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Lesson

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan #: 1 - Mission Control

Lesson Overview: Students struggle in math class to use language to communicate their

learning. This activity will show students the importance of precision in problem solving.

Resources or Materials Needed

ActiveInspire Lesson 1

Scale and Tracking Sheet

Questionnaire

Pre-Test

Cardboard or manila folders

Pattern blocks or tangram sets with space bag

Performance Objective:

GIVEN A SET OF POLYGONS, THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO ASK

CLARIFYING QUESTIONS TO USE TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SHAPE,

ORIENTATION AND LOCATION OF THEIR PARTNERS POLYGONS 4 OUT OF 5

TIMES.

GIVEN A SET OF POLYGONS, THE STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO USE PRECISE

MATH WORDS TO USE TO TALK ABOUT SHAPE, ORIENTATION AND LOCATION

OF THEIR PARTNERS POLYGONS 5 OUT OF 5 TIMES.

GIVEN TIME TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT A PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITY,

STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO PERSEVERE IN FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS G IVEN

BY A PARTNER 4 OUT OF 5 TIMES.

Time

This lesson should take one 90 minute math period.

 PRE-
INSTRUCTIONAL
Gain Attention: ACTIVITIES

Open up the Lesson 1 ActiveInspire lesson. Click on the sound link on the first page showing

the lesson target. Space Oddity by David Bowie will begin playing as students are coming into

the classroom. Pattern blocks will be in the middle of each group. You will click on the right

arrow on the ActiveInspire lesson to move through the lesson. Each page will have the lesson

steps embedded into the flipchart.

Informing learners of the Objective:

As we start each lesson, go over and discuss the learning target and how it is related to the big

picture. When you are able to ask specific questions about word problems to gain answers, more

often than now, you will have a better understanding of what is really happening in the problem.

I will be able to ask questions using precise math words to get solve a problem.

CONTENT
PRESENTATION

On page 2 of the ActiveInspire lesson, click on the sound link in the upper right hand corner.

This will start the classical music that will be played throughout this lesson.

Connect prior knowledge

Ask students who has ever played with pattern blocks. Has anyone ever played the game

Mastermind? How about Battleship? Let students know that today, they will be playing a

game where they are in outer space and they need to find their way home.

Presenting the Stimulus

With your partner, we are going to play a game using this blinder and the pattern blocks. You

need to pick one person to be Mission Control (the one designing the initial pattern block
design), and one person who will be The Space Ship Crew Member (the person that is re-

creating Mission Controls design). For the first mission to outer space, we will start easy and

will only use two blocks. Mission Control gets to decide which blocks to use and which design

to create. Mission Control takes time to create their design using these few rules:

1. all blocks must have sides touching

2. blocks cannot be put on top of each other, they must be flat on the desk

Are you ready to get started?

LEARNER
PARTICIPATION

Providing Learner Guidance

Space ship crew members have to listen to mission controls description of the position and

shape they created. Mission control will be the only one talking. The more precise directions

they give to the crew members, the better chance the crew members have of re-creating the shape

of the pattern blocks. Once Mission control has finished describing the blocks, the space ship

crew can ask clarifying questions. Crew members will then try to re-create the shape pieces

based on descriptions Mission Control gave.

Eliciting Performance

Once the Crew members have finished their design, lift up cardboard blinder. At this point, if

the layout the same, they made it back safely to Earth. If the layout is different, the crew

members were lost in space!

After this first round, take some time as a class to make list of descriptors for all groups to see

and use when Mission Control is describing their design. For the second round, add another

shape so Mission Control is working with three shapes.

 ASSESSMENT
Provide Feedback

Teacher is coming around to each group, listening to Mission Controls use of precise

mathematical language. If need be, step in and discuss the list of descriptors that were created by

the class. Each round, student groups can add another pattern block (making sure the block is

the same for Mission Control as the crew members).

Assessing Performance

As the math period comes to a close, ask students if they found their listening got better

throughout the day. Precise language is important for successful problem solving. How did the

language you used chance throughout the course of the game? Was this game frustrating for you

or your partner? If so, was that because it was difficult to use the precise language like long

edge or vertex or rotate so that...?

FOLLOW-THROUGH
ACTIVITIES

Enhancing Retention and Transfer

Let students know that they will be given one more chance to make it back home safely from

outer space, and in the next round, students will not show each other the blocks that are being

used, Mission Control will have to describe them for the crew mission.

Assessment

Entry behaviors and prior knowledge will not need to be tested for this lesson. Click on the

Socrative link. This will take you to the online assessment page where each student will take a
quick post-test at the end of the lesson which they will have to match terms with definitions.

After completing the Socrative quiz, students will need to look at and mark their grade for

todays lesson on the tracking sheet, looking at the scale for reference.

Follow-through activities

Students will be quizzed periodically on descriptions for shapes as a whole class, an exit pass out

the door, and with other problem solving activities. Not only am I wanting students to be able to

describe shapes using precise language, students need to be thoughtful of the questions that are

being asked of them. When solving math problems, I will stop and ask a student to restate what

is being asked using math language. After completing Mission Control, students will know

what it is that I am asking them to do.