Lesson+Plan+1

The classroom is designed for students to work in groups and thus the desks are situated in small groups of three or four. The arrangement of the desks is in such a way that all students have clear view of the whiteboard. Each group of desks is spaced out so that the instructor has access to each student. The classroom is composed of mostly 11th graders with one 10th grader and one 12th grader. There are 21 students in the class, 15 are male and 6 are female. These students live in the area and are all English first language students. None of the students have an IEP or a 504 plan. Assessment will be largely student based for this individual lesson. The student will complete their in class activity and homework and be ready to ask questions the following day. Any in class work that is not finished will be part of the homework and due the next day. The teacher will circulate while the class is working and informally assess student learning. Grading will be on completion of homework. The students will be asked if they understand the material and if not what help do they need. A quiz over the cumulative material will be given prior to the test to assess student progress. The students will then be able to work on any weaknesses they may have on the material. Students are already arranged in cooperative groups from the seating arrangement. Students are encouraged to work together during in class problems. The group arrangement allows for students to participate in classroom discussion and gives students as well as the teacher the opportunity to answer questions and address any misconceptions. The learning targets are selected from the current __Washington State Mathematics Standards__ adopted by the OSPI. The learning targets require the student to use their previous mathematical knowledge in the areas of **Inductive** and **Deductive** reasoning. These targets will prepare students for life outside of their K-12 experience as well as standardized tests such as the WASL and college entrance exams. The learning targets contain the necessary concepts for the student to be successful in subsequent lessons. Assessment will be largely student based for this lesson. The student will be responsible for conveying any difficulty in understanding through the homework and in class examples. The following day homework will be stamped according to completeness and understanding. Students will use their groups as an assessment of their individual understanding and determine if they require additional help from the teacher. The teacher will use a formative assessment evaluation through random questioning and group questioning. Also the teacher will circulate during group work and assess student understanding and reasoning. Students will have the opportunity to create experience learning through a variety of strategies. Students will have the support of their cooperative learning groups as well as extending their support to other groups as necessary. The teacher will provide guided instruction as well as stimulating critical thinking. Students will understand that the classroom environment is one of teamwork where each student may be successful and each student has something to contribute. Thus all thoughts and ideas will be respected and students will not feel apprehensive in participation with the entire class. Core plus and the teaching strategy behind it is one the **NCTM** (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) standards based High School Mathematics curriculum. The research base behind core plus is funded by the **NSF** (National Science Foundation). More information on both of these entities may be found at: for the NCTM (www.nctm.org) and for the NSF (www.nsf.gov). Parents have been sent home a letter containing the teachers contact information, grading procedures, course outline, student and teacher expectations, and web access information. Also parents are encouraged to actively participate in their child’s school experience through two way communication with their child and the child’s teacher in appropriate situations.
 * Instructional Lesson Plan **
 * Daniel Schmidt **
 * High School **
 * Date Taught: October 16th, 2008 **
 * Classroom and Student Characteristics Plan **
 * Instructional Plan **
 * **// Learning Targets (Washington State Math Standards) //**
 * **//G.1.A//** //Distinguish between inductive and deductive reasoning.//
 * **//G.1.B//** //Use inductive reasoning to make conjectures, to test the plausibility of a geometric statement, and to help find a counterexample.//
 * **//G.1.C//** //Use deductive reasoning to prove that a valid geometric statement is true.//
 * // Assessment Strategies //**
 * // Grouping of Students for Instruction //**
 * // Learning Experiences //**
 * // Introduction: //
 * An incomplete **Law of Sines** proof to be filled out will be placed on the overhead to stimulate their prior knowledge of proofs and the Law of Sines. This is Problem 3 on page 29 from the Law of Sines investigation. Assistance will be given if necessary.
 * The teacher will ask if there are any questions on work from the previous day.
 * Any questions will be addressed using an appropriate time frame.
 * // Guiding Questions: //
 * What is **Inductive** reasoning?
 * What is **Deductive** reasoning?
 * What is our current set of minimum conditions to establish similar triangles?
 * // Class work: //
 * Questions 4-8 or 9 as time allows on pages 300-302. The teacher will go through each question provoking responses from the students.
 * The relationship between //x// and //a// (corresponding angles) will be discussed.
 * The main idea (proving similarity in a specific case vs. a general case) will be discussed.
 * Students will continue on as the teacher circulates through the class.
 * // Closure: //
 * Students will be asked if they have any questions on the in-class work or on the homework that is due the following day.
 * //Homework:// //(Due the next day)//
 * Students will be expected to complete any in-class work that was not finished during class.
 * Problem E-2 (Dissection of shapes) on page 314 will be assigned.
 * Additionally a triangle with sides 6, 7, and angle 30 º will be given to find the remaining sides and angles.
 * // Instructional Materials //**
 * White board
 * Markers
 * Overhead Projector
 * Transparencies
 * Textbook: Contemporary Mathematics in Context; Course 3 Part A, Teachers Guide
 * Instructional Plan Rationale **
 * // Learning Targets //**
 * // Assessment Strategies //**
 * // Learning Experiences //**
 * // Research Base //**
 * // Family Interactions //**
 * Reflection 1: ** This lesson was partly a review from a prerequisite class that all the students had to take the previous year. Also it was the lesson my master teacher was going to teach but the day of the lesson (for him) most of the class was gone taking the PSAT college entrance exam. To complicate matters even more my teacher was going to be gone on the day I was teaching. Anyway he wanted me to re-teach this lesson because it was an important lesson. I thought that since I had seen him teach the lesson that it would be smooth sailing for me. Boy was I wrong. Out of all the lessons I have taught (last year) this was the most disastrous. Basically I had a real hard time keeping the class on task because half the class had seen the lesson already. However I was very prepared for the questions I did receive and I was able to keep the kids on task even though it was difficult. I learned that maybe I should have dealt with the kids that had the lesson already in a different way. Maybe letting them work ahead or have a worksheet ready. In the end the lesson goals were accomplished but it was much more difficult than I expected.