EDU 330 Tutoring Project

Joseph Terbrack
April, 28 2019
Introduction

For this project, I volunteered to tutor middle school math at Pugliese West Elementary.

Mrs. Ballato paired me with a female fourth grade student named Lindsay. Lindsay is easily

distracted and a very quiet student. She does not like math and was not pleased when I took her

out of class for tutoring. However, I did realize that she enjoys drawing and starbursts which I

tried to use to motivate her. I would take Lindsay out of Mrs. Moore’s last period class every

Friday for tutoring. We conducted our tutoring time at a table in the hall. Having to go to tutoring

Friday afternoon, right before the weekend, may have contributed to Lindsay’s dislike of our

sessions.

Diagnostic Screening Test Outcomes, Goals, and Strategies

The first day that I met with Lindsay, I administered the Diagnostic Screening test. She

was not very pleased about being taken out of class just to take a test. However, once I explained

that it was not for a grade and that it was just for our tutoring sessions, she calmed down and got

to work. I told her to try her best and to ask me if she had any questions. Despite my offer, she

did not ask any questions while she was taking the assessment. This was unfortunate because I

believe there were areas or categories on the test where she misunderstood the directions (I will

touch on these categories further below). As she was taking the test I noticed that she counted on

her fingers and knuckles to help her solve problems. Toward the end of the test she began to

slow down and get increasingly frustrated with her own performance. I encouraged her keep

working and just try her best. This behavior leads me to believe that she knows the areas that she

needs to work on.

 Lindsay’s overall or total basic score on the diagnostic screening test was a 3. This score

means she is performing at a third-grade math level even though she has almost completed the

fourth-grade. According to the diagnostic screening test, as well as my observation during the

test, Lindsay was strong in procedures and sequences. She scored a 5 on procedure and 4.5 on

sequencing. Lindsay also scored high in multiplication, and division. However, from my

observations she was not very confident and struggled to formulate answers for both of these

sections. Lindsay’s weaknesses showed in the simple, complex, manipulation, zeros, simple

fractions, addition and subtraction categories. She scored 1.4 for simple, 2.6 for complex, 2.4 for

manipulation, and 2.3 for zero. For each of these categories Lindsay’s behavior varied from

being somewhat confident to being confused. Lindsay received a score of zero in the simple

fraction’s category. A possible reason for this was that she was not used to seeing the fractions

represented vertically (there is evidence of this by the work she showed). The two categories that

I was surprised Lindsay struggled with were addition and subtraction, scoring a 3 and 2.5

respectively. After reviewing the assessment, I believe that her struggles with other categories of

the assessment affected her low addition score. For example, she added all the numbers for

fractions, misunderstanding the fraction bars as if they created separate problems. Subtraction is

also an area that Lindsay is weak in and needs to improve. Additionally, Lindsay scored a zero

on manipulation of fractions and decimals, however I did not count these categories as

weaknesses because after some investigation I found that her math class had not covered these

areas prior to her taking the assessment. I created copies of her diagnostic screening test and her

scores for her math teacher and her parents.

I have several goals for this tutoring project as well as many strategies to help me

accomplish them. My main goal for this tutoring project is to foster in Lindsay the idea of
Growth Mindset. It is clear from and her behavior that Lindsay has a fixed mindset about her

math abilities. Not only does she dislike math, but she believes that she is bad at math and that

she can’t get better. I want to help her to know that through hard work and learning new

methods, she can improve her math ability. (Guido, 2018)

Another goal that I have for this tutoring project is to ensure that Lindsay is proficient in

addition and subtraction. My motivation for this goal is that addition and subtraction are

foundational concepts that are at the back bone of other more complex operations. According to

her diagnostic screening test, Lindsay is a grade level behind in addition and nearly two grade

levels behind in subtraction. I asked Lindsay to help make a goal for herself as well. She told me

that she does not think that she is very good at multiplication and that she wanted to work on it

during our tutoring. Multiplication was at the core of what Lindsay was working on in class at

the time, so I decided to make it a goal of our tutoring sessions as well.

Some of the strategies that I will employ to accomplish these goals include modeling,

direct instruction, guided practice, manipulatives, and the implementation of technology. I will

also attempt to promote productive struggle during my tutoring sessions. Research has shown

that productive struggle helps students come to a deeper understanding of math and builds

growth mindset. (Giardi, 2018) For the technology strategy, I will be creating a Desmos lesson

plan that my student can follow and interact with. When implemented correctly technology can

be an effective means of instruction. (Scharaldi, 2018)

Tutoring Sessions Reflections

Session 1:
 For the first tutoring session I wanted to better identify Lindsay’s understanding of

multiplication. On the diagnostic screening test Lindsay got two of the nine multiplication

questions correct (which is a score of 4). However, she demonstrated behavior that made me

think that multiplication was hard for her and it is an area that she believed she needed to grow

in. Multiplication falls under CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.5, “Multiply a whole number

of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using

strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the

calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.”

My plan was to start with basic multiplication and progress to multiplying multiple digit

numbers by each other. However, it was immediately apparent that Lindsay was not proficient in

her multiplication facts. So, I decided to deviate from my original lesson plan and focus on

multiplication facts. Lindsay was confident in her foundational facts or base numbers (0, 1, 2, 5,

10) and enjoyed working with doubles. When she was asked to multiply any other sets of

numbers she would glare at me and I would have to coax her into starting. For the other

multiplication facts her preferred method would be to write the number out several times and add

them all together (for 6 X 7= she would write 7+7+7+7+7+7=). I tried helping her move past this

strategy by connecting problems to the nearest base number multiple then adding/subtracting the

remaining number. An example of this was we discussed how our nines can be derived by using

the tens (7x9 can be found by 7x10 then removing one set of 7). We made slow progress but

continued into multiplying one-digit by two-digit numbers. I realized that Lindsay’s initial

abrasive behavior was used as a shield for feeling inadequate at multiplication. I encouraged her

to try her best and praised her when she got the correct answer or used the right strategy. For my
next lesson I will continue with multiplication until we are able to multiply multiple-digit

numbers by each other.

Session 2:

For the second session I chose to continue working on multiplication. My goal for this

lesson was to use different invented strategies to work on multi-digit multiplication and scaffold

up to the multiplication algorithm. Because this was a continuation of my first lesson I continued

to use CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.5, “Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a

one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place

value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations,

rectangular arrays, and/or area models.”

Lindsay was not happy to be pulled out of class for tutoring because they were watching

a movie and she wanted to stay and watch. I tried using this as an incentive, telling her that if we

stayed on task and accomplished everything we might be able to end a few minutes early. The

first invented strategy for multiplication that I showed Lindsay was partitioning. I modeled how

partitioning works and proceeded into guided practice. After she was able to confidently answer

questions on her own, I moved on to the array model. I modeled how to construct and use an

array to solve multi-digit multiplication problems. Then we did several problems together until

she understood how it works. Lindsay really liked using this strategy and was able to correctly

answer almost every question.

I noticed that she is very good at maintaining place value while using the array model.

Occasionally she would even rewrite problems so that the place values lined up correctly. I used

this to help scaffold to the multiplication algorithm. Lindsay has used this algorithm before but
now she had a deeper understanding of why/how it works. I believe this was a very productive

lesson. Because division is the inverse operation of multiplication, I believe that it will be

beneficial to work on it in our next lesson. This way we can examine what we learned in

multiplication and how that translates to division.

Session 3:

Lindsay received 4.5 on the division category of the screening test. However, after

looking closer at the test I found that she did not actually answer any direct division problems

correctly. This included getting 4 divided by 2 wrong. This information told me that Lindsay

does not have a very strong understanding of division and that we should work on it. My goal of

this lesson was to examine division using explicit trade and base ten modeling manipulatives for

problems with multi-digit dividends. Correlating with CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.6

“Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit

divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the

relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using

equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.”

I began the lesson by expressing division problems using words such as, “sharing 9

apples with 3 friends.” I used explicit trade with base ten manipulatives to show how we would

divide the 9 ‘ones’ into the three groups. Lindsay practiced moving the manipulative into each

representative place then counted them up to see how many went to each group. We used this

explicit trade strategy when dividing two- and three-digit numbers by single digit numbers as

well. Lindsay enjoyed using the base ten manipulatives. She told me that it helped her

understand what, “breaking apart big numbers looks like.” Toward the end of the lesson, I began

scaffolding into how explicit trade relates to the standard algorithm on paper. Lindsay
occasionally had a hard time adding the numbers inside of the division problem. Next session, I

want to examine her ability to add and subtract multi-digit numbers.

Session 4

During this tutoring session I wanted to address addition and subtraction. I observed from

the diagnostic screening test that Lindsay is weak in both of these categories. My goal of this

session is for Lindsay to demonstrate a clear understanding of these two operations and for her to

be able to consistently add and subtract whole numbers. Addition and subtraction fall under

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.4 “Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers

using the standard algorithm.” However, it is emphasized more in the previous grades.

Lindsay’s class was returning from an assembly and were in the classroom without a

teacher when I came to get her. I walked in the room to find that Lindsay was trying to hide from

me behind a cupboard in the back of the classroom. Instead of being frustrated with her I choose

to laugh it off and say that she almost “got me.” This made her laugh and she hurried to grab her

math supplies and actually seemed happy to come to tutoring. This was huge step for us.

I started the session with a brief discussion about addition and how to use the standard

algorithm to solve multi-digit addition problems. I then gave her a list of 20 problems of varying

difficulty to solve. She surprised me by solving all of the addition problems correct in just a few

minutes. I noticed that she did an excellent job of carrying numbers and correcting her own

mistakes. Told her that she did a great job and moved on to subtraction. Together we discussed

the steps so solving subtraction problems. I asked her to walk me though subtraction as if she

was the teacher. Then I gave her 20 multi-digit subtraction problems and she solved all but one

of them correctly using the standard algorithm. It was clear to see that something had clicked for
her in the past week. I believe that if she were to take the diagnostic test a second time she would

score much at much higher on both of these sections. I want to transfer/continue this progress to

adding and subtracting fractions with like bases and whole numbers for our next lesson.

Session 5

During this session, I focused on adding and subtracting fractions. This topic correlates

with two common core standards CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3.A, “Understand addition

and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating parts referring to the same whole” and

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3.C, “Add and subtract mixed numbers with like

denominators, e.g., by replacing each mixed number with an equivalent fraction, and/or by using

properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.” My goal for this

lesson was for Lindsay to be able to convert whole numbers to mixed fractions as well as add

and subtract fractions with like bases.

I started this lesson by asking Lindsay if she knew how to answer ¼ + ¼ (this was a

question that she got wrong on the screening test. She told me the answer was 2/4 because, “you

are supposed to just add the tops and leave the bottoms the same.” I told her she was right but to

be careful because we had to make sure that the fractions shared the same base. I explained this

using language by writing out, “1 apple + 1 apple = 2 apples but 1 apple + 1 orange  2 apples.”

After adding and subtracting several fractions with like bases we moved on to manipulating

mixed numbers. I introduced mixed numbers or improper fractions using area models of circles

and rectangles. She enjoyed drawing each model and took care to try and make them as even as

possible. We did several guided practice problems together for both addition and subtraction.

Once she was able to visualize what mixed numbers looked like, adding and subtracting them to

other fractions of like bases became easy. As the session continued she became more confident
in her ability and was able to correct her own mistakes. With Lindsay’s increased understanding

of fractions and how they work I want to address other operations of fractions. Specifically, in

our next tutoring session I want to focus on multiplying fractions by whole numbers.
Joseph Terbrack
Lesson Title:_____ Multiplying Fractions and Whole Numbers__ Grade:__4__

Learning Target: The student will be able to accurately multiply fractions by whole numbers

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards

Content Curriculum Focal Points Common Core State Interdisciplinary Connections (if
(ie: NCTM, IRA,…) Standards applicable)
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF. B.4 None
Number and Operations: Apply and extend
Students develop previous understandings
understandings of strategies for of multiplication to
multidigit division by using multiply a fraction by a
models that represent division
whole number.
as the inverse of multiplication,
as partitioning, or as successive
subtraction. By working with
decimals, students extend their
ability to recognize equivalent
fractions. Students’ earlier work
in grade 3 with models of
fractions and multiplication and
division facts supports their
understanding of techniques for
generating equivalent fractions
and simplifying fractions.

Academic Language: Fractions, Part/Whole, Numerator, Denominator, Multiplication, Addition

Subtraction

Students’ Needs: Student will need to be familiar with fractions

Students should also be profusion in basic multiplying and dividing facts.

English Language Learners The online lesson can be translated into the
student’s native language using a number of
different translation apps
 Visually Impaired The screen can be magnified so that the
student is able clearly see the online activity.
The student can also be given a worksheet
that has larger print.

Materials: Laptop/computer/tablet and writing materials

● Desmos link: https://teacher.desmos.com/activitybuilder/custom/5cafc567dd47d45b74a91fbe

Language Function: The student will be able to identify and analyze fractions, whole numbers, and
mixed numbers. Students will evaluate problems that multiply fractions by whole numbers. They will
give an answer to these questions and be able to justify their findings.

Lesson Plan
Before: I will open with a real-world example that involves multiplying whole numbers and
fractions. For example, “Vera collected 3/5 of a bin of glass bottles to recycle. Blake collected
4 times as many bins as Vera. How many bins of bottles did Blake collect?” I would use this
example to mole multiplying whole numbers and fractions and to help students understand
the application of what they are about to learn.

During: Students will log on to Desmos and begin the activity. The students can work on their
won pace or as a group. The teacher will monitor their progress on his or her computer and
answer questions that may arise during the activity. The Desmos activity walks students
though how to solve multiplying whole numbers and fractions. It does this by using area and
number line models. (The Desmos lesson could be completed in pairs or as individuals
depending on the class and the availability of technology.)

After: Once everyone has completed the lesson I will go back though and put some of the
best responses (from the Desmos questions) on the board. We will discuss these answers as a
class and summarize what we learned in the Desmos lesson. After our discussion, The
students will then be given a worksheet to complete individually.

Assessment: The student will be able to correctly answer 7 of the 10 questions on the worksheet.

Type of assessment Description of Modifications to the Evaluation Criteria- How good is

assessment assessment so that good enough to meet standards?
all students may
 What will students do demonstrate (related to the learning
to show what they learning objectives) Include scoring guide,
have learned? rubric or other criteria
Students will answer None needed The answers to the Desmos
Informal/Formal all teacher asked questions as well as the teacher
Formative questions as well as asked questions will be observed
answer the questions by the teacher.
embedded in the
demos lesson.

Formal, Summative Students will Students with visual The student will be able to
complete a worksheet impairments will be correctly answer 7 of the 10
given a worksheet questions on the worksheet.
with larger print.

Resources: Desmos Lesson link:

https://teacher.desmos.com/activitybuilder/custom/5cafc567dd47d45b74a91fbe
Also the You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etIV7cDGNQs
Worksheet that is attached below
 References
Giardi, M. (2018, April 05). Promoting Productive Struggle in Math. Retrieved March/April,

2019, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/promoting-productive-struggle-math

Guido, M. (2018, May 04). 10 Ways to Instill a Growth Mindset in Students. Retrieved

March/April, 2019, from https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/growth-mindset-in-

students/

Scharaldi, K. (2018, March 22). What are the benefits of using technology for math instruction?

Retrieved April, 2019, from https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/company/education-

blog/march-2018/what-are-the-benefits-of-using-technology-for-math/

Vandewalle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2019). Elementary and middle school

mathematics teaching developmentally (10th ed.). Boston, Mass.: Pearson.