LESSON PLAN

TEACHER Jennifer Conlin and Joseph Gangoo

Subject/Class/Course Math
Topic Chapter 13 Decimals
Grade Level Grade Four Duration Appx. 40 Minutes

Objectives/Outcomes (Indicate GCO and SCO) (Indicate SCO in student friendly language)
GCO: Develop Number Sense.
SCO: N9 Describe and represent decimals (tenths and hundredths) concretely, pictorially, and symbolically.
SWBAT: describe and represent decimals in the tenths and hundredths place value.

Introduction: Appx: 6 minutes

Welcome (1 minute): Begin the class by welcoming students’ and briefly introduce to today’s teachers, as well as
todays topic - Decimals. Next, go over the Agenda and the SCO (both need to be written on the board). Make sure all
students have a copy of the handout, so they can follow along with today’s lesson.

Attention Getter: “Class” … “Yes” … (Practice this one or two times).

Agenda:
1. APK Activity: Decimal song and discussion (Jen).
2. Mini Lesson on Decimals and place value puzzle (Joseph)
3. Main activity: Mosaic (Jen)
4. Exit Slip (Joseph)

SCO: Students will be able to describe and represent decimals in the tenths and hundredths place value.

APK (5 minutes): There are two components to this APK. The first is a 2.40 minutes video and the second is a group
discussion.
1. Video (concrete/pictorial): You will first watch a short video about decimals. Please pay attention to key
words that appear in the video. Specifically tell the students to listen for Place Value, Fractional Values, How
Values Can Change (write these three terms on the front board for reference – we will add to this as students
provide their response during the class discussion).

Stress the importance: These terms are essential to understanding the APK. C4U: who is able to explain what
the three terms are that we are going to be listening for? ___________________ can you please help me
out? Thank you. C4U the rest of the class (thumbs up if this makes sense, thumbs down if it does not, thumbs
to the side if more explanation is needed).

2. Discussion (concrete/symbolic): Students will have 2 minutes to discuss before bringing the conversation
together for a large group discussion.

Now that we have ‘woken-up’ what we already know, at your table I would like for you to discuss the terms
we listened for in this video (Place Value, Fractional Values, How Values Can Change). You will have two
minutes to discuss this at your tables.

Note: Direct students’ attention to the handout. Explain: write down your thoughts about place value,
fractional values, and how values can change in the APK section of the handout.
 Explain: Your discussion should be focused on what you already know or what you learned about Place
Value, Fractional Values, How Values Can Change. Remind students: It is ok if they do not have a fully
developed answer at this time, but it is ok because they can add to their notes throughout the
class/presentation. When the two minutes are up I will call upon one table to explain one term in their own
words, and so on until we have exhausted the list (ask other tables if they have thought of anything else, make
sure the answers are written on the board).

C4U: Does this make sense? (Thumbs up/side/down). What are we going to be doing during our table
discussion, ___________ can you help me out?

While students are engaged in their learning, the teachers are listening to conversations, assisting students as
needed, and checking for understanding.

Thank students for their work and pass their attention to Teacher Joseph.

Assessment
The triangulation of assessment: Observations, conversations, and products.

Students will be able to express their knowledge of decimals by manipulating concrete, pictorial, and symbolic
examples.

Formative – Observations and Conversations: will be measured in the classroom by listening to student’s
conversations before, during, and after activities. The teacher(s) will be checking for students understanding before
moving on to another section of the lesson plan.
1. The first formative assessment (for learning) is the APK (watch, think, write), students will have a focus
question to think about while they are watching the video (pay attention to the following terms). Which will
be discussed at their own tables with their table partners. Students will have 2 minutes to discuss before
bringing the conversation together for a large group discussion. While this is occurring, teacher is listening to
conversations, checking for understanding, and noting if there are specific parts about the topic that will need to
be spoken about in detail (during the mini lesson).
2. The second formative assessment (for learning – teacher decides what to do next, provides descriptive
feedback) is during the mini lesson. Students will be working in small groups completing a matching activity.
Each group will have to match a variety of decimals to the spelt out decimal number. Students will have to
explain how they got their answer. Teacher will ask questions to see if others agree or disagree with the answer
and encourage multiple ways of achieving the answer – if any.
3. The final formative assessment (as learning – student reflects, self-monitoring) will be at the very end of class.
Students will use the 3-2-1 exit slip. Teachers will use this to check where students are in their learning
(relating to decimals) and where they need to take the lesson for the next class.

Summative:
1. There is one summative assessment (of learning – teacher evaluates and provides feedback) in this class, the
mosaic. This assessment will demonstrate the students understanding of decimals as a visual as well as an
abstract number (we are bringing all the pieces together). Students will need to create a mosaic on a 100 grid
and then write the decimal for each colour used on their mosaic. Keep it simple (use only 5 colours).

Develop the Instruction Appx. 30 minutes

Joseph: Mini Lesson Here: we will now direct the students’ attention to the SMART board where we will be doing a
presentation on a decimal and how they can be taught effectively in the classroom. We will state the place values of
decimals, the line of symmetry or the decimal point, and briefly, the relationship of fractions to decimals. We will also
discuss the many ways you can teacher decimals in the classroom. We will check for understanding with a thumbs up/
thumbs down.

Decimals remember to direct student’s attention to the handout each time an answer is discussed in the presentation.
place value: represents part of a whole. Each time you move one place to the right, the value decreases by a factor of
1/10 or 0.1. The numbers are based on symmetry (it is a reflection after the 1.).

Decimals represent parts of a whole, as well as mixed numbers: an example of a mixed fractions 3 1/10, an example of
a whole fractions 3 0/10 or 3.

Decimals can be read in more than one way: 3.2 = 32 tenths or three and two tenths, or three ones and two tenths.

While Joseph is presenting, Jen is walking around the classroom observing and writing causal term on the board.

Activity (symbolic/concrete): This activity is to make sure students understand the language associated with decimals.
Students will have 3 minutes to figure out the puzzle and the last two minutes will be used to go over the answers. This
activity should take about 5 minutes.

Moving on to the activity, I would like you will take the next three minutes to work with your peers and solve the
“place value puzzle.” Your task is to match the word with the decimal. There is a baggy in the basket on your desk,
which has a place value game. For this activity students are to work with their peers (at their table) and try to determine
what decimal number goes with which place value (ask a student to repeat the instructions). Can one person from each
table grab the baggy and hold it up in the air. Great, can you take all the pieces out and place them face down on the
table while I start the timer, thank you. Tell the class to begin once the timer has started and go around the room
checking for understanding and helping students as needed. Once the timer has gone off, get one student from each
table to share one of their answers, repeat until the answers are exhausted. Have students state their answer verbally and
hold the card from their seats).

Check to see if all the answers on the handout have been completed (with the exception of the backside, which will be
completed at the end of the lesson – as a self-reflection piece).

Mosaic Extension activity (Concrete/pictorial/symbolic): This activity should take appx. 15 minutes (2 min
explanation/C4U, 5 minutes to colour the mosaic, 5 minutes to figure out the place value, and 3 minutes of sharing on
the Elmo).

Who can tell me what a mosaic is? Great, lets refer to the handout you will be using (show on the Elmo, Students have
a choice of which template they would like to use). Tell students: A mosaic is a piece of decorative art. Most mosaics
are made from small pieces of glass or stone that have been cut and shaped into smooth circles or squares (sort of like
sea glass we can find at Parlee Beach). In the Roman community, this art form would have been hung upon the wall in
someone home or covering various parts of the Roman street. In the Roman community, Mosaics were a symbol of
wealth and importance.

The instructions for The Mosaic activity are below:

To practice what we have learned about decimals today, we are going to pretend that we are Roman architects and
artists about to create our own Mosaic blueprints. There are a few important steps that we have to take, as
professionals, before we can send our blue prints to the manufacturers. These steps are as follows:
1. Choose 5 colours.
2. Create your design.
3. Fill in the decimal ratio below (this is important because the manufactures need to know how many stones of
each colour they need to produce so you can bring your blueprint to life).
4. Name the purpose of your mosaic (is it to be hung on the wall, or is it going to decorate a street in your
community?).
Explain: Class … Yes… You will have 5 minutes to create your mosaics, and then an additional 5 minutes to fill out
the equation box at the bottom of the mosaic handout. Pick a student for C4U, ask thumbs up/ to the side/ down for
general classroom understanding.

When the timer sounds ask 2-3 students to share their mosaics – use digression, if the student talks a lot move on the
Exit slip. Thank the students for sharing. Thank the students for their hard work.

Closure Appx. 5 minutes

Before ending the lesson, wrap things up.
Exit slip - (3, 2, 1). Joseph (5 minutes)
As we bring this lesson to a close, I would like for you to take a moment to reflect on what we have done today. In the
basket on your desk there is a reflection sheet “3, 2, 1 Exit Slip” I would like for you to write 3 things that you learned,
two things that you found interesting, and one thing you still have a question about. You will have 2 minutes to do this.

Once students are finished, ask one or two students’ if they feel comfortable sharing.

Materials, Technologies, Safety or Special Considerations

Materials:
o Handouts – Mosaic and exit Slip (in a separate document called “Decimal Lesson Plan Handouts”).
o Decimal matching game – one per table.
o Decimal engagement handout (to follow along during the presentation).
o Pastels.
o White Board.
o Pencils.
o Erasers.

Technologies:
o Elmo.
o Power Point Presentation.
o Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JB3bNfLqEM

Special Considerations:
o Go around to students and check for understanding (when teacher is not instruction)
o Write notes and things people say on the board – so everyone knows what is going on. Good for referencing
later.
o Activities were created with other subjects in mind see grade 4 cross curricular below.

Cross Curricular:
Art:
o Development of Imagery:
o GCO – Create an art work, independently, based on memory, observation, imagination, fantasy, mood and in
response to expressive art forms, e.g., dance, drama, music and literature.
o (SCO) demonstrate self-confidence and eagerness toward their art production, expression and discussion

Sources:
o https://ww2.kqed.org/education/2016/08/23/watch-think-write-and-other-proven-strategies-for-using-video-in-
the-classroom/
o https://www.mathsisfun.com/decimals.html

Reflection/Rational
Joseph and I chose to present the chapter on decimals in this way because we felt that allowing our peers to have a
hands-on approach with decimals is something that will help students learn in the classroom.

We first looked for our outcome, Students will be able to describe and represent decimals in the tenths and
hundredths place value, and from there looked for activities that would help us meet our outcome while engaging our
peers.

A few things in this chapter that we felt were especially important for our peers to learn is the mathematical
terminology used when discussing this chapter. Specifically, we wanted our peers to have a firm understanding of what
place value (thousands, hundreds, tens, ones, (.) decimal point, tenths, hundredths, thousandths, etc.) fractional values
(which are based on ‘tens’), and how values change (as the numbers move to the right – there is a symmetry after the
decimal point that is sort of like a mirror).
In the creation of this lesson plan, we learned, there a lot of different activities around the topic of decimals. However,
it is difficult to find good activities that will help us meet our planned outcomes – which is why we had to take a step
back and think about how we were working to assess the outcome of our peers. Since this was a presentation, and we
only had 40 minutes to provide a few activities and assessments, we thought we should keep it simple and use checking
for understanding, small group and large group discussions with teacher interactions and observing/ listening to
students’ conversations), an individual/ casual hands-on activity, and a self-reflection piece.

Joseph and I felt that the self-reflection assessment was one of the most important for this assignment because this is
something that we will use for ourselves as teachers – as well as something that we can use with our students. We home
that our peers will be able to use this reflection as a way to check for their own understanding of decimals and a way
that they can check in with themselves to see what they know and what they would like to know a little more about.

In addition to finding ways in which to assess learning and planning appropriate activates, is preparing for the lesson.
This takes almost as much time as planning the lesson. We had to look for all of the materials in advance, print things
off (thank you Stewart) and have everything organized before the students come into the classroom. This can be a scary
thing if we had not planned in advance. I know we will be at school early, so that we can prepare before the students
arrive to class. Being prepared for class is also very helpful when thinking about classroom management. When things
are organized there is less of a chance for unplanned disruptions – because the students are not waiting for the teacher
to get their stuff together.

Overall, Joseph and I found this to be an extremely effective experience. Not only are we provided with a snap-shot of
how things will be in the classroom (sort of) but we also have been provided with the experience of working with other
professionals – which is essential to working in the school system. Joseph and I worked well with one another, I feel
that we each were able to contribute to this assignment by using out strengths and supported one another by talking
things through when things did not make sense.