DIFFERENTIATING MATH

Teacher: Mrs. Mania

Date: September 29, 2014
Math / 4th grade
Materials:
Slates, markers, textbooks, computers, task cards, paper, pencil, Promethean board, simple house drawing, drawing paper,
notes from math journal.
SOL 4.10 The student will
a) Identify and describe representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles,
including endpoints and vertices; and
b) Identify representations of lines that illustrate intersection, parallelism, and
perpendicularity.
Lesson objective(s): The student will use problem solving, mathematical communication,
mathematical reasoning, connections, and representations to
Identify and describe representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles, including
endpoints and vertices.
Understand that lines in a plane can intersect or are parallel. Perpendicularity is a special case of
intersection.
Identify practical situations that illustrate parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular lines.
Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs:
During the whole group lesson the teacher will be using a variety of learning strategies to connect with all learners.
During centers, students will meet with teacher for elaboration on objectives.
Visual-Promethean board activities, arms signals, slate board work
Auditory-Lecture, sharing with partners
Kinesthetic-drawing on slate boards, coming to Promethean board, drawing with markers, arm signals.
ENGAGEMENT:
TW display simple house drawing on document camera, ask, Do you see a rectangle? Where is the line segment?
points? (door knob) lines (road in front of house), line segments (roof-side of house), rays (sun), angles (corners
of house and roof), including end points and vertices. Review definitions: Have students come to the Promethean
board to demonstrate, ray, line segment, line, intersecting, angles, endpoint, vertices, parallel, perpendicularity. Model how
to label and write symbols for each one. Use the simple drawing of a house to correctly label as a guide.
EXPLORATION:
SW identify and label as many line segments as they see in the house drawing on their slates, share out, repeat with rays,
and lines. SW now focuses on angles, NOT right angles, (roof line & chimney) intersecting lines (show crossed arms).
Search for RIGHT angles-called perpendicular (show arms in a plus sign), TW ask, Are perpendicular lines also
intersecting? (YES, they are a special kind of intersecting lines). SW search for lines that lie in the same plane and
NEVER touch, PARALLEL lines (show fore arms being parallel). Demonstrate how to write parallel (II)

DIFFERENTIATING MATH

EXPLANATION
To reinforce learning the name and definition of each of these plane geometric elements, have students
use their arms to model a point (closed fist), line (both arms out, fingers pointing), line segment (both
arms out, closed fists), ray (both arms out, one hand pointing, one closed fist), and angle (both arms out,
not necessarily in a straight line). Show a video on the Promethean board.
ELABORATION. Small group center according to level.
Have students create their own drawing based on your instructions: (1) Draw two line segments; (2) add
one angle to your drawing; (3) add four lines; (4) add three rays; (5) label six points. Have pairs of
students compare drawings for similarities and differences.
Higher level thinking:
Why are arrows placed at the ends of lines? Arrows show that the lines go in opposite directions without ending.
Compare and contrast, parallel and intersecting and perpendicular lines: Parallel lines are different from intersecting
and perpendicular lines because they never meet. Intersecting and perpendicular lines have a meet point, Perpendicular
lines form a 90-degree angle, and intersecting lines do not.
EVALUATION: check of homework, small group formative assessment when we meet in centers. Whole group formative
assessment when using slate boards for answering questions. Exit ticket: What did you already know in todays lesson?
What did you learn new today? What do you have questions about?

DIFFERENTIATING MATH

Differentiation of 4th Grade Math

Barbara Mania
Regent University

DIFFERENTIATING MATH

Rational
This lesson plan was developed in order to meet the Virginia Department of Education,
Standards of Learning (SOL) for 4th grade math objectives 4.10; The student will indentify and
describe representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles, including endpoints,
and vertices; and identify representations of lines that illustrate intersection, parallelism, and
perpendicularity (p. 26). The Virginia Beach Public School (2010) district objectives go even
further when stating, the students should understand that lines in a plane can intersect or are
parallel, and that perpendicularity is a special case of intersection, creating a 90-degree angle.
This lesson plan was designed to meet both state and district objectives. The use of an
unlabeled house drawing focused the students attention on the importance of labeling lines, rays,
endpoints, line segments, angles correctly to bring about understanding when describing each
item. The use of the Promethean board allowed for visual learners to have clarity when pointing
out features and practice labeling. The strategy of using hand and arm signals to remember
endpoints, lines, rays, parallelism, intersection, and perpendicularity helps engage kinesthetic
learners. Students learn best when you start instruction at where they are at in their
understanding of the topic. This lesson is differentiated in four areas: content, process, products,
and environment within the centers. Student homework will act as a review of this lesson, the
exit ticket the student will be required to fill out before ending center work and will be used as a
formative assessment to check for understanding.
Reflection
I created this lesson for two main reasons, first, to practice teaching in an area where I have

DIFFERENTIATING MATH

little experience. I watched my cooperating teacher use all her skills and knowledge to teach 4th
grade math flawlessly, and I want very much to possess those skills. Second, there are

three levels of math abilities in our classroom, AL-above grade level, OL-on grade level, and
BL-below grade level, and each group needs to be taught at the level they are at, to have the
greatest chance of success. Each group has a mixture of visual, audio, or kinesthetic learners
within the group, and meeting their learning needs is what differentiation is meant to accomplish.
Even with the objectives being presented in several ways, this material will have to be covered
many more times, in a variety of ways for all of the students to understand and retain the
knowledge. During the explanation, a video was shown of a 4th grade class singing a geometry
song and using hand signals. The video is fun and allows for the students to get up and out of
their chairs for a little movement and singing. The video was played several times so all the
students could learn the words and movements. It was easy to do a quick assessment to check
for understanding during this time as the students were all animated and focused on learning the
movements to the song, all while learning geometry! Math does not have to be boring. The
elaboration portion of the lesson plan affords the students an opportunity to follow some simple
directions (always needs practicing) and be creative when they draw on their slate boards any
design of their choosing, using my directions of exact things to use; lines, endpoints, angles,
rays, labels, parallel and perpendicular lines. A quick assessment of watching students drawing, I
(the teacher) could tell who was still having trouble grasping the objectives. The first run
through of the activity, and the students just drew simple items on their boards. After we
reviewed the boards and they saw the creation some of the students came up with, the
imagination floodgates opened and the students asked to repeat the activity. We did another
round of directions and drawing, extended time was given to a created flex group, for the

DIFFERENTIATING MATH

students who showed a lack of understanding. At the end of the activity, I taught the process of a
gallery walk to the class. During this activity, the students place their work on the top of the

desks, or tape up on a wall all around the classroom. The students then walk around to view the
work on display, as if they are inside a museum or gallery. After returning to their seats, a
conversation is held to hear students impressions of their fellow classmates work. This activity
was used throughout coursework at Regent, to help with meeting differentiation for visual
learners and to accommodate those students (ADHD) who are unable to sit for extended periods
of time. With a focus on meeting each student at their level before instruction began, and
differentiating the process, content, products, and environments throughout the math lesson,
when the summative assessment was given more than 95% were given an expert rating on the
class rubric, while the other 5% received a practitioner level.

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Reference
Virginia Department of Education. (2009). Mathematics Standards of Learning Curriculum
Framework. Commonwealth of Virginia. Richmond, VA.
Virginia Beach Public School Objectives. June (2013)