Nina Willbach
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Term III
Math
Math Lesson Plan
WHAT/HOW/WHY:
In aligning with the state standards for 3rd grade math, Ive witnessed a big focus on
multiplication and division for students in Room 207. For the most part, they seem interested in
the various strategies presented, and seem to be developing a better grasp on methods for solving
multiplication and division problems. What Im curious to see in my lesson is if they can apply
these strategies to a task that is not explicitly presented as a division problem. By offering a
longer-form task, I hope students will break the problem into more bite-sized pieces, utilizing
prior knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The idea mirrors aspects
of the Problem Centered Learning approach, developed by scholars at the University of
Stellenbosch, who state a need for presenting computation problems that are meaningful and
interesting to [students], but which they cannot solve with ease using routinized procedures or
drilled responses. (Hiebert et. al., 1997, p. 115). The part that will feel especially new for my
students is that they are being asked to determine for themselves which operations and strategies
the task requires. My goal is that they will rise to the challenge and experience themselves as true
mathematicians who can make mathematical sense of a real-world situation.
The hypothetical setting for my task is South Philadelphia, where we all live. I wanted to
use the idea of a South Philly Review delivery person because the SPR newspaper is a very
common, tangible object that circulates around South Philly homes. I chose this scenario because
a) its relatable and therefore a more equitable entry-point through which to approach math, and
b) our neighborhood has numbered streets, lending itself very well to a mathematical task. Given
the setting for my task, students will walk away with more than simply a memory of having
completed the tasktheyll think of it when they see the SPR sitting on their stoop at home, and
again when they read the numbered street signs on their way to school, hopefully inspiring some
further mental math and driving home the idea that math is truly everywhere.
In addition to directly addressing 3rd grade mathematical standards relating to
multiplication and division, my task helps students work towards the Common Core
Mathematical Practices 3, 4, and 5. MP3 states that students should be able to construct viable
arguments and critique the reasoning of others. In the last portion of my lesson plan, students
have time to explain the strategy they used to the rest of the group. This is a time to understand
classmates reasoning and make sense of a variety of strategies. MP4 states that students should
be able to model with mathematics. This is truly the core of my lesson, which gives a local,
real world scenario, and asks students to make sense of it mathematically. Lastly, MP5 states that
students should be able to use appropriate tools strategically. I am purposely giving students a
wider range of tools so that they can decide for themselves which ones make sense. The tools
and strategies offered are not in themselves the goal, but rather act in service to the bigger
priority of solving the task at hand.
Of the five dimensions involved in lesson-planning, I already explained how my plan
addresses task, tools, and equity. As for discourse, Im intentionally presenting an open-ended
question that leaves out any specifics regarding mathematical operation. Student discourse will
be in the form of explaining answers and engaging with one another to understand the strategies
Nina-thanks for this thoughtful overview of your thinking
about this lesson. You have clearly done careful
thinking and planning about what you are going to do
and why. We need to parse it out a little into clearer
sections and then beef up some of the parts to better
meet the intentions of the assignment.
Start by dividing this up into the 3 components of the
Core Decisions: What, How and Why should each be a
separate section.
The What Section needs to focus deeply on the
mathematics that you want your students to grapple
with. Put the specific task and the larger context of the
lesson aside. Identify the CONTENTor the WHAT--
that you want students to explore. This will likely
include both mathematical content and mathematical
practices. You should be using CGI, OGAP, the
Common Core Progressions, and Chapin and Johnson
to help you unpack these concepts. In other words:
what is the meaning of multiplication that you want
students to understand? What kind of
strategies/approaches/thinking are they likely to
engage in to get to this meaning. What is the meaning
of division that you want students to understand? What
kind of strategies/approaches/thinking are they likely to
engage in to get to this meaning. And what challenges
might kids encounter as they wrestle with these
concepts. Then dig in to the related practices. What
kind of modeling with mathematics do you want them
to do? How do you want them to use tools
strategically? What kinds of arguments will they be
constructing and critiques will they be making?
Teachers usually have to conceptualize the concepts
that they need to teach first and then figure out how to
convey that content to students. They dont (usually)
start with a task idea and then think about what content
it represents. Make your discussion in this section
focused just on that content. The How section will be
the space in which you get into the specific way that
you will engage students in the concepts you lay out in
this section.
The How Section should indicate specifically how you
will get the students to grapple with the math concepts
that you describe in the What Section. So now you are
considering how to get kids to understand the content
that you identified in the What Section. This includes
the following. 1) The teaching approach you will take
(e.g.: inquiry-based problem solving). 2) Specific
strategies you are going to employ (e.g. students will
work collaboratively to solve a task; I will facilitate a
group discussion in which students present their
strategies and others will question and critique their
ideas). 3) Targeted explanations of the 4 dimensions of
teaching mentioned: tasks, discourse, tools norms.
What task will you use, and how will it help the students
to grapple with the concepts you laid out? How,
specifically, will the discourse be structured in order to ...
Commented [2]:
we used. Norms enforced during the lesson include respecting each others thinking process and
respecting the tools being used.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES: Commented [3]:

SWBAT identify the appropriate mathematical operations to solve a multi-step task. Good start. What about the multiplication? The
division? What is it you want them to understand about
They will be able to use, understand, and articulate a range of strategies to solve the task. those operations, in isolation, and in relationship to
each other.
STANDARDS:
CC.2.2.3.A.1 Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division
CC.2.2.3.A.2 Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between
multiplication and division

MATERIALS + PREPARATION:
-copy of the South Philly Review in its plastic
-foam square counters Commented [4]:
-any other available manipulatives How are you thinking these might be used?
-number line Commented [5]:
-white boards + markers What are you thinking here? What kinds of things?
What would they be used for?
-notebooks + pencils
-sheet-protected printouts of map of South Philly highlighting Mifflin St east of Southwark
School Commented [6]:
All seem reasonable, but againfor each, how are you
thinking that it will be used?

CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT + MANAGEMENT: Commented [7]:

The lesson will begin at the guided reading table, which is located in an intimate area of the This makes sense and seems smart. You need to
respond to this part of the prompt from the template:
room ideal for working with a small group. The table will allow my group to sit in a semi-circle, Anticipate concerns likely to arise related to space and
with each student being more or less equidistant to me. After the initial explanation of the task, I materials how you will address them.
will offer the carpet as an additional option for where to carry out the task. This will enable more
physically active students to move around, and will ensure that all students have enough room to
work.

PLAN:
1. Before
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a. 3 mins. hook: Show students my copy of the South Philly Review newspaper. Ask Its worth thinking about what you will do if no one
them what it is and where theyve seen it before. (Anticipated responses: on our stoop!) Ask recognizes it (unless you already know that they know
how the newspaper arrives at their stoop. .Make sure students have knowledge that a what it is).
newspaper delivery person hand-delivers these papers to every South Philly residence. Commented [9]:
b. 6 mins. Present them with maps of South Philly in sheet protectors. The map will be Excellent thinking!
approximate, modified slightly to show that each city block contains 12 houses each. The map Commented [10]:
will be zoomed in to Mifflin St, depicting the side of Mifflin between Southwark (our school) Niceare you doing this yourself?
and the Delaware River. Allow brief period for questions about maps in which we establish Commented [11]:
knowledge of a) what a map is, and b) the fact that numbered streets intersect Mifflin St. Another good idea. How are you planning on
establishing these things? Will you tell them? Will you
ask questions? If you are going to ask questions, how
might you phrase them?
 c. 6 mins. Present The Task, written on chart paper: Ron has 45 newspapers to deliver.
He wants to deliver one newspaper to every house on the south side of Mifflin St between 3rd st Commented [12]:
and 7th st. There are 12 houses on every block. Will he need any more newspapers to complete Is this likely to require clarification? If yeshow will you
plan to do that?
his route? Will he have any leftover? Give time for clarification questions, making sure students
fully understand what the task is asking. Check for understanding by asking students to show me Commented [13]:
How will you do this?
on their map where Ron will be delivering newspapers.
d. 2 mins. Explain that students may work individually or together, using whichever Goldsmith-Markey, Lindsay Thompson
materials they find useful. Show students the range of materials they may use to complete the Yes! Wonderful idea.
task: manipulatives, maps previously handed out, whiteboards, notebooks, number lines. Allow Commented [14]:
them to spread out between the guided reading table and the carpet. Im glad you left time for this. Sometimes people forget
that this will have to happen. Nice job!

2. During: 15 mins. Students work on task using whichever materials they choose. They are free Commented [15]:
Nice overview of your plan. Add in some specific things
to collaborate and ask me clarification questions. However, I will not explicitly state which you will be doing as you circulate and specific ways
operation to use or which strategy I myself would use. As the students work, Ill circulate to (including tentative wording for questions/prompts) that
observe their strategies and ensure they continue to understand the task at hand. If students use you might ensure they continue to understand the task
at hand.
manipulatives or whiteboards, Ill make sure they know not to erase their work.
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How will you pose this to the groupwhat directions
3. After: 8 mins. Students will share out their strategies and answers. Each student/group will will you give, or question(s) will you ask?
explain how they got to their answer and what materials they used. Other students may ask
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questions or give compliments. When necessary, Ill ask students to elaborate on their process to So this is a norm you will want to mention earlierin
ensure they explain why they used their specific strategy and how they can be sure they got the the How section.
right answer. Ill encourage students to explain if there were roadblocks along the way and how Commented [18]:
they persevered. What are some questions or prompts that you might
use here.
ANTICIPATING STUDENTS RESPONSES: Commented [19]:
1. Strategies: I anticipate many students choosing to use the actual maps I hand out, as they are Great! Can you describe how they might use them?
a relatively direct model of the task. I also anticipate students will use the number line, as it Commented [20]:
mirrors the linear nature of Mifflin St. I anticipate students may use strategies like repeatedly Againcan you describe how?
adding 12s for each city block, and subtracting 3 from 7 to understand the distance between Commented [21]:
3rd and 7th street. If any students simply plug in the numbers from the written task into a Good that you are considering this and how to deal
with it.
nonsensical equation, I will gently guide them towards using a model IOT better understand
the actual context of the task and what its asking. Commented [22]:
Everything you have said here makes sense. I think
you are right that a main confusion may be about how
2. Potential confusion: I anticipate that students may be confused by such an open-ended task, to get started/what problem they are solving. One way
as theyre used to being told at least which type of operation to use. My intention is that a to help kids who cant get started at all, is to ask them
to tell you the story of the problem in their own words.
real world (and local!) problem will motivate them to persevere beyond their initial
confusion. I anticipate that students may directly ask me Is this a multiplication problem? You also need to consider specific mathematical
Although Ill refrain from answering this outright, Ill make sure to give them extensive confusions they might encounter (think about
confusions determining the number of blocks and
explanation for the real life scenario were dealing with so they trust that I want them to confusions determining the number of newspapers).
succeed and know Im not trying to trick them. Think also about how you will respond to each of these
by sketching out possible questions you could ask or ...
3. Managerial challenges: Some students may be hesitant to complete the task, as its so much Commented [23]:
more open-ended than what theyre used to seeing. I anticipate that with proper explanation Whats your plan for students working
together/independently? How will partners get chosen?
and time for fielding questions, we can move past that hesitance. I anticipate there may be a How will people choose where they will work?
little chaos over using manipulatives. For students who choose to use physical manipulatives
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(i.e. foam counters), Ill enforce the class norm that these are tools, not toys. Right! Thats one of the reasons that setting up the
task is so importantand you have been really ...
ASSESSMENT OF GOALS CHECKLIST:

Name Understands uses appropriate able to explain answers problem Commented [25]: What would count as appropriate?
action in task strategy strategy aloud correctly
(subtracting for Commented [26]: Would it make sense to have an
number of blocks, additional column indicating area(s) of struggle? Im
just thinking that this column tells you yes or no, but no
then using details about what went wrong if something went
division/multiplicati wrongdoes that make sense?
on to assess
excess/insufficienc
y)

ACCOMMODATIONS:
By allowing students the option of working in groups, hesitant students are able to learn
from/collaborate with more math-confident peers. Im also allowing students to use a broad
range of strategies, so that they may choose the one that works best for them. There are specific
check-in times during the lesson to ensure understanding, such as when the task is explained, and
when I circulate as they work. If any students complete the task during the allotted time, Ill
encourage them to use a second strategy in order to check their initial answer. Commented [27]:
This is a good extension. It is also worth thinking of a
follow up task to have in your back pocket as well in
case you have very early finishers. It could be
something like--Robs friend Elia gets sick and needs
him to do two and half of her blocks. How many extra
newspapers will Rob need? No expectation that any
will get to it, or that you will go over it, but at least you
are prepared with something that will continue to
engage someone who is ready to move on. What do
you think?