Clinical Interview

Rationale for Student Selection

I have chosen two students in 5th period, whom will be referred to Carly and Alex.

For the past couple weeks as I have been observing the class and working one on one with them
on their classwork and homework, Carly would often be struggling and ask for help. However,
when carefully explained the material she would understand the different concepts instantly. She
is generally quiet and well-behaved but she is also vocal about her thoughts and confusion during
our conversations.

I also chose to work with Alex because he seems to have a strong foundation in math. He is quiet
and does not voluntarily participate in class. However, when observing him do his work, he
would be finished before most of his classmates and he was able to explain his process.

The Task
MAFS.7.NS.1.1
Apply and extend previous understandings of addition and subtraction to add and subtract
rational numbers; represent addition and subtraction on a horizontal or vertical number line
diagram.
a. Describe situations in which opposite quantities combine to make 0. For example, a
hydrogen atom has 0 charge because its two constituents are oppositely charged.
b. Understand p + q as the number located a distance |q| from p, in the positive or negative
direction depending on whether q is positive or negative. Show that a number and its
opposite have a sum of 0 (are additive inverses). Interpret sums of rational numbers by
describing real-world contexts.
c. Understand subtraction of rational numbers as adding the additive inverse, p – q = p + (–
q). Show that the distance between two rational numbers on the number line is the
absolute value of their difference, and apply this principle in real-world contexts.
d. Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract rational numbers.
Process
I will start the interview by asking the students how they feel about math in general and what
prior knowledge they have on positive/negative integers and subtraction. I will explain to them
that the purpose of this interview is to follow their thinking and that there are no right or wrong
answers during this process. I will also let them know that I will be using pseudonyms for them
in my interview.

I will then ask the students the following questions on a separate worksheet (see below):
1. Sally has 10 apples. She gives 4 to her teacher, 2 to her best friend, and 1 to her mom.
How many apples does Sally have left? Use a number line to show your work.
a. This question will see how the student uses a number line to subtract a positive
integer from a positive integer. I will be observing the procedural knowledge of
the student and they will be given a number line for this word problem.
2. Ms. Smith has 32 crayons in her classroom. After a day of coloring with her students, she
lost 32 crayons. How many crayons does she have left? Use a number line to show your
work.
a. This word problem will see how they find 0. I will be observing to see if they see
the answer right away or if they use a number line.
b. Some questions I could ask are “how did you find this?” “what does it mean when
something is 0?”, “what’s another way you could find this answer?”. For this
question, I will also be observing the structural knowledge of the student as they
set up their number line.
 3. A submarine is 10 feet underwater and it goes down 2 more feet every hour. How many
feet below sea level were they after 3 hours? Use a number line to show your work.
a. I will observe their knowledge on subtracting negative numbers from a negative
number. This word problem also requires understanding of multiplication and
addition.
4. What is -9-4? What is -9+(-4)? Are these numbers the same? Why or why not?
a. From the standard, I will be observing their knowledge on adding the additive
inverse.
b. I would ask questions such as “why do you think this works?” and “are these two
problems the same?”

Throughout this interview, I will be observing their prior knowledge, their thinking, and any
misconceptions that they may have. During the interview, I would ask them questions about their
knowledge on number lines and see how they use a number line to complete the given tasks.

Starter Material
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/early-math/cc-early-math-add-sub-100/cc-early-math-add-
sub-100-word-problems/e/adding-and-subtracting-on-the-number-line-word-problems

I looked at example problems on Khan Academy to form my questions that will be used during
this clinical interview. Khan Academy is an online learning space where students can watch
videos and work on practice problems. I chose this resource because it is reflective of what
students learn and see in school.

References
I did not use any other resources when writing my concept and task.
 Subtracting on Number Lines

1. Sally has 10 apples. She gives 4 to her teacher, 2 to her best friend, and 1 to her mom.
How many apples does Sally have left? Use a number line to show your work.

2. Ms. Smith has 32 crayons in her classroom. After a day of coloring with her students, she
lost 32 crayons. How many crayons does she have left? Use a number line to show your
work.

3. A submarine is 10 feet underwater and it goes down 2 more feet every hour. How many
feet below sea level were they after 4 hours? Use a number line to show your work.

4. What is -9-4? What is -9+(-4)? Are these numbers the same? Why or why not?