Hannah Jones

Fall 2020
ED 243

Math Lesson Plan

Description:
● Instructional Level: Grade 3
● Topic: Representing the concept of multiplication of whole numbers with multiple models
and demonstrating a fluency of multiplication facts
● Standards:
○ 3.C.2: Represent the concept of multiplication of whole numbers with the
following models: equal-sized groups, arrays, area models, and equal "jumps" on
a number line. Understand the properties of 0 and 1 in multiplication.
■ For this lesson, we will only be focusing on arrays.
○ 3.C.6: Demonstrate fluency with mastery of multiplication facts and
corresponding division facts of 0 to 10.
■ For this lesson, we will only be focusing on a fluency with mastery of
multiplication facts.
● Goals: I want the students to be able to grow and show their understanding of
multiplication by developing different strategies/models to show how they can represent
multiplication facts. Based on these models, I want the students to develop their fluency
with a mastery of multiplication facts 0 to 10, with a mastery that is based on
understanding, rather than memorization.
Purpose:
● Purpose: To help students understand how multiplication works and to develop multiple
strategies to figure out a multiplication problem
○ Note: Students will only be focusing on one strategy for this lesson. This purpose
extends over a set of lessons.
● Importance to the learning: Students need to know multiplication facts as they advance
in school. However, students need to truly understand multiplication, rather than just
memorize it. By partaking in this lesson, students will better understand how
multiplication works, which will help them as they learn harder math concepts.
● This lesson and the knowledge/skills learned from this lesson will be carried to other:
○ Environments and settings: Multiplication is a skill that is needed in many other
environments and settings outside of the school building. There are so many
times in daily life that multiplication skills are needed.
○ Subjects: Multiplication is often used in other school subjects. While these
subjects might not give a multiplication test, they occasionally require the ability
to multiply to solve problems and to connect ideas.
○ Overall lifespan of students: Students will never stop using multiplication. It is
used in so many different ways, many of which students will probably not
recognize because it happens so often.

Behavioral Objectives:
● Unique Needs of Learner(s): This student is a boy named Owen, and he is on the autism
spectrum. He is a smart child, but often becomes overstimulated easily, which results in
meltdowns, which keeps him from staying focused on the learning for very long. He is
able to speak, but he struggles with communicating with his peers. He has less
meltdowns when his schedule is predictable. When he does have a meltdown, he calms
himself down by curling up into a ball and rocking. Depending on the size of the
meltdown, he could be in the position anywhere from two minutes to twenty minutes or
longer, so it’s important that the teacher catch signs of overstimulation early to try to
prevent a major meltdown. Touching different types of materials is calming for Owen,
and it helps him focus. For example, sifting sand between his hands during a lesson
helps him pay attention, because it keeps his focus on the sand, rather than everything
else going on in the room. During moments when Owen is calm and not having a
meltdown, any type of material is fine for him to work/play with. However, as soon as he
begins to get overstimulated, sand is the best material for him to play with. Owen is
extremely interested in construction and architecture. He really likes going to the window
and looking at the Bobcats and other construction equipment that are working on a new
gymnasium for the school.
● Cultural, linguistic, and gender differences:
○ Owen has lived in America all his life and speaks English fluently. He has parents
who do their best to support him and help him do his best. They have a very
good relationship with the teacher, as they work with the teacher to determine the
best methods to help Owen achieve the most in school.
● Behavior Goals:
○ Students will focus on the learning activity for thirty minutes.
■ This reflects high expectations because it gives students the time they
need to really focus on the concept of multiplication. I know they can
understand the lesson, they just need the opportunity to focus. This is
developmentally appropriate because a third grader’s attention span lasts
for 30-45 minutes (​Understood.org​).
■ If Owen can remain focused on the activity for most of the thirty minutes,
he will be rewarded with five minutes of time to look out the window at the
Bobcats and other construction equipment.
■ No matter how much Owen is focusing, he should be given one to two
minutes to walk away from the activity and do some deep breathing about
halfway through the activity. However, he should not be forced if he
doesn’t want to. Give him an option: “Owen, you can either continue
working, or you can take a two minute break to do some deep breathing.
Which would you like to do?”
○ Students will communicate with each other to describe what they are doing and
what they have learned.
■ This reflects high expectations because students with autism (like Owen)
struggle with social communication, and this is a safe place for them to
get some practice. If Owen can see that he can communicate in a small
group with peers, he will feel more confident in front of larger groups of
 people. This is developmentally appropriate because all children this age
are still learning how to properly socially communicate and interact with
their peers, especially at the academic level.
○ Every ten minutes, the teacher will give a positive compliment to the target
student. This compliment should address positive behavior, and is meant to
encourage the student to continue behaving in a positive way.
■ This reflects high expectations because it relies on the teacher finding
something positive to say, which means the student must be doing at
least one positive thing. This is developmentally appropriate because
Owen needs to feel confident in himself from a young age, so he will grow
up being a confident individual and learner.

Materials:
● High quality scientifically-based materials and resources:
○ Play Dough
○ Cotton Balls
○ Foam Shapes
○ Connecting Cubes
○ Wiki Sticks
○ Shaving Cream (unscented and at room temperature)
○ Rice
○ Sand
○ Moon Dust
○ Multiplication Cards (Numbers 0-10 multiplied by 4 and 5)
● Assistive Technology:
○ Noise Cancelling Headphones: This would be used if Owen started to become
overstimulated, to try to prevent a meltdown. I would want Owen to start the
activity without them, so that he can communicate with other students as he
works, but I would allow him to use the noise cancelling headphones anytime he
felt he needed them. It’s much more important to be preventative and keep Owen
focused and working than to insist that Owen communicate with other students.
It’s simply not worth all the time that Owen would miss out on learning if he had a
meltdown. If Owen needs to use the headphones, he can communicate with his
peers whenever he is ready to do so. The most important focus of this lesson is
that the students participate in the activity of making arrays and that they
understand multiplication better through arrays. Describing this to a peer will help
many students gain a better understanding, but this is not true of Owen, as he is
a hands on and independent learner. Rather, the communication part of the
behavior goals will benefit him just by helping him hold conversations with his
peers. At the point of this lesson, that comes second to understanding
multiplication.
Methods/Strategies:
● For this lesson, students will be working on representing multiplication through arrays.
They will be focusing on multiplying numbers by 4 and 5.
● On the board or in a visible classroom area, post a schedule of this lesson, including the
timeframes. This schedule should include pictures as well as words. The point of this is
to help Owen be able to predict what will be happening next.
● Directions:
1. In advance of the lesson, prepare each material (excluding multiplication cards)
separately. You could either have the materials separated into bins or into
individual bags. For example, you could have a bin filled with foam shapes that
the students are allowed to share, or you could have a bag filled with 40 shapes
that will be given to one student. Keep the Play Dough and shaving cream in their
containers, as students can take them out of the containers as they need them.
2. Teach a lesson about what an array is. Use multiple different methods to show
this, such as drawing dots on the whiteboard or using objects to create an array.
This should be a quick, introductory lesson, as students will be exploring this idea
more in the engagement activity. Also during this lesson, take a couple minutes
to discuss the different ways multiplication can be used in the lives of students.
Make sure students understand that multiplication relates to their lives.
3. Pick a multiplication card to determine which fact you’ll be working with.
Demonstrate making an array for students from the objects that are available for
the students to use. Some of the objects are prepared to be laid neatly in an
array, such as the foam shapes. The other objects can be manipulated by
students to help them form arrays. For example, Play Dough can be rolled into
balls, or holes can be made in the sand. It’s important to have materials that give
students the freedom to choose how their array will be constructed, so they can
decide how much hands on activity they will get, as well as which texture/material
they would prefer to work with.
4. As you demonstrate, explain what you are doing. (I.E. “My multiplication fact is
4x3. I will put 4 cotton balls in a row, and then make a column of 3 cotton balls. I
will then fill in the rows and columns with cotton balls.)
5. Once you are finished creating the array, explain what you’ve just made. (I.E.
“I’ve just made an array of the multiplication fact 4x3. I know that this represents
4x3 because there are 4 rows of 3. If you count up all these rows, you will see
that there are 12 cotton balls. Therefore, the product of 4x3 is 12.)
6. Demonstrate creating an array again, this time asking the students for some help,
and using a different object. You could ask students how many rows and
columns you should have based on the multiplication fact that is on your card.
They could help you fill in the rows and columns. You could ask them to count
the number of objects to determine what the product is. You are still guiding the
students through this instruction, but you are asking for their help along the way.
7. Have the students lead the demonstration this time, but still be available to help
them. You could ask them questions if they need guidance at any time, but try to
let the students take the lead. When the students provide an explanation at the
end, be sure to ask questions that will help clarify anything they say. This will
help their thoughts and communication be clear.
 8. Students will independently practice making arrays from the objects. They will get
to pick whichever object they prefer, or can change their object if they prefer, so
long as they don’t change so much that it gets distracting. Students should be
communicating with each other as they work, explaining what they are doing and
what they are learning. Anytime they finish one array, they should pick another
multiplication card and make the array that corresponds with it. As they work, the
teacher should be close by to answer any questions and to make sure students
are understanding arrays. Every ten minutes, the teacher should address positive
behavior in Owen. Of course, the teacher should be addressing positive behavior
in every student during this time as well.
● I differentiated by product according to learning profile. The different objects are meant
to appeal to different students and their sensory needs. By having objects of different
textures, students can pick the object that best fits their needs. By having plenty of
textures and objects to choose from, Owen will be able to decide which material he
would feel most comfortable working with. He could stay in his comfort level with sand,
or he could branch out and try working with other textures.
● I differentiated by content according to student readiness. Instead of focusing this lesson
on all the multiplication models listed in the standard, I focused the lesson on just one
model, because the students aren’t ready to learn more than one model at a time. Our
goal is to get the students to work/focus for thirty uninterrupted minutes, which is just
enough time to work on one model. If multiple models are taught, that would take a lot of
time, which would likely cause overstimulation and meltdowns, at which point it would be
useless to continue teaching the lesson. Also, instead of focusing on all the multiplication
facts, I only focused on 4’s and 5’s so that students (especially Owen) don’t get
overwhelmed. This will help them master their 4’s and 5’s.
● Cognitive, cultural, linguistic, and gender differences:
○ Cognitive Differences: All of these students have the cognitive ability to partake in
this lesson and understand what they are learning. Owen is no exception.
○ Cultural Differences: N/A
○ Linguistic Differences: There are no linguistic differences that need to be noted
for this class. However, this lesson would be a good lesson for ELLs, because it
is based so heavily on experiences and hands-on activities, rather than on
language. Besides the mini lesson at the beginning (which is still full of
demonstrations and pictures), students can work and think in their own language.
Students who speak the same first language could work together to explain their
learning, or the teacher could have students work in heterogeneous groups that
give ELLs a safe place to practice English. The main idea here is that, despite
any language differences, third grade students would be able to participate in this
lesson and learn more about multiplication and arrays.
○ Gender Differences: N/A
● Inclusion: This lesson will be completed in a general education classroom, meaning
Owen will be completing this lesson right alongside his peers. This follows IDEA,
because Owen is in the Least Restrictive Environment. By teaching this lesson
according to the adaptations made for Owen (multiple textures, hands-on activities,
 focusing on one multiplication representation and only multiples of 4 and 5), everyone in
the class will benefit and learn a lot from this lesson.
● Methods/strategies supported by research:
○ Rewarding the student after they meet an expectation
■ This strategy is supported by Kris Baker, an educator who works with
students with autism.
○ Communicating with other students and the teacher
■ This strategy is supported by Dr. Zaeema Asrar, Noman Tariq, and Hira
Rashid in their ​published journal​.
○ Behavior specific compliments
■ This strategy is supported by Kris Baker, an educator who works with
students with autism.
○ Giving options to students
■ This strategy is supported by Kris Baker, an educator who works with
students with autism.
○ Giving students breaks
■ This strategy is supported by Kris Baker, an educator who works with
students with autism.
○ Using hands-on activities, rather than lectures
■ This strategy is supported by ​SBB College​.
○ Focusing on one strategy/representation of multiplication at a time
■ This strategy is supported by Professor Theresa Meyer in her ED 243
lectures.
○ Optimal Learning Model
■ This strategy is cited throughout ​Planning & Managing Effective Reading
Instruction​ by Deborah Corpus and Ann Giddings.
○ Connecting learning to students’ lives
■ This strategy is supported by Dr. Pat Wolfe, in her series of Brain to Brain
videos.
Strategies-Student Active Engagement:
● Kids will be engaged during this lesson because the main part of this lesson is a
hands-on activity where students get to create their own arrays using the given
materials. In addition to this, they will be asked to communicate with each other to
explain what they are doing and what they are learning. The only part of this lesson that
students will be sitting for and listening to the teacher talk will be the lesson, but this
lesson will be kept to a minimum number of minutes in order to keep the students
engaged.
● I have explained the modeling process in steps 3-8 in the bullet point titled “Directions”
under the header “Methods/Strategies.” The modeling process I am using is the Optimal
Learning Model. Steps 3-5 represent modeling. Step 6 represents shared practice. Step
7 represents guided practice. Finally, step 8 represents independent practice.
Guided and Independent Practice:
● Because this is a hands-on learning activity, rather than a worksheet or evaluation, I will
provide feedback to my students verbally. Owen will receive behavior specific positive
 feedback every ten minutes. He will also receive feedback if there needs to be some
modifications to his arrays. This feedback will carry a positive tone, beginning with a
positive comment, and then suggesting a change. It is important that this feedback is
offered when the student is calm, so it doesn’t upset Owen. All students will receive
positive feedback throughout the activity, as well as suggestions whenever modifications
need to be made. All feedback will carry a positive tone, and continue to encourage
students.
● I used the Optimal Learning Model to guide the students to work on their own. By the
time students get to the independent practice portion, they will be prepared to work on
their own, as they will know what they are expected to do. Students will be constructing
their own arrays. They will either receive bags of materials, or they will be instructed to
gather their materials and bring them back to their seats. Another aspect that helps
students work on their own instead of relying on the teacher is that they will be
discussing their learning with their peers. Since they are allowed to communicate with
each other, I will instruct them to ask any questions to three peers before they ask me.
● I have planned for students to maintain this learning through repetition and through
discussion. Students will repeat the process of making arrays several times during this
activity, as well as the process of explaining what is going on and what is being learned.
● During the lesson, there will be a discussion about how multiplication relates to students
and their lives. In life outside the classroom, it is highly unlikely students will ever need to
make an array. The point of this lesson is to help students understand ​how​ multiplication
works, so they can appropriately use it once they leave the classroom. This is only one
of several lessons that will help students understand the different ways to represent
multiplication.
● Once students have mastered Standard 3.C.2, there will be follow up lessons that give
students real world problems so they can see how these skills integrate into other
settings of life and school. Again, the point of this lesson is to help students understand
how multiplication works, so that they feel comfortable using it in situations outside the
mathematics classroom.
● The major stakeholders in Owen’s life are his parents. Owen’s parents will monitor his
mathematical progress whenever they help him with homework at night. They will
monitor his communication progress whenever he is around other people, such as other
family members or friends.
Assessment:
● Learning goals:
○ Grow and show understanding of multiplication through the use of arrays.
○ Work on developing fluency of numbers 0-10 multiplied by 4 and 5.
● There will be no summative assessment of these learning goals in this lesson, as today
is merely a lesson introducing arrays. Besides helping students develop a better
understanding of multiplication, a major goal of this lesson is to keep students
engaged/focused for the better part of thirty minutes. As for formative assessments,
students can show their current understanding during the guided practice portion of the
lesson, as well as while the teacher walks around during the independent practice
activity.
 ● This lesson plan will not have a formal assessment of the behavior objectives listed in
this lesson plan. Rather, the behavior objectives can be assessed by the following
questions:
○ Did Owen stay focused the majority of the time?
■ What seemed to help him focus the most? What seemed to distract him
the most?
■ Did Owen have any meltdowns? How long did they last? Were any
meltdowns avoided?
○ Did Owen communicate with other students?
■ How did these interactions go?
■ How much communication was there?
■ Did the conversations stay on topic?
○ Did the teacher give Owen a positive compliment concerning his behavior every
ten minutes?
■ How did this affect him and his work?
● Because the only assessment is a formative assessment that casually assesses current
student understanding, Owen is given the chance to succeed no matter what kind of day
he is having. He won’t be getting a grade at the end of the lesson based on how many
questions he got right or wrong. Rather, he can just focus on trying to understand the
lesson. This will relieve some stress, which will help him stay calm, and hopefully
decrease his chances of having a meltdown. Moreover, this formative assessment is
based on the idea that Owen ​can​ achieve the goals listed. This will encourage him to
reach those goals.
● This formative assessment accommodates all students and is differentiated because it is
a casual discussion, during which students can explain their understanding using words
or their physical arrays. It is casual because these discussions will be happening as the
teacher walks around the room, and grades will not be given based on these
discussions.
● Students will not receive a grade based on how well they understand multiplication or
arrays today, but rather the assessment is meant to determine where students are in
their understanding, so that the next lessons can be adjusted accordingly to the needs of
the students.
Self-Reflection:
● Creating this lesson was a difficult and time consuming process, because there was so
much to consider so that Owen and his classmates could receive the best possible
lesson. However, knowing that a lesson like this could help Owen stay in the classroom
with his peers and stay involved, while also benefiting the entire class, made the time
and energy worth it.
● After teaching this lesson, the teacher could either make modifications to help the
students better understand arrays if they still need help, or the teacher could create
another lesson focusing on another type of multiplication representation. The next lesson
will depend entirely on what the students need.
● This lesson could be changed or modified depending on the needs of the students.
Maybe the students don’t need so many different kinds of materials to build arrays with.
 Maybe the students will have different behavior objectives. Maybe the students could
write about their learning rather than discussing with a peer. Again, this depends on
what the students need.
● Teacher attitude is everything in this lesson. If the teacher has a good attitude, the
students will as well. A teacher’s attitude determines the attitude of the entire class. This
is especially important with Owen, because he will feel much more calm, and therefore
have less meltdowns, if the teacher is in a good mood.
● Owen’s progress will be monitored each day. We don’t expect him to master
communication or focus based on this one lesson. We simply want him to improve. HIs
progress must be measured against similar days. For example, don’t measure Owen’s
progress of communication and focus on his worst day of the week against his best day.
Rather, compare good days to good days, medium days to medium days, and bad days
to bad days.