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ELEMENTARY UNIT/ LESSON PLANNING COMMENTARY

Your Name: Crystal Puentes
Date: 04/16/14
Unit/Lesson Title: Add numbers with multi-digit addends and estimating
Grade Level and Content Area: Third Grade
Number of Students: 28
Total Amount of Time: 40-45 min

1. Learning Goals/Standards: What concepts, essential questions or key skills will be your focus? What do
you want your students to know at the end of this unit/lesson?

The lesson objective is for students to learn and review how to add numbers with mulit-digit addends. They
will also be asked to round numbers to the nearest thousands place.

2. Rationale: Why is this content important for your students to learn and how does it promote social justice?

The content is very important for my students to learn because it is something that they will be required to know
and practice in third and fourth grade. Their ability to add numbers with multi-digit addends will further assist
them in moving forward and learning new mathematical material. This content promotes social justice because
the students will be asked to work collaboratively to learn the material. Focusing on their ability to complete
group and pair shares, while completing the seven steps of SWUN Math, the students are given different
opportunities to engage and participate throughout the lesson. Allowing each child to have an equal chance to
learn the material, when the teacher is in need of additional assistance, the students will also be chosen
randomly through the use of equity sticks and two equity dice.

3. Identifying and supporting language needs: What are the language demands of the unit/lesson? How do
you plan to support students in meeting their English language development needs (including academic
language)?

The students will be exposed to the following vocabulary: multi-digit addends, estimation, ones, tens, hundreds,
thousands, ten thousands, and hundred thousands place, sum, working form, regroup, and addition. By
providing independent work opportunities, pair shares, and group work, students will be given the chance to not
only learn from their peers, but they will also be exposed to conversations where the vocabulary will be used
throughout the lesson.

4. Accessing prior knowledge and building upon students backgrounds, interests and needs: How do
your choices of instructional strategies, materials and sequence of learning tasks connect with your students
backgrounds, interests, and needs?

The students recently began reviewing how to round 4-5 digit numbers and add 2-3 digit numbers. Because
SWUN Math is a district mandated mathematics curriculum, the students have been exposed to completing the
seven steps in acquiring the material where they are able to interact with the information being learned in a
variety of different ways. By modeling, implementing guided practice, then allowing the students to work
independently and in groups to complete and check their work; the students are able to feel supported as they
review and relearn the lesson on adding numbers with multi-digit addends. Especially since my students really
enjoy singing and dancing, incorporating a song with kinesthetic movements will assist my kinesthetic and
musical leaners in acquiring the information.

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5. Accommodations: What accommodations or support will you use for all students (including English
Language Learners and students with special educational needs, i.e. GATE students and students with IEPs)?
Explain how these features of your learning and assessment tasks will provide all students access to the
curriculum and allow them to demonstrate their learning.
All learners will be given the opportunity to engage with the material being presented through the incorporation
of group work, song, kinesthetic movements, and individual activities being presented. To assist students with
special needs, the completion of the seven steps for SWUN Math will aid them in engaging with the lesson. In
addition, all of the students will be given the opportunity to work with their table groups and the teacher if need
be. Lastly, because SWUN Math is more student-centered and emphasizes their ability to work together to
solve each problem, there is no differentiation that will occur during the lesson in terms of the workload. But to
assist every child in acquiring the information, the students are given the opportunity to work collaboratively in
order to come to a common consensus on the answers and procedures to solve each problem.

6. Theory: Which theories support your unit/lesson plan? (explain the connections)

A theory that I believe supports my unit/lesson plan is Barbara Rogoffs, Jean Laves, and Etienne Wengers
Community of Learners. Guiding students as they interact, learn, and engage with the material being presented;
the teacher is rather the mediator as the students work collaboratively to solve each problem. In addition, I
believe Nel Noddings, Angela Valenzuelas, and Sonia Nietos theory on Caring is also closely tied with my
lesson. Providing the students with a variety of ways to interact with the material, the students needs and
interests in the classroom are incorporated into the lesson. Demonstrating their knowledge and background
information on the topic, the students are able to become educators to one another as they complete the
assignment. Overall, appreciating their participation and their thought process in completing each problem, all
of my students abilities will be cherished and valued demonstrating the amount of care we have for one another
in the classroom.

7. Reflection: (answer the following questions after the teaching of this unit/lesson) What do you feel was
successful in your lesson and why? If you could go back and teach this learning segment again to the same
group of students, what would you do differently in relation to planning, instruction, and assessment? How
could the changes improve the learning of students with different needs and characteristics?

I think that the lesson went very well. My students really enjoy singing and dancing together so being able to
incorporate songs and kinesthetic movements really helped them understand the material. I think checking for
understanding and having a few whole group responses was very beneficial. However, I think that if I were to
teach this lesson again, I would include more collaboration and pair shares. There is value in students doing
work independently, but there is also great value in having students work together to come to a common
answer. Therefore, by allowing my students to work with one another throughout the lesson, they will all be
given the opportunity to access the material in a different way. Also, because there are several steps to SWUN
Math, I think that I would speed up a few areas of the lesson to ensure that the class is able to finish everything
in the given amount of time. There were a few steps that were skipped because we were behind schedule, so
making sure to time myself may assist me in staying on track. In the end, although there were a few things that
I would do differently, I am very pleased with how the lesson went and I am looking forward to continuing the
lesson tomorrow.

**COMMENTARY IS REQUIRED FOR ALL UCLA ELEMENTARY FORMAL OBSERVATIONS **