Lesson 5: Things to consider in Planning Instruction in

Mathematics in the Primary Grades.

Objectives
Demonstrate understanding and appreciation of the things to consider in planning
instruction in mathematics in the primary level.

Introduction
In education, planning refers to the designing and preparation of learning activities for
students. In lesson planning, teachers thoughtfully contemplate about the lesson objectives,
the activities that will meet these objectives, the sequence of those activities, the materials
needed, how the class would be managed during those activities, and the evaluation method
to assess how far the objectives were met. This lesson enumerates the things to consider in
planning instruction in mathematics in primary grades.

Think
There are important elements in lesson planning that you need to consider – content,
objectives, students, learning environment, and availability of resources.
1. Content
Research subject matter that you will be teaching. You should consult the
curriculum and the teaching guides published by DepEd. Aside from books, you can visit
websites which will give you information relevant to your subject area. You should
master the content of your lesson before you teach it. Remember, you cannot give what
you do not have. Moreover, you would not want to teach wrong contents to the students.
It is easier to learn than to unlearn; it is difficult to take back wrong contents that have
already been taught. You have big responsibility as a teacher – master your content!

2. Objectives
Before you begin planning, you need to know what specific knowledge and
skills you want your students to develop during lesson or unit. Teachers often focus too
much on knowledge, forgetting about developing skills which in the long term are more
important than knowing mere facts. So, in planning your instruction, always consider
both knowledge and skills.
3. Students
Get to know your students – where they came from, what their interest are,
what they already know, their learning style, attention span, special needs, etc. these will
help you determine your students’ needs. Remember that you need to prepare your
lessons with all your students in mind and that your main goal should be meet their needs
and offer them enabling environment to learn their preferred way, knowing your students
will help you build rapport with them which is important if you want your students to be
freely sharing their ideas with you and their classmates.
Another important consideration that needs serios attention in teaching,
specially mathematics, is the students’ mindset. You may have all things considered –
lesson mastery, focused objectives, and comprehensive understanding of students – and
yet still find that the lesson is not coming through the students. This may be because the
students have closed their doors toward math. Many school children have come to believe
that math is difficult and they can never be good at it. This is called fixed mindset.
Students with fixed mindset believe that their math skill cannot be improved, which result
in underperformance in the subject. Reasons for fixed mindset include influence from
adults who dislike math, previous unpleasant experience in math class, and others. Your
goal as teacher is to develop students with growth mindset. Students with growth
mindset believe that they can be better at math. They know that their efforts are not
wasted and that they can learn even in their failures. Many studies have proven that
students who have growth mindset perform better in school that those who have fixed
mindset. So, in planning your lesson, you must consider how to encourage growth
mindset in class.

4. Learning environment
Aside from physical environment where learning takes place it is also
important to consider the social and emotional learning environment of the class. You
need to make sure that you promote positive environment where students are motivated
and are supportive of each other’s growth. The students must feel safe to express their
thinking, without fear of being embarrassed because of mistakes or different views. Most
importantly, you must create an atmosphere where students are open to learning through
the activities you prepared and interactions with their classmates.

5. Availability of resources
Take into consideration the instructional materials that you will be needing
before you write your lesson plan. Is a background available? If not, can you improvise?
Are there specific manipulatives that you need? Where can you get them? Can you make
them instead? Do you need technology resources? Have you checked whether your
devices are compatible with what are available in school? These are some of the questions
that you can reflect.
Experience
The next activity will delve into the experiences of math teachers and will give you
insights on effective lesson planning.

Interview three experienced primary grades (Grades 1, 2 or 3) mathematics teachers.

Ask him/her the following questions: “If you were to give a piece of advice about lesson
planning to your rookie teacher self, what would it be?” What are common about their
responses? Write them down below
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Assess
Answer the following questions to verbalized your understanding of the things to
consider when planning instruction in mathematics.

1. In addition to what has been discussed, explain why content, objectives, students,
learning environment, and availability of resources are the essential considerations in
planning a lesson?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. Sketch an infographic about the difference of growth mindset and fixed mindset.
Challenge
The following questions will challenge your reasoning and critical thinking skills. It
will also initiate reflection on the kind of mathematical mindset you had as a student.
1. Why is it important to be in consultation with the curriculum guide when planning
instruction?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. Why do you think is having fixed mindset a set back in learning? Can you think of
specific examples when you were a student and had tendency of having a fixed mind
pattern?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Harness
You will face – to – face with an actual lesson plan in the following activity. This
aims to give an initial exposure to the components of a lesson (which will be discussed in the
next chapter) while focusing on how content, objectives, students were given attention to in a
plan.
Borrow a lesson plan from a primary grade mathematics teacher. Give specific
examples in his/her lesson plan wherein you saw the conscious consideration for content,
objectives, students, learning environment, and availability of resources.

Content

Objectives
Students

Learning environment

Availability of resources