Amy Manley

Feb. 28, 2021

EDUC-X 426.3
Dr. Howland

Week 08 Final Project – Writing Lesson Design

Blue text = Process Writing or Peer Collaboration Approaches
Green text = Technology Integration
Bold text = Assessments
Dotted Underlined text = Reflects Week 08 Let’s Apply Activity

Context:
School General ELD Levels of Grade Level(s) Subject/ Lesson Type Instructional
Student Students Content Area Model
Hillview Info 6th grade  Single-day
Middle  ELD 5 6th grade lesson  Direct
School 50% of the (Advanced) mathematics/  Whole- instruction
student  RFEP Pre-Algebra class
population (Redesignated lesson
are Hispanic, Fluent  Partner
but only 4% English lesson
of the student Proficient)
population  English Only
are English
Learners.
44% of the
students
come from
low-income
families.

Theme:
Mathematics in Real Life – The lessons in this theme could be taught as a stand-alone unit, or chunked and
combined with other units. Students often ask why they need to learn math, so this theme strives to answer
those questions, as well as help students tackle intimidating word problems.
Content Standard(s): ELD Standard(s):
6.EE.6: Use variables to represent Emerging Expanding Bridging
numbers and write expressions when (Part 1.11a. (Part 1.11a. (Part 1.11a.
solving a real-world or mathematical Justifying/arguing) Justifying/arguing) Justifying/arguing)
problem; understand that a variable can Justify opinions by Justify opinions or Justify opinions or
represent an unknown number, or, providing some persuade others by persuade others by
depending on the purpose at hand, any textual evidence providing relevant providing detailed
number in a specified set. (e.g., quoting from textual evidence and relevant textual
the text) or relevant (e.g., quoting from evidence (e.g.,
background the text or referring quoting from the text
knowledge, with to what the text says) directly or referring
substantial support. or relevant to specific textual
background evidence) or relevant
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EDUC-X 426.3
Dr. Howland

knowledge, with background

moderate support. knowledge, with
light support.
Content Objective(s): ELD Objective(s):
The learners will solve equations created The learners will write two or three detailed sentences to justify
from real-world problems and explain their opinion or reasoning when solving math problems.
their reasoning in solving the problems
and discussing the nature of the answers.

Instructional Sequence:
Materials Needed:

 Smartboard with projector screen

 lined paper

 pencil for writing and pen for underlining

 five highlighter colors per student (or a group may share) – yellow, orange, green, blue, pink

 Backchannel Chat or other discussion board tool

 Rubric for written responses (sample rubric on page 9)

Hook:

Begin the lesson by asking the class to raise their hands if they have a little brother or sister, young

cousin, niece or nephew. Now ask those students if they can think of something that little kids, about two or

three years old, ask all the time. Discuss how little kids go through a phase where they ask, “Why?” Have

students give examples. Talk with the class about how the question “Why?” is one that they will ask and

answer their whole lives – in school, in work, at home. It is important to be able to explain your ideas,

opinions, and justify your actions (which means to explain why you did something). In math, you will often

have to answer the question “Why?” or will have to explain how you solved something. Today we are going

to practice explaining our opinions and justifying our actions (why we did something) through our writing.

Lesson Sequence:

1. Give the students an easy question to answer, such as What is your favorite sport/activity? Explain.
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Have the students tell a partner their answer. As a whole class, have a few volunteers share a response

that they thought was particularly good – more than just a “because it’s fun” answer. Discuss what made

those answers interesting.

2. Discuss that in explaining an answer, too little information does not get your point across, but too much

information can be overwhelming. Two or three main details or steps are generally enough.

3. Model writing a response to the previous favorite sport/activity question, using three details in your

explanation. Underline the three details. Ask the students if they understand your meaning, even if there

are mistakes in grammar. Does the voice sound casual or formal? Ask the students to give positive

suggestions that could help make it more understandable.

4. Give the students another easy question to answer, such as Do you prefer cats or dogs? Explain your

reasoning. Have the students write their response, using two or three details. Have the students

underline each detail. When finished, have the students exchange papers with a partner. The partner will

read it to see if they understand the writer’s meaning and voice, not focusing on grammar. The partner

will also offer a positive suggestion to help make the writing more understandable.

 Give students time to think of a topic that they would like to explain (What is your favorite …? Do

you prefer ___ or ____? Do you like _____?). Have the students write about their chosen topic,

making sure to give two or three details. Have the students switch with a different partner. The

partner will underline the details, read to see if they understand the writer’s meaning and voice, and

offer a positive suggestion to help make the writing more understandable. Give the students time to

make changes based on their feedback.

5. Discuss writing an explanation when given a math problem. Explain that in math, we want to have a

more formal tone to our writing, as though we are an expert on the subject.

6. Explain the rubric that will be used to assess their written explanation.

7. Example 1 (Teacher led): Suppose Cory and his friend Walter go to a movie. Each of their tickets costs
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Dr. Howland

the same amount, and they share a frozen yogurt that costs $5.50. The total amount they spend is

$19.90. Write an equation to find the price of a movie ticket and solve. (Kanold et al., 2015, p. 55)

 Set up and solve the equation together, using the techniques taught in the reading lesson. Use the

highlighter pens to help translate the equation, as taught in the previous reading lesson.

c + $5.50 = $19.90; c = $7.20

 Could you write a different equation to describe the situation? Explain your reasoning. (Kanold et

al., 2015, p. 56) Model an appropriate written response, using the rubric as a guide. Underline your

two or three details and ask students to see if they can understand your meaning and if your voice is

that of someone with authority in the subject. Ask for positive suggestions to help make it more

understandable. Model using the rubric to determine if your answer meets the ELD objective.

8. Example 2: Mari, Carlos, and Amanda collect stamps. Carlos has five more stamps than Mari, and

Amanda has three times as many stamps as Carlos. Altogether, they have 100 stamps. Find the number

of stamps each person has. (Kanold et al., 2015, p. 56)

 Set up the equation as a class. Have the students solve it with a partner or individually.

m + (m + 5) + 3(m + 5) = 100; m = 16; Mari has 16 stamps, Carlos has 21 stamps, Amanda has 63

stamps

 Would a fractional answer make sense in this situation? (Kanold et al., 2015, p. 57) Explain your

reasoning. Have students discuss the answer with a partner, then individually write a response, using

the rubric to guide them. Have partners share their writing and give suggestions. Give the students

time to make changes based on their feedback.

 What might it mean if a check revealed that the answer to a real-world problem did not make sense?

(Kanold et al., 2015, p. 57) Have students discuss the answer with a partner, then individually write

a response following the rubric. Have students underline their details and check that their voice is
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appropriate. Then they should use the rubric to determine if they met the ELD objective.

 Ask for volunteers to read their responses to the class.

9. Example 3 and Informal Formative Assessment: Janine has job offers at two companies. One

company offers a starting salary of $28,000 with a raise of $3000 each year. The other company offers

a starting salary of $36,000 with a raise of $2000 each year. In how many years would Janine’s salary

be the same with both companies? What will the salary be? (Kanold et al., 2015, p. 58) What English

words were key in creating your equation? Explain your thoughts.

 Students will work individually to set up the equation and solve it, then check with their group to

make sure their answers agree.

28,000 + 3000y = 36,000 + 2000y; y = 8 years; salary = $52,000

 Students will work on the written response individually, then work with their group to self-assess

it using the rubric.

 Student groups will need their answers checked before moving to the next assignment.

(Content Objective and ELD Objective)

10. Informal Formative Assessment

 Ask students to work in small groups to think of a time that they may have to answer a “Why?” or

“Explain” question in the future – in school, for a job interview, with family or friends. Have them

discuss what the proper voice or tone would be for the answer and why supporting your answer with

details would be important.

 Students will write an entry in their journals based on their discussion in their group, telling

me what they discussed. They also will explain to me why they think tone of voice is so

important in writing. (ELD Objective)

11. Creator Technology Integration and Informal Formative Assessment

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Dr. Howland

 Students will create a math-related “why” question and post it on the classroom discussion board

(using Backchannel Chat or other discussion board tool).

 Students will be given access to other class periods’ discussion board questions. Their homework is

to answer one student’s question from another class, using all that they learned from the

lesson. They will also use the rubric to determine if their answer meets the standard of

justifying opinions. (ELD Objective)

12. Formal Summative Assessment

 After a couple days to practice the concept, students will take a choose-your-own-problem

quiz. They will be given three word problems that require them to write an equation, solve the

equation, and support a claim related to the question. The students only need to answer one

question and may pick the one they answer. I will choose to grade the most correct answer, so

the students may attempt all three questions if they choose. I will use the rubric to grade the

written portion and will post it while the students complete the quiz. (Content Objective and

ELD Objective)

 Problem #1: One moving company charges $800 plus $16 per hour. Another moving company

charges $720 plus $21 per hour. At what number of hours will the charge by both companies be

the same? What is the charge? (Kanold et al., 2015, p. 59) Can you think of a reason why a

customer would want to hire the first moving company? When or why would a customer want to

use the second company? Explain your reasoning.

 Problem #2: Claire bought just enough fencing to enclose either a rectangular garden or a

triangular garden, as shown. The two gardens have the same perimeter. How many feet of

fencing did she buy? (Kanold et al., 2015, p. 60) Does your answer need to include a unit of

measure, like miles, inches, feet, meters? Why would the unit of measure be important to Claire?
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Explain your reasoning. Hint 1: Remember, perimeter measures the outside rim of an object.

Hint 2: Don’t stop after you have solved for x. Use the value of x to find the total amount of

fencing she needs for both gardens together.

 Problem #3: A veterinarian is changing the diets of two animals, Simba and Cuddles. Simba

currently consumes 1200 Calories per day. That number will increase by 100 Calories each day.

Cuddles currently consumes 3230 Calories a day. That number will decrease by 190 Calories each

day. The patterns will continue until both animals are consuming the same number of Calories

each day. In how many days will that be? How many Calories will each animal be consuming

each day then? (Kanold et al., 2015, p. 60) Look back at how you solved the equation that you

wrote. Suppose you collected the variable terms on the other side of the equal sign to solve the

equation. Would that affect the solution? (Kanold et al., 2015, p. 59) Explain your reasoning.
Lesson Rationale:
It is often difficult for students to answer mathematics problems that ask them to explain their reasoning.
They may understand how to solve the problem, but lack the skills and practice to describe their thought
process. Many students do not include enough detail or too much detail. Others use too informal a tone for
academic writing. In this lesson, students will practice explaining their reasoning in differing situations,
some informal and some formal. They will practice justifying their opinions with supporting detail, working
up from informal, social situations to formal, academic ones. This allows all students, but especially ELs, to
practice the writing skill initially without having to worry about the content area. Students also work with a
partner to see if the meaning of the writing is clear, including the tone of voice. Students will benefit from
hearing positive suggestions to improve their writing, as well as the immediate opportunity to make those
changes. Throughout the entire lesson, everything is tied into how this skill will be useful in real life,
making it relevant to the students.
Through the use of technology, students are able to read questions written by other students and answer
them, even students in other classes. This will help students become aware of the types of questions they
could be asked in a math class, as well as give them practice in writing an appropriate response. ELs will be
able to see how other students answer similar questions before trying to write their own response. I will be
able to read the students’ answers, assess how well the classes understood the lesson, and determine if
more time is needed to master the skill.
Assessment often causes anxiety in students, so explaining exactly how they will be graded helps them
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relax. A clear rubric not only shows the students exactly what they need to do to meet the objectives,
but can also guide the student in meeting those objectives. Students can use the rubric to assess
themselves or a peer’s writing, allowing them to make changes to improve their writing before
turning it in for teacher assessment. Two informal assessments I use in this lesson are that of checking
the students’ group work in the moment and journal writing. Walking around and checking the
students’ work before allowing them to move on helps the students know if they are on the right track
to mastering the skill. It also helps me see which groups understand the concept. Journal entries allow
me access to each individual’s writing, allowing me to see if they understand the concept of tone of
voice. I am able to respond informally to the students, as a way to build relationship, model writing,
and show the students that they are being heard. The formal summative quiz gives me information to
assess if the students have met both the content and ELD standards addressed in this lesson. The
students will have the rubric posted so there are no surprises in grading. They also get to pick which
question they answer, which allows all students, but especially ELs, the freedom to answer the
question to which they most relate or feel will display their knowledge the best. Each question
requires the students to write an equation from a real-world word problem and solve the equation.
Mastery of this skill meets the content objective for this lesson. Each question also asks the student to
make a claim and explain their reasoning. Mastery of this skill meets the ELD objective for this
lesson.
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Feb. 28, 2021
EDUC-X 426.3
Dr. Howland

Rubric for Written Explanations

Points Earned

Opinion or claim is Opinion or claim is not No opinion or claim

clearly stated clear, but was attempted
= 0 points
= 2 points = 1 point

Opinion or claim is Part of the opinion or Opinion or claim is not

mathematically accurate claim is mathematically mathematically accurate
accurate
= 2 points = 0 points
= 1 point

First detail or example First detail or example No first detail or

is clearly stated and is not clearly stated or example
supports the claim does not support the
= 0 points
claim
= 2 points
= 1 point

Second detail or Second detail or No second detail or

example is clearly stated example is not clearly example
and supports the claim stated or does not
= 0 points
support the claim
= 2 points
= 1 point

Tone of voice is Tone of voice is not No tone of voice could

appropriate for the type appropriate for the type be heard
of writing (usually of writing (probably too
= 0 points
formal and with informal)
authority for supporting
= 1 point
a claim in math)
= 2 points

Total:

/10
 Amy Manley
Feb. 28, 2021
EDUC-X 426.3
Dr. Howland

References

Kanold, T. D., Burger, E. B., Dixon, J. K., Larson, M. R., & Leinwand, S. J. (2015) Algebra 1 (Vol. 1).

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.