesson. I will
enforce a positive incentive behavior management system by rewarding cooperative behavior
with M&M’s. When I spot a student actively participating, being a good listener, or following
directions, he or she will receive an M&M. For example, I may say, “I am looking for students
who are walking back to their seats slowly and quietly to give an M&M to.” I will choose a
couple students who followed directions and reward him or her.
o To get students attention prior to transitions, I will utilize the clap and response method,
since it is already enforced by my cooperating teacher and will not be foreign to students. To
quiet students and gain their attention, I will clap a pattern, and then the students will repeat
it. I will continue this until everyone is listening.
III. Anticipatory Set
o The class will watch a video of a monster eating Oreos from a package. The video is quick and a little
mysterious. It will peak students interest and engage them for the learning that will follow.
o “I am going to show you a video, and I want you to be thinking, what are you wondering during this
video?”
o Show students the video.
o “Everyone stop and think in your heads. What did you notice happening in the video?” “Now turn and
tell a partner!” (Give students a minute to discuss with classmates)
o “Okay, what are a couple things you noticed in the video?” (Write down a few students’ thoughts on
the board)
o “What are some things you were wondering about the monster and those cookies?” (Write down a
few students’ thoughts on the board)
o “I think a big question we are all wondering is, how many cookies did the monster eat?”

IV. Purpose: “Subtraction is important because it is apart of our everyday lives, even if we don’t always notice
it. It can help you figure out how long a car ride will be, how many days until your birthday, or how
many cookies the monster ate!”

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

V. Adaptation to Individual Differences and Diverse Learners
o Remediation: Guided Math Group
There are a few students in this class who struggle to grasp math concepts. I decided to place these
students in a guided math group. I believe if they were to work with partners like everyone else, their
partner may work at a faster pace. This may cause the students to simply copy their partners’ answers
down without getting a strong understanding of the concept. With students at my group, I can
scaffold them to independently completing their work, but I can also quickly provide support if I
realize a problem occurring.
o Enrichment: Challenge work for two particular students or anyone else who finishes early
There are two particular students in this class who usually finish their work before most people.
Math is one area that comes naturally to them. Rather than having these students sit or get on
their iPads when finished, I decided to create a challenge activity. This activity involves
summarizing through recall and analysis. It challenges the students to not only summarize
through pictures but also words. My thought is that this activity will further deepen students’
understanding and allow them to feel challenged in the classroom.
o Exceptional Needs/Behavioral Needs:
This class has many talkative students. Because of this, I have pre-chosen each person’s partner and
seated one group per table. My goal is that this helps students avoid distracting behavior. Additionally,
there is one student in the class who is very disengaged and uninvolved. He usually lays on the floor or
walks around the room instead of completing work. It is very difficult to get him to complete
assignments, and I have learned he is easily overwhelmed by papers and multiple questions. He also
does not enjoy having to write. However, I know this student likes to read and play with different
objects, so I decided to create an individualized activity for this student. I wrote a short story that has
subtraction problems interweaved. Because the student likes to read, I decided to make the main
characters the student and his stuffed animal. My plan is that this will keep him more involved
because it appears as real-life application. The story will ask the student to complete subtraction
problems with cubes. I will provide the student with 10 or so cubes to practice subtracting. Ideally, the
student will use the blocks to determine the answer and then write the answer on his paper to create
some form of concrete work. If he does not complete the writing portion of the activity, my goal is
that he at least explores the concept of subtraction with the cubes.
VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)
MODELING
o I will continue my lesson based on what the students experienced during the anticipatory set.
o “If we want to figure out how many cookies the monster ate, what do we need to know?” (Give
students time to think and share answers. If no one has any ideas, continue on.)
o “To figure out how many he ate; we first need to be detectives and look for a couple clues. We first
need to know how many cookies were in the package of Oreos. Lucky for you, I have a picture of an
opened package of Oreos, our first clue! Let’s count together to see how many cookies are in the
package!” (Count the Oreos with students)
o “We had 39 Oreos before the monster ate any.” (write 39 on the board)
o “Now, what do you think we need to know next, to figure out how many he ate?” (Give students time
to think and share answers. If no one has any ideas, continue on.)
o “We need to see how many are left, that will help us figure out how many he ate. Good thing I have a
picture of how many Oreos are left, our next clue! Let’s count them together.” (Show students the
picture and count together)
o “Great job, we have 22 left.” (Write this number under the 39, to set up for a subtraction problem)
o “Now we have all of the information we need to find out how many cookies he ate. You detectives are
on your way to solving this mystery! With this information we can now do a subtraction problem.”
(finish completing the setup of the subtraction problem)
o “What does it mean to do subtraction?” (Give students time to think and call on a couple to share, as
a reminder)
o “Exactly, subtracting means we are taking some away from a bigger number.” “I am going to show you
two tricks that will help you do subtraction, so you don’t have to do all the work in your head. The first
trick we are going to use is with a number line! A number line is simply a line that counts from O up to
a number. Our number line counts from 0 to 9.” (A number line will be drawn large on the board prior
to the lesson)
o “The first thing we need to do is figure out what 9 minus 2 is. Some of you may be able to do this in
your head, if you need a little help that’s okay! We can use our number line for an easy trick. First, we
put our pencil on the number 9 because this is how many we have, but then we lose 2. So we are
going to jump down two spaces and we land on 7. This tells us 9-2 is 7.” (Write 7 on the problem)
(While using the number line, I will reference back to the original problem so students can see the
connection. I will also draw physical lines to represent the jumps down to make it more clear to
students)
o “Next, we have to figure out what 3 minus 2 is. So we can go back to our number line and put our
pencil on 3 because that is how many we have. Then, we are going to take to hop backwards because
we are subtracting 2, and we land on 1. So we know 3-2 is 1.” (Write this on the problem and circle
answer) “So we know if we had 39 cookies in the beginning and now have 22, that means the monster
ate 17 cookies!”
o “Put a thumbs up if that makes sense or put a thumbs down if you are just a little confused.”
o “Okay, now I am going to show you one more trick, so we can check our answer. These little circles
are called counters, and we can use them to practice subtraction. Our first step was to subtract 9
minus 2. To do that with counters, we first need to lay out 9 circles because this is how many we have.
But then we lost 2, so we will have to take 2 away. Now let’s count to see how many we have left.”
(Count with students) “We have 7 left, is that the answer we got on the board?” (Yes)
o “See how we can use counters to check our answers. This showed us that we got the first number
correct. Let’s try the next problem.”
o “Okay, now let’s try to subtract 3 minus 2. So we first need to lay out 3 circles because this is how
many we have. But then we lost 2, so we will have to take 2 away. Now how many are left?” (Students
say 1) “We have 1 left, is that the answer we got on the board?” (Yes) “Great! So now we know we got
the right answer!”
 GUIDED PRACTICE
o “Let’s try one more problem together. Let’s say we have 39 cookies, but this time we have 15 cookies
left. How should we set up our subtraction problem?” (Give students time to think, then call on a
couple to share) “We started with 39 and now have 15, so we need to set up a subtraction problem
that says 39 minus 15.” (Write this problem on the board)
o “I am going to pass out to each of you your own number line and subtraction problem so we can
practice together. But I am looking for two students who hold their clipboards right, are not playing
around with their markers, and are paying attention to get 2 M&M’s each! So let’s see who can be on
their best behavior to get the candy!” (Meanwhile pass out the clipboards. The clipboards have a
sheet of computer paper with the problem pre-written and a number line. The paper is in protective
plastic, so students can write on them with marker like a dry erase board)
o “So our subtraction problem is 39 minus 15, what are the first numbers we need to subtract?” (Give
students time to think and call on someone to share) “The first number we will subtract are 9 minus
5.” M&M question – “Who knows why we need to subtract these numbers first?” (Give students time
to think and answer with because they are in the ones place)
o “Do I have a volunteer to come up and subtract 9 minus 5 using our number line?” (Call on a
volunteer and have him or her use number line) “While … uses this number line, use your marker to
do 9 minus 5 on your number line.”
o (Give time for students to finish, when everyone looks done ask them to hold up their clipboards)
“Can everyone hold up their clipboards and let me see their number lines… Okay you can put them
down. If you agree with what … has done, put a thumbs up and if you don’t put a thumbs down.”
(Depending on response, call on a couple students to share why they agree or disagree) (Correct the
student at the board if answer is wrong or have student explain what he or she did if it is correct)
o “Great job everyone! What are the next numbers we need to subtract?” (Give students time to
respond) “Yes, 3 minus 1.”
o Repeat the above process with the volunteer and having students complete on clipboard
o “Okay, so we subtracted 39 minus 15 and got 24.” M&M question – “does anyone remember what we
can use to check our answer?” (M&M for student who answers with counters)
o “Let’s check our answer using the counters.” (Give students time to respond and call on someone to
share after each question) “What is the first step we need to do?” “Yes, we need to lay out nine
counters.” (Lay out counters) “What is our next step?” “We need to take away 5. Now how many do
we have left?” “We have four left. Was our answer on the board correct?” (Yes)
o Repeat this process with the counters for 3 minus 1
o “If you think what we did was easy put up a 1. If you that it was kind of easy but also a little hard hold
up a 3, and if you thought it was really hard hold up a 5.”
OUTPUT
o “Thank you everyone for being such great listeners. You are now going to try using these tricks to
practice subtraction. I am going to hand each of you a paper with just a few subtraction problems. The
problem tells us how many cookies we have and how many cookies the monster has left. Your job is to
figure out how many he ate. On this practice activity, you will work with a partner to answer the
subtraction problems. Some of you will get to work in a group with me. Each problem has a number
line. I want you to use this to help you find your answer. I am also going to give each one you a bag of
counters. After each problem, use your counters to check your answers! When you finish I might just
have extra Oreos to pass out!”
o (Call over one partner group at a time and hand papers and counters out and tell them where to sit)
(The remaining students with work in a guided math group with me. While partners work at their
tables, my cooperating teacher will circulate the room assisting when necessary and observing.)
 Guided Math
o At my guided math group, I will do another check-in with students to see how easy or difficult the
content seemed using the 1,3,5 fingers check-in. Based on the responses, I will either scaffold
everyone or individual students or allow them to try and complete work independently. The activity
process will look very similar to what we completed during the mini-lesson. However, students are
now responsible for being more independent.
o I chose these particular students for this group because they are a group who usually needs assistance
during math instruction. Additionally, there is a small amount of reading during the activity to make it
more applicable to their real-world. Although there are words everyone should be able to read, these
students are also students who sometimes struggle with reading. This group will allow me to assist
with the reading if necessary, to make sure they aren’t hindered from completing the math because
they are stuck on a word.
o To ensure they are understanding the content and not just the process, I will ask them various
questions throughout our time together.
o “Why are we using subtraction instead of addition?”
o “How do you know you need to take away this number from this number instead of the other
way around?”
o “How do you know how many jumps to take on the number line?”
o “What are you using the counters for? What is their purpose?”
o Explain to me how to use the number line.
o Explain to me how to use the counters.

Individual Activity
o This particular student does not engage in most of the class activities. He also does not complete work
well with others because he becomes frustrated or more disengaged. I chose to have him work alone
(unless he seems to be willing to work in a group) on a separate activity. This student enjoys reading
and also playing with different objects. I chose to create a story problem with a series of subtraction
problems within it. The story includes personal details such as the student’s name and his stuffed
animal he has at school. I am allowing him to use stackable cubes to practice his subtraction. A
number line will be available, but this particular student does not enjoy writing, so I believe he will
gravitate towards the cubes. If engaged, he will be able to independently work. If not, my cooperating
teacher will assist if necessary.
Challenge Activity
o I know there will be a few students who complete their work early. For these students, I provided a
challenge activity in the form of a math journal entry. This journal entry will ask students to
summarize what they experienced and learned during the lesson. Summarizing will be our closure at
the end, but it will be discussed verbally. Creating a concrete summarization challenges students and
helps them (and I) self-assess their own learning. The journal activity will ask students to draw an
image of the two tricks or tools they used to help them subtract and then label the tools. Then, there
will be a discussion point: Tell what you learned about today. This method requires them to recall
information but also analyze the concept.

VII. Check for understanding.

o I anticipate the lesson going well. This is why I allow students to work on their own with partners with
less teacher support. The guided math group offers more support than the students working with
partners. However, my main goal with the group is to have students independently work, while I
address any misconceptions they may have.
o If during the whole group instruction, I notice multiple students struggling, I will reteach the
information. I will most likely do this by going through additional examples and have students follow
step-by-step on their clipboards, rather than mentally.
VIII. Closure
o Since I have a shorter time frame, students will complete a summarizing activity to recap and analyze
important information.
o “Today, we used subtraction to figure out how many cookies the monster ate out of our package. Who
can remember one of the tricks or tools we used to help us subtract? (Call on one student) What was
the other trick or tools we used to help us? (Call on one student) Good job! We used these two tools
because they showed us how to take away a number from a bigger number. Can I have a couple people
share what they learned about today or share something new they learned?” (Call on a couple students)
(If students had time to complete the challenge activity/math journal, I will ask one or two of them to
share their images and read their responses at the end.)

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formative
o Whole-group: The students understanding is checked a few times throughout the mini-lesson. While
half-way through whole-group instruction after I modeled the content, I check-in with students using
the thumbs up, thumbs down strategy. Their responses will show me their level of confidence and
whether or not I need to explain the information again. I also ask a few questions:
o “What does it mean to do subtraction?”
o “Put a thumbs up if that makes sense or put a thumbs down if you are just a little confused.”
o “We have 7 left, is that the answer we got on the board?”
o “We have 1 left, is that the answer we got on the board?”
o Guided practice: I begin having the students become more responsible and ask questions to have
students guide me through the problem. Their responses allow me to check for understanding. I also
have students complete steps of the problem on their boards and have them show me their
responses. I do a quick scan of the room to check students’ work. Additionally, I complete another
thumbs up, thumbs down assessment. I finish with a 1-3-5 fingers check-in. Students’ responses allow
me to know which students I should check in with during the next activity.
o “How should we set up our subtraction problem?”
o “So our subtraction problem is 39 minus 15, what are the first numbers we need to subtract?”
o “Who knows why we need to subtract these numbers first?”
o “Do I have a volunteer to come up and subtract 9 minus 5 using our number line?”
o “Can everyone hold up their clipboards and let me see their number lines… Okay you can put
them down.”
o “If you agree with what … has done, put a thumbs up and if you don’t put a thumbs down.”
(Depending on response, call on a couple students to share why they agree or disagree)
o “If you think what we did was easy put up a 1. If you that it was kind of easy but also a little hard
hold up a 3, and if you thought it was really hard hold up a 5.”
o Partner work: The cooperating teacher will observe students’ actions and verbal conversations during
this time to determine depth of understanding or misconceptions.
o Guided math group: At this group, I ask multiple questions throughout to ensure students are gaining
a depth to their understanding, rather than superficial knowledge. I will also observe students’ actions
and verbal conversations.
o “Why are we using subtraction instead of addition?”
o “How do you know you need to take away this number from this number instead of the other way
around?”
o “How do you know how many jumps to take on the number line?”
o “What are you using the counters for? What is their purpose?”
o Explain to me how to use the number line.
o Explain to me how to use the counters.
o Closure: Student responses will allow me to examine their ability to recall information and also
analyze the concept.
 Summative
o I will collect students’ work to have concrete evidence to determine how well students did on the
subtraction. I will try to locate any common mistakes, if any. The students’ completed work will allow
me to check understanding. The number line will be a great tool to help me determine if students
actually understood the content or were just guessing.
o I will also debrief with my cooperating teacher to determine the strengths and weaknesses of
students, common issues, etc.

REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
After reviewing students completed work, I am confident to say everyone achieved my lesson objective
of subtracting double-digit numbers. Almost every individual in the class got every answer correct on
their practice work. There were only a couple of students who missed one or two questions. However, I
was able to analyze their work to see where the misconception was. Overall, I am very proud of the
students and felt as they gained great practice subtracting with math tools.

2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?

One aspect of my lesson I felt went tremendously well was the use of positive reinforcement and its’
impact on student behavior. Giving M&M’s throughout the entirety of my lesson allowed for my
expectations to continually be reestablished. When students had the M&M’s as an incentive, they were
quick to adjust their behaviors. The students behaved really well, and I believe the M&M’s had a large
impact on that. Additionally, I think another strength I had was my planning of transitions. I carefully
planned and implemented each step of my transitions. Giving students clear, direct, and short
instructions for transitions allowed them to execute them quite well. Also, I am really happy with how
my anticipatory set hooked students. The short clip was age appropriate and an enticing mystery (that
was silly), and the combination of these three aspects quickly captured students’ interest. Students
were eager to hear what we were going to do for our lesson. The way I tied in the mystery to our work
kept students engaged. Finally, I think the way I modeled the use of double-digit subtraction supported
students greatly for when they were required to complete the work independently. Students were
thoroughly engaged throughout the modeling, and from what I observed and the work on their papers,
I could tell they really absorbed what I modeled.
One weakness of my lesson was miscommunication. I wanted students to explore how to use math
tools and manipulatives. I hoped students could practice using them to see how they can be a great
support. As I went through students’ completed work, I realized there were a few students who used
the first provided number line and then failed to use it for the remaining problems. I wanted to see if
students were able to correctly use the number line for subtraction and understand its’ purpose. I
should have enforced this rule, that students were required to use the number line. However, these
students all had high accuracy for each problem solved and did very well on their work, so I am glad
they understand subtraction. Yet, I also wanted to check for number line understanding. Enforcing this
prior to the activity may have helped prevent this issue.

3. How should I alter this lesson?

One way I would alter this lesson is giving a quick mini-lesson of rules and expectations for using
manipulatives. I wanted to use this lesson to give students the opportunity to explore manipulatives,
since they do not use them often. However, I did not think to introduce the manipulatives by
establishing rules. As I led my guided math group, I saw a few students who were playing with the
counters. My cooperating teacher quickly redirected them. However, if I would have taken a couple
minutes to explain the purpose and correct way to use manipulatives, I might have avoided this small
issue.
4. How would I pace it differently?
For this specific lesson, I believed it moved at an appropriate pace for each task that needed to be
achieved.

5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?

As I observed the students working at their desks while leading my guided math group, I was able to
see that every student was actively participating.

6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
I made three important adjustments to my lesson to reach the needs of my students. I have a few
students who struggle with math. To support them, I gave them more individualized instruction by
placing them in my guided math group. I also have students who thrive in math and are usually early-
finishers. I created a challenge activity for these students to complete. It gave them something to do
when they finished early, but it also provided an additional challenge to deepen their understanding of
the lesson today. Finally, I made the lesson activity kinesthetic for my students who perform better
with hands-on support. The use of the math tools and manipulatives provided students with a chance
to move. I also made the lesson interpersonal by allowing students to work with partners.

7. Was the challenge activity beneficial to the students who finished early?
I am glad I decided to create a challenge activity, because there were a few students who finished
early. I believe it was beneficial because it got them thinking more deeply about the lesson. They not
only had to recall the math tools they used through drawing and labeling, but they also had to analyze
what they learned. I think it was a great extension to make the lesson full circle and bring it to a close.

8. Did the number lines and counters assist students in accurately completing the subtraction
problems?
I am really impressed with how well the number lines and counters assisted my students. I want to
focus on the students in my guided math group in particular. These three students are ones who
usually struggle in math and need a lot of support. Thus why I chose to put them in my guided math
group. However, I quickly realized they did not need much of my support, because the math tools were
supporting them. I walked through one problem with the students at my guided math group, assuming
I would need to practice a couple more problems with them. However, all three students completed the
remainder of the work independently with help from the math tools. This was a great accomplishment
for these students. My only task during the guided math group was to check in with them. Though,
each check in I could see my students were doing great.

9. Did the individual hands-on activity for the individual student keep him engaged in the content or
was he still disengaged? If so, how can I adjust for the next lesson to engage him?
Usually during math time, this particular student refuses to do his work. However, when I check his
paper at the end of the lesson, it was entirely complete. During the math lesson, I could see this
student using the counters. I believe the use of a hands-on math activity that required little writing
strongly supported this student. I think this student would greatly benefit from using manipulatives in
future math activities.

10. Did the questions throughout the lessons and the check-ins help me gain a better understanding of
students’ understanding at that point in the lesson?
Throughout my lesson, I conducted multiple check-ins and asked many questions. These were
extremely beneficial for allowing me to gauge students’ understanding. I was able to see that students
were confident in the content and were understanding the purpose and how-to for using the math
tools.