Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Quadrants on a Graph

Content Area: Math
Grade Level(s): 6th Grade
Content Standard Addressed: 6.PAR.8.2 Show and explain that signs of numbers in ordered pairs
indicate locations in quadrants of the coordinate plane and determine how two ordered pairs may
differ based only on the signs.

Technology Standard Addressed: 1.1c Feedback to Improve Practice: Students use technology to
seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety
of ways.

Selected Technology Tool: Excel Spreadsheet

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): N/A

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☐ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐

Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level): (Select the best level)

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4:

Integration

☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Using Microsoft Excel, students are able to create graphs that represent ordered pairs that are assigned
to them. With the graph, students can explore the ordered pairs’ positions on the graph and draw
conclusions about the locations of the ordered pairs and how that relates to the signs of the numbers in
the ordered pairs. This allows students to critically think and create their own understanding of the
content viewed when engaging in the activity, thus students can activate background knowledge on
order pairs to gain further knowledge with their new observations. The worksheet with guiding
questions also helps students to critically think and engage deeply with the content. Using Excel also
shows students a new way to create a graph, or product, that they may use for future assignments and
projects.

Lesson idea implementation:

During the lesson, students will use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets with their peers within small
groups. As students work to create their graph through Excel, the students will answer guiding
questions on a handout to further their learning when observing. While students are working, the
teacher will walk around to observe students’ thinking and learning, and to ensure that students are
correctly creating their graphs. The teacher may also ask guiding questions to supplement students’
learning in relation to the objective. This project will be introduced by the teacher showing step-by-
step directions on how to create a table and graph on Excel. During this introduction, the teacher may
also allow students to review what order pairs are and how to graph them. Students will also be given
further instructions on their handout. This activity may take students about 20 to 30 minutes to
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
explore and create their graph on Excel. Students may take an additional 15 minutes to complete their
handout and explain their observations within their group. Students learning will be assessed by their
handout and the teacher’s observations of the students’ thinking and creations. This assessment will
be informal as the teacher gathers information on what needs to be further explained for students.
Students may be formerly graded, later, through the use of homework that reiterates questions relating
to the objective.

The final product of this project will show what students have learned independently of the teacher’s
assistance. To further differentiation, students will be able to explain or explore their learning in other,
various ways to provide students with reinforcements of the content learned from the original project.
Students will extend to a higher learning level by individually summarizing their observations and
findings when creating their graph and using Excel, connecting their understanding to the signs of
numbers in ordered pairs and the relation to the quadrants of the graph. Students may further extend
their learning by applying their new understanding to word problems and graphing them. The lesson
will conclude with students from small groups sharing their observations in a whole group discussion.
During this discussion, the teacher may listen to students’ discoveries and emphasize the meaning
behind their learning as it pertains to the course material. From here, the teacher may provide
homework to the students for extra practice and a formal assessment of student learning. The teacher
may provide feedback on students’ observations during their class activity and explain further in
depth what students may need to understand further as it relates to the objective.

Reflective Practice:
The lesson plan was designed to grant students to deeply engage students as they create a product
(graph) and observed that graph with the guidance of questions. This lesson is an inquiry lesson in
which the lesson is student lead as they begin to learn the objective through their own learning rather
than through direct instruction. This helps students to better remember their learning as they learned
from their own observations and understanding. To further this lesson, students may write a summary
of their observations and findings, in relation to the objective. Another basic productivity tool that
allows students to create this document is Microsoft Word. This provides students to advice to the
next level of Bloom’s Taxonomy as they analyze their graph further, using academic language.
Students may also create their own hand-drawn graphs to further analyze the positions of ordered
pairs and the relation to their signs.