Units and Lessons
Unit Plan
As part of a requirement for my Teaching Seminar, I had to compile a unit plan. I completed this requirement during my first placement where I was teaching Algebra 1 to 8th graders. This specific unit plan was designed for advanced and average students. My rationale for the unit plan and list of objectives can be found here.
I planned out this unit to be 15 days long. It ended taking me a total of 17 days to complete the unit plan because certain topics required more time to be explained and practiced. The unit calendar explains the outline of the unit with which I intended to keep pace. The textbook that I used as a guide was McDougal Littell Algebra 1 copyright 2007. Underneath this paragraph, I have a list of lessons that go along with this unit. In each lesson plan, I have the note sheets that I gave to the students to as a guide for my explanations. I thought it was a good idea for the students to have a physical copy of the notes, so they can concentrate on the lesson instead of having to copy all the notes down. I also have sample worksheets in the lesson plans that I used as guided practice and homework. At the end of each lesson, I have a reflection on my opinion of how the lesson. More reflections will be discussed later on this page.
Lesson 1: Section 4.1 Plotting Points on the Coordinate Plane
Lesson 2: Section 4.2 Graphing Linear Lines
Lesson 3: Section 4.3 Graphing Using Intercepts
Lesson 4: Section 4.4 Slope
Lesson 5: Section 4.5 Slope-Intercept Form
Lesson 6: Section 4.7 Linear Functions
Lessons
This section is dedicated to other lessons that I have taught. These lessons do not have reflection written after them though there is a space for them. The lessons that have my name at the top are in the lesson plan format which is required by Albright College. However, I am open to using whatever lesson format is required by the school district. The file labeled as Oley lessons are in the lesson format that my co-operating teacher uses at Oley Valley High School. Oley Valley School District does not have a set format that is required to be used by teachers. However, my co-operating teacher believes that this format best fits him as a teacher.
Areas of Circles Lesson (Geometry)
Discount Lesson (Algebra 1)
Discount/Tax Lesson (Algebra 1)
Trigonometric Identity Proofs Lesson (Trigonometry)
Oley Valley Lessons (Geometry and Trigonometry)
Sample Assessments
Formative Assessments
Most formative assessments are completed in the classroom during the lesson. However, when I allow students to work on guided practice with their peers, I like to have a look into what they are thinking while completing the assignment. Occasionally, I like to collect their worksheets to give them participation points as well as see how much of the lesson the students understood. Below, I have a sample of sheets that I have created and later collected from the students.
Review for Areas of Polygons Exam (Co-taught Geometry)
Discount/Tax Practice (Algebra 1)
Interior Angles Ticket-Out (Co-taught Algebra 1)
Summative Assessments
Summative assessments are veyr popular in mathematics because math is learned in clumps. Within units, there is a natural break where a teacher may insert a quiz (long or short) as well as tests. The first link is to the unit test from my unit plan. The school district in which I was teaching had premade tests that I was required to use. I was allowed to modify them depending on how much of the material was taught, but I had to use these exact questions. Other samples are quizzes I made up for the students.
Unit Test Part 1 (Algebra 1)
Unit Test Part 2 (Algebra 1)
Parts of a Circle Quiz (Geometry)
Reflections
As a requirement for student teaching, I must keep a journal where I reflect on all of my experiences as well as lessons that I taught that day. Below, I have chosen a few quotes from my journal. To see more specific relfections, please look in the Units and Lessons section where I have detailed reflection for my unit plan.
"I taught my first lesson today, and it was on stem-and-leaf plots. I was teaching the students who are considered to be advanced. I expected to pick up the topic pretty fast because it is just a way to organize data. I believe that they understood the concept. The students have seen stem-and-leaf plots in seventh grade, and there were very few questions when I walked around the room. In eighth grade, the curriculum goes a little deeper into interpreting stem-and-leaf plots."
"Most of the day was similar to yesterday. I finished the lesson about box-and-whiskers plots in period 10. However, there were behavior issues while I was teaching. Even though period 10 is typically very talkative, the students would not let me get through the remainder of the notes. From what I gathered, the majority of the class understood the lesson. I felt as if I went at a good pace. A couple of the students complained that I was going too fast."
"The first section was simple because it was a review on plotting points on the coordinate plane. The next section gave them trouble just like the upper section had trouble. The students needed to solve equations for y, but they were getting confused by the two variables (x and y). They wanted to isolate x instead of y. I could tell the students were getting frustrated because they did not understand why I wanted to isolate y instead of x. First, I changed the equation to the way it was needed in order to graph it. We created a table of values and plotted them on the coordinate plane. After we graphed the equation, we compared the two equations. The difference was that one had y equals and the other had something additional on the side with the y."
"Today was my first experience of getting students back into the habit of learning. After a four day weekend, the students were not in any kind of mood to learn math. I needed to motivate the students and have an easy start. In most of the classes, I took it easy by reviewing what we did on the last day. It was a good way to reinforce what they should already know."
"In these classes, I know I can go at a faster pace because these students are able to understand concepts faster. However, I am not used to changing from one period to next. From 6th to 7th period, I go from a co-taught class with IEP students to the second highest class. I need to create a switch where I change how I speak to the students and how I pace the class. Even though not all high ability can learn independently, these students are used to the routine of seeing one or two examples and complete the rest of the problems on their own. It will take time for me to adjust quickly in a matter of 4 minutes during the transition from period to period."
Student Work
In my first placement, I was teaching four sections of Algebra 1. However, each section was getting through the curriculum at a different pace. The fast-paced class got to the point in the curriculum where they were learning about graphing linear equations. At the end of the chapter, I gave them a project called "The Stained Glass Window." The student used their graphing skills to graph lines, and then they colored in the pieces to create a stained glass window. Below, I have a picture of the bulletin board that I created with their windows.
For the co-taught sections at my second student teaching placement, I liked using quick quizzes because they did not take long to complete. They also gave me an idea what part of the problem I need to particularly emphasize.
The first link contains both a good and bad quick quiz on parts of a circle.
It is important to display both a good and bad quiz because I need to take into account the range of understanding in the class. I recall that on some of the quizzes, a couple of the students switched certain parts of a circle such as the chord and the secant. This particular student was not able to make connections such as the relationship between diameter and radius. If one can name the diameter, then one should be able to name a radius and vice versa. This student needs be told the connections in order to succeed on the bigger quiz.
After the previous quick quiz, I gave this bigger quiz to emphasize parts of a circle. Once again, I have both a good and bad grade.
Parts of a Circle Quiz--A Parts of a Circle Quiz--D
Overall, the 'D' quiz is not bad. Only one part of the quiz was not well done because the student confused the difference between central and inscribed angles.
A couple of my students doodled pictures for me. Whenever a student finished early during a test or quiz, I always give them the option to doodle something for me that I can hang up in my classroom. I usually encourage something math-related.
One of my jobs on campus was being a tutor. I tutored mostly math courses from elementary statistics through calculus 2. One of the students I tutored was particularly appreciative of my help. After her final, she sent a thank-you letter to my campus mailbox. (At the end of the letter, she put her signature. I liked her signature because it was creative which is what I expected from an art major. However, I covered her name to protect her privacy.)
