Running Head: KEY ASSIGNMENT

Key Assignment

Shelby Teets

Johns Hopkins University

 KEY ASSIGNMENT 1

Key Assignment
Math Workshop Lesson Plan
Feedback provided after submission of Field Assignment 2 stated, “You provided a very detailed lesson plan that not only

shows student understanding, they also provided details into the lesson. Your plan also showed an understanding of the flow of the

lesson and highlighted why specific teacher moves were chosen during the lesson. Continue to unpack this thinking in the Key

Assignment.” Therefore, not many changes were made. However, I did create a rubric checklist for students to peer review each

other’s work to ensure they were fulfilling the requirements of the standard, such as creating the outline of the house through

reflectional symmetry and placing the windows on the side of the house symmetrically so they matched up with the original windows,

etc. I also added a few more materials for students to use to complete the assignment. Revisions to my lesson plan are highlighted in

yellow.

Grade Level Subject: Date:

4th Math—Geometry 03/10/2019

Materials:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyS7HJhIJwg
 Promethean Board-Laptop to show the video (link above)
 Printed photos of Mary Church Terrell’s D.C. home
 Markers
 Rulers
 Pencils
 KEY ASSIGNMENT 2

 Wax paper
 White paper
 Index cards
 Yarn
 Colored pencils
 Scissors
 Construction paper
Lesson Component What will you do? / What will students do?
(Include notes and/or scripts)
Common Core Standards and Goals CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3
Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such
● What content and practice/process standard does
that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric
this lesson address?
figures and draw lines of symmetry.
● Unpack the standard:
o What should students know as the result MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically
of this lesson?
MP.6 Attend to precision
o What should students be able to do as a
result of this lesson? Students should know how to classify and draw 2-dimensional shapes. Students should
● How do you know that students need this lesson? know that symmetry is a quality of something that is made up of the same things facing
(the reason should not be that it is next in the each other on one or multiple dividing lines. Students should know how to identify and
curriculum sequence - it should be based on draw these lines so that the shapes/things inside of what we are drawing a line of
data) symmetry are the exact same on both sides, or that they can be folded into matching parts.
Students should be able to recognize, identify, and know how to draw a line of symmetry
across a figure so it is symmetrical on both sides.
Students need this lesson because both fourth grade classes scored lowest in the domains
of Geometry and Numbers and Operations in Algebraic Thinking on the MAP test in their
Winter scores. Students need additional support in Geometry, and this is one of the
lessons they will be getting to support their academic needs.
 KEY ASSIGNMENT 3

Prior Knowledge This tasks builds upon student’s previous knowledge, life experiences, and culture
because students already know how to identify shapes and the properties of shapes.
● In what ways does the task build on students’
Students are familiar with folding paper to cut out symmetrical shapes such as hearts and
previous knowledge, life experiences and
snowflakes in their art classes and through making crafts in school. The purpose of this
culture? What definitions, concepts, or ideas do
task is centered around a D.C. civil rights hero, whose home still remains standing in one
students need to know to bring to work on the
of the D.C. neighborhoods near Howard University. Since students live in D.C., they will
task?
at least know where Howard University, the neighborhood, or the home are located and
● What questions will you ask to help students
may have visited any of the three prior to this lesson.
access their prior knowledge and relevant life
and cultural experiences? Students will need to know why Mary Church Terrell is a D.C. hero, where her house is,
what a duplex is, why her home now looks the way it does, and have an understanding of
how and why we preserve national landmarks.
Questions I will/may ask (if necessary) include:
 (Show students picture of her house) Has anyone ever seen this house before?
 Does anyone know what a duplex is?
 What do we think happened to this house?
 Who can tell me who Mary Church Terrell is? Anything about her?
 Who knows where Dupont Circle is? Howard University?
 What do you notice about this house and what do you wonder?
Objective I can identify lines of symmetry, figures that have symmetry, and create symmetrical
figures.
● Specific
● Measurable I can use tools/materials appropriately to complete a task.
● Aligned
I can attend to precision when creating a symmetrical figure.
● Rigorous
● Time-bound
 KEY ASSIGNMENT
Assessment
● How will students demonstrate their mastery of
the objective?
● What evidence will you collect to assess
understanding?
● Are assessments differentiated for diverse
learners?
● How will the data inform tomorrow’s lesson?
● Include your actual assessment here.
● What area(s) do you think your students will
continue to struggle with after today’s lesson?
Connect and Engage
● How will you gather background knowledge and
make connections to previous learning (Do
Now)?
● How will you hook the students?
Task
● High cognitive demand
● Culturally responsive, relevant, and/or specific
● Multiple solution paths
● What particular challenges might the task present
to struggling students, students with special
needs, or ELLs/ How will you address these
challenges?
4
Students will demonstrate mastery of the objective by accurately drawing the other half
of Mary Church Terrell’s home on the blueprint paper.
I will look for students’ ability to accurately complete the symmetrical pattern of Mary
Church Terrell’s duplex. If the pattern is completed so that completed duplex can be
folded in half, the shapes and patterns will match up and be identical on both sides.
Learners will be able to use whatever materials they find necessary to complete this
task: ruler, pencil, pen, construction paper, protractor, printed pictures of shapes, glue,
etc.
I think students will continue to struggle with the spatial aspects of this symmetrical
pattern. For example, placing the windows far enough apart from each other so that when
the house is folded in half, they will match up. Students also might struggle with lining up
the shapes symmetrically on the other side of the house.
For the Do Now, I will have students complete the first two questions of the initial task,
which ask them to identify shapes inside of a symmetrical pattern as well as draw two
lines of symmetry through the pattern.
I will hook the students by asking them questions about Mary Church Terrell. I will then
show students a 2 minute video about her life that ends with talking about her house in
D.C.
I will show scholars a picture of her house in D.C. and tell them that there were no
pictures of her house taken before half of the duplex burned down, so we will use
symmetry to draw the other half of the house and see what it was like when it was built.
Scholars will be given a printed photo of her house along with choice of materials for
students to use, such as construction paper, markers, pencils, lined paper, grid paper,
crayons, colored pencils, protractors, rulers, etc.
The first thing scholars will do is Think-Pair-Share how they will begin this task.
Students will be able to discuss their first steps and how they envision completing the
 KEY ASSIGNMENT
● How are tasks differentiated?
Anticipation Part 1
● Explore the task and write/draw at least 3
different solution pathways
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task with one another. This will help students gain additional input/listen to more
perspectives if they are struggling with where to begin the task.
While scholars are T-P-Ring about the task and how to get started, I will circulate and
identify scholars who need additional assistance getting started.
I will allow students to begin the task as they know their next steps. I will suggest one or
two ideas to the whole group before releasing them, and I will work with students one-
on-one who need additional support.
Some students may need the outline of the house provided for them.
Solution Pathway A Solution Pathway B Solution Pathway C
Students will identify the Students will cut out the Students will identify
shapes in the left side of picture of the house and shapes in the house that
the house by either glue it onto a separate they will need to replicate
tracing or circling them piece of paper. They will symmetrically. Students
and/or naming them. identify the shapes in the will freehand or cut out
Students will then draw left side of the house, and these shapes and place
those shapes/the other will fold the paper in half them in the general area
halves of those shapes on to either trace the they should be located.
the right side of the shapes/mark where Students may not cut or
paper. Students may not exactly to put the shapes draw the shapes the same
align the shapes to the on the blank side so they exact size as their
exact symmetrical lines. are symmetrical, or trace it duplicate. For students who
In this case, I would onto the back of the paper struggle to recreate shapes
suggest students use a and from there, be able to that are the same size as
ruler/ protractor/ straight trace it onto the right side their duplicate, I will
edge to line up the shapes of the house. If students encourage students to
so they are symmetrical do this, I will encourage measure either with a ruler
on both sides. them to continue working or to make a mark on a
on the side of the house piece of paper where the
 KEY ASSIGNMENT
Anticipation Part 2
● Which methods do you think students will use?
● What errors might students make?
● What prior conceptions might students have?
Launch
● How will you introduce students to the activity
so as to provide access to all students while
maintaining the cognitive demands of the task?
6
that can be seen in the sides of the shape begin
photograph to push for and end and then to cut/
higher thinking about the draw out those
task. I would then push measurements. I would
students to measure the also encourage students to
angles of/analyze the use a straight edge to line
shapes on the front of the up their shapes, and to later
house. fold the house in half to see
if it is symmetrical.
I think students will likely fold the printed photo in half, as the photo will be aligned on
the left half of the paper, and either cut out the house to get the outline, or trace the
features of the house (windows and doors). I think another method students will use will
be to free hand the drawing of the house by using lined/grid paper or by using a
ruler/protractor to get the right angles as well as straight lines.
Students might make symmetrical errors of not lining up the shapes so they align
exactly with the other side, or they might not be able to draw/recreate the shapes the
exact same size.
Students might have prior conceptions such as the third grade Geometry standards.
These standards call for students to be able to partition shapes into fractions, and
understand the categories and attributes of shapes. These conceptions will be helpful for
students to have for this task because students will be given fractions of shapes and will
need to understand their attributes in order to complete the shapes to make the house
symmetrical.
I’m going to explain to scholars that no one has ever seen a picture of the house before
half of it burned down, and that our goal is to complete the picture of the house.
What does this mean we will be doing? Someone raise a strong, silent hand and tell me
what they think we will be doing today. I will make sure scholars understand that we are
 KEY ASSIGNMENT
● How will you ensure that students understand the
context of the problem?
● What will you hear or see that lets you know
students understand what the task is asking them
to do?
Prepare for Exploration
● What are your expectations for students as they
work on and complete the task?
● How will the students work (individually, small
groups, pairs)?
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recreating the other side of the original house by using reflectional symmetry, and not
designing their own version of the house.
Scholars will be given a printed photo of her house along with choice of materials for
students to use, such as construction paper, markers, pencils, lined paper, grid paper,
crayons, colored pencils, protractors, rulers, etc.
The first thing scholars will do is Think-Pair-Share how they will begin this task.
Students will be able to discuss their first steps and how they envision completing the
task with one another. This will help students gain additional input/listen to more
perspectives if they are struggling with where to begin the task.
While scholars are T-P-Ring about the task and how to get started, I will circulate and
identify scholars who need additional assistance getting started.
I will allow students to begin the task as they know their next steps. I will suggest one or
two ideas to the whole group before releasing them, and I will work with students one-
on-one who need additional support.
Some students may need the outline of the house provided for them.
I will know students understand what the task is asking them to do if they are outlining
the shapes of the house and attempting to draw the shapes on the opposite side of the
house that match the current shapes. I will know students don’t understand the task if they
are not drawing the same shapes that are on the house, such as a rhombus, triangle, large
circles, etc. For example, if students are designing their own house, this will tell me they
do not understand the task.
I expect that students will work on the task independently. Students will be expected to
choose from the provided materials and use the ones that will best suit their projected path
to complete the task.
Students will begin working in pairs to determine their strategy, the tools they will use to
complete, and their final project. Then, students will work independently to complete their
work. Students will be working at tables with 4 students at each table. They will be able to
 KEY ASSIGNMENT 8

● How long will they work independently and in use the ideas of other students and do some quiet collaboration with the people at their
groups/pairs? tables, however students will turn in individual assignments.
● Will students be grouped in a particular way? If
Students will be grouped by their pre-assigned seats in the classroom that are based on
so, in what way?
behavior and ability.
● How will students record and report their work?
Students will record their work on paper in some way. They can use glue, more paper,
pencils, pens, markers, rulers, etc., to draw/create the other half of the house, but the final
product needs to be turned in on paper.
Exploration ● Which shapes have you identified in the house?
● Where are they located in the house?
● As students work independently or in small
● What are some ways we can draw those shapes?
groups, what questions will you ask to:
● Let’s think about those shapes…do they have straight lines? Angles? Edges? Are
o Help a group get started or make progress
they round? How many sides do they have?
on the task?
● Knowing what we know about the shapes, what tools do you think we should use
o Focus students’ thinking on the key
to best draw these shapes? Maybe a ruler? Protractor? Could we use scissors and
mathematical ideas in the task?
construction paper to cut out the shapes?
o Assess students’ understanding of key
● What are some ways you’ve made symmetrical shapes in the past? Have you ever
mathematical ideas, problem-solving
folded a piece of paper and cut out one side of a heart, then when you unfolded
strategies, or the representations?
the paper it was a full heart and looked the exact same on both sides?
o Advance students’ understanding of the
● What does it mean to be symmetrical?
mathematical ideas?
● Using this rectangle here, how would we make this symmetrical on the other side
o Encourage all students to share their
so that it lines up with this one?
thinking with others or to assess their
● Try that out. Did it work?
understanding of their peers’ ideas?
● What might work better?
● How will you ensure that all students remain
● Notice how _________’s house is symmetrical. Let’s ask them how they did it
engaged in the task?
and see if you can use any of their strategies.
● What assistance will you give or what questions
will you ask a student (or group) who becomes I will ensure all students remain engaged in the task by giving them a checklist rubric.
quickly frustrated and requests more direction Students will check off this rubric when they have drawn the outline, when they have
and guidance in solving the task? placed the windows on the house, when they have identified which shapes are in the
standing house that will be transferred to the other half, etc. I am going to give this rubric
 KEY ASSIGNMENT
● What will you do if a student (or group) finishes
the task almost immediately? How will you
extend the task as to provide additional
challenge?
● What will you do if a student (or group) focuses
on non-mathematical aspects of the activity (e.g.
spends most their time making a poster of their
work)?
● How will you monitor student thinking?
9
to students halfway through exploration time, and have them get with a peer to check their
work for them. They will circle ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to indicate if student has made certain
progress on their assignment, such as drawing windows, making them symmetrical, etc.
Students will get their rubric back and half the rest of the exploration time to fulfill the
requirements of the assignment with guidance from myself or quiet collaboration with
peers at their table.
Students who require more guidance will be pulled into a small group. I will G-R-R
model strategies with them that either they have tried, or other students in the room have
tried that have been successful.
If a student or group finishes the task immediately, I will have them complete the rest of
the house. The initial task is to complete just the front wall of the home. However, there is
more to the left side of the house that students can add to the right side. Additionally, the
students who complete the task at a faster rate will be asked to apply Measurement and
Data thinking to the drawing of the house. They will be given a protractor and will be told
to measure the angles on the house that are measurable and identify right angles, acute
angles, and obtuse angles.
If a student or group of students focuses on non-mathematical aspects of the activity, I
will refer them back to the rubric checklist so they know they need to be placing windows
on the house, the door, etc. I will also remind students it needs to be symmetrical.
I will have students complete a brief reflection survey about the task so they can begin to
prepare their thoughts for the Congress portion of the lesson.
 KEY ASSIGNMENT
Congress
● How will you orchestrate the class discussion so
that you accomplish your mathematical goals?
● What solution paths do you want to have
shared during the class discussion? (looking
for students who show strong understanding of
_________, or highlight someone struggling
with identical shapes”
● In what order will the solutions be presented?
Why?
● In what ways will the order in which the solutions
are presented help develop students’
understanding of the mathematical ideas that are
the focus of your lesson?
● What specific questions will you ask so that
students will:
o Make sense of the mathematical ideas that
you want them to learn?
o Expand on, debate, and question the
solutions being shared?
o Make connections among the different
strategies that are presented?
o Look for patterns?
o Begin to form generalizations?
● How will you ensure that, over time, each student
has the opportunity to share his or her thinking
and reasoning with their peers?
● What will you see or hear that lets you know that
all students in the class understand the
10
I will bring students back together at the end of the class and ask students one question at
a time. I will have them sitting in a whole group setting and will have students think-pair-
share for each question. We will have a class discussion surrounding each question. We
will be discussing the questions that students answered in their reflection survey.
One question I will ask students is to share the pathway they used, which will be asked in
the reflection survey. Students will discuss their pathway process and share similarities
and differences between their pathways. I am anticipating that there will be groups of
students who will have the same pathway and there will be multiple students who can
explain their one pathway to the class and we can do this for all pathways.
The solutions will be presented as the most common pathway first, then the next common,
then the least. I will do this because the pathways will be a little different each time and it
will help scaffold the least common train of thinking for the majority of the class who did
not complete the task this way. This way, the more abstract thinking patterns can be
explained last. Getting the students exposed to abstract thinking one step at a time will
help them understand and be more open to other pathways.
 Is there more than one way to complete this task?
 What steps did you follow to complete your task?
 How is that similar to or different from the students at your table?
 Ask your fellow scholars questions about their strategies.
 What do you notice about the way _________ completed their task?
 What do you wonder about the way __________ completed their task?
 What is one thing all of these pathways have in common?
 If you were to use this pathway to complete the task, what first and second steps
would you take?
I will ensure that each student has the opportunity to share their reasoning/thinking with
their peers because students will first complete a reflection survey when they finish the
task which asks them questions about how they finish the task. Then, students will think-
 KEY ASSIGNMENT
mathematical ideas that you intended for them to
learn?
● What talk moves will you use?
● How will you collect data?
11
pair-share their answers to a peer. This way, all students have thought about their response
and shared their response with one other person.
I will hear students asking other students questions about their method. I will hear
students sharing their reasoning behind their method. I will see students thoughtfully
tracking and listening to their classmates’ explanations of their pathway.
I will collect data on a student watching tool while students are participating in their
discussion. I will take notes on students who I know are quiet/reserved first, during the T-
P-R, and then take notes on the other students who share whole group, ask questions, etc.
Additionally, I will be able to read the reflection surveys that students completed when
they finished their task for students I am not able to collect data on during the discussion.
 KEY ASSIGNMENT 12

Closure I will connect student strategies by asking students what was similar/different about their
pathway and their peers’ pathways and what all of these pathways have in common.
● How will you connect student strategies?
● How will you pursue an understanding of I will pursue an understanding of divergent viewpoints by asking students, “Is there more
divergent viewpoints? than one way to complete this task? Is there more than one way to complete other tasks?”
● How will you orchestrate a summary of salient and telling them that it is OKAY to think differently and it is great to think differently
understandings? because we all have different brains and strengths and skills.
● How will you collect data?
I will give students an exit ticket asking them to summarize what they learned about
symmetry and what they learned in class in general.

Reflection
Implementation
The launch went well, however it was a little hectic at first. For an assignment like this, chaos is to be expected, however more

students needed help getting started than I anticipated (6-7). I anticipated at most, I’d have a group of 5 on the carpet getting additional

assistance. Teacher moves I used that helped student understanding in whole group before I allowed students to begin were Think-

Pair-Share, whole group discussion, and checks for understanding. I ensured students knew expectations of the assignment before

showing them the materials available for use. When I showed them the materials, I held up each material and named it. Then, I had

students think for 30 seconds about what they would use and how they would use it to accomplish the task. After that, I had students

share their ideas with a peer while I circulated and listened for ideas I wanted students to share whole group that could give other

students ideas. I had one student share out their idea to the whole class first. As she shared, I held up the materials she explained she

would use and modeled how she would carry out her task. For example, she was going to use wax paper to trace the original house,
KEY ASSIGNMENT 13

then flip the drawing over and glue it onto a piece of white paper, so I held up a piece of wax paper to the picture of the house and

imitated flipping the wax paper over onto white paper. I asked students who had different ideas and modeled each of them until four

different ideas were shared. Most of the ideas involved using the wax paper to trace or using blank white paper to trace, then flipping

the traced drawing over and gluing onto one paper. I conducted one check for understanding before letting students begin to ensure

they knew what they were about to do, since it would be mostly independent. I then released students one table at a time to get

materials. Students did this quickly because they already knew what materials they were going to use. Students who knew what they

were going to do began right away and then students who did not were pulled onto the carpet. For the students who got started right

away, I knew I equipped them well because they already knew the pathway they would take, the materials they would use, and the

expectations of the assignment before even getting their materials. For students who were slow to start, I showed them the different

possibilities to complete the task and then allowed them to work together on the carpet to complete the assignment. I selected and

sequenced according to my revised lesson plan, which helped students assess their work and their peer’s work in order to self-monitor

the pace and quality of their work.

When students got to the Congress portion of the lesson, they were equipped for the discussion. I prepared them by

implementing a lot of student-centered discussion surrounding the assignment. I printed the discussion questions on the back of the

rubric checklist so that when students complete their assignment and/or the over achiever task, they are able to reflect upon their

experience completing the assignment. When time was over for students to work on their assignment, students were able to finish up
KEY ASSIGNMENT 14

their reflections. We discussed their reflections through Turn and Talks, then we had a whole group discussion. Students were well

equipped to participate in discussion about their work and their peers’ work.

I anticipated that students would trace the picture of the house and then flip and glue it to create the other half of the house. I

was able to anticipate this pathway by completing the assignment myself. When the students learned about reflectional symmetry, a

few different strategies were modeled for him, such as folding the shapes in half and tracing. These strategies helped students learn the

concept, which is why they applied them or similar strategies when completing a task related to reflectional symmetry. The materials I

made available suggested certain strategies. For example, the wax paper is transparent and good for tracing.

Data Analysis of Student Work

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This student understands the concept of line of symmetry, as it is clearly highlighted in red by the student. The “Do Now”

resonated with her and the concept of reflectional symmetry. We can see she understands reflectional symmetry due to the outline of

the house and each aspect of the photograph being flipped over the line of symmetry in relatively the correct place.

Weaknesses include that the shapes aren’t formed in exact, straight lines, despite having the resources to do so. Students were

provided rulers and protractors. The student could have misconceptions about shapes and straight lines. Another weakness is the

student’s attention to precision. The two halves of the pattern are separated when they should be connected. They should be able to

fold the pattern in half to create the line, not create the line and have the line separate the pattern. The window at the top isn’t a

complete circle—it is separated by the line of symmetry into two different halves of a circle.

This student demonstrates Van Hiele Level 1 thinking: Analysis (Van de Walle 2019). She was able to copy the properties of

the shapes (4 equal sides for squares, 4 total sides with 2 different sets of equal sides for rectangles) and she completed a circle. She

also understands reflectional symmetry as two sides that are identical that can have at least 1 line of symmetry.
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This student understands transitional symmetry which is demonstrated by the outline of the house. Instead of a reflection, she

simply slid the figure along the paper. She can identify and transfer/recreate shapes from one half of a pattern to the next, such as the

top two windows.

This student didn’t understand the concept of reflectional symmetry. Another weakness was her attention to precision. The

shapes are not drawn exactly as they should be and are not proportionate to the size of the original.

She demonstrated Van Hiele Level 0 thinking—Visualization. She is able to recognize shapes, such as the outline of the house

and the rectangular windows; but not able to recreate them exactly or identify reflectional symmetry, which would be the next level of

Van Hiele mathematical thinking (Van de Walle 2019).

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This student is able to identify and recreate shapes, such as the circular window at the top and the three other rectangular

windows, therefore telling us that he understands the properties of shapes. The student also understands reflectional symmetry based

on the outline of the house and how shapes are in general area they should be for reflectional symmetry.

Weaknesses of this student include his attention to precision. This is evident in the fact that the circular window at the top

doesn’t line up to make a circle. The outline of the house isn’t exact and the other half of the house is larger than the original. Another

weakness is the fact that the student didn’t use appropriate math tools strategically. He could have used wax paper to trace or a

ruler/protractor to draw the straight lines of the shapes or outline.

This student demonstrates Van Hiele Level 0 thinking—Visualization. He is able to recognize shapes, such as the outline of

the house and the rectangular windows; but not able to recreate them exactly or identify reflectional symmetry, which would be the

next level of Van Hiele mathematical thinking (Van de Walle 2019).

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This student is able to recreate shapes to proportional sizes of their original. This is evident with her illustration of most of the

windows. She also understands reflectional symmetry. We can see this understanding in the outline of the house. The shapes are also

mostly same size and in the general area they should be to make this house reflectional.

A weakness of this students is her attention to precision. Two shapes aren’t precisely copied or even rectangles as they should

be, which are the outline of the French windows and one of the French windows. Another weakness is the student’s failure to utilize

materials provided for her in a strategic manner. She could have used a ruler to create straight lines/edges on the rectangles. She also

could have traced the shapes using wax paper.

This student demonstrates Van Hiele Level 0 thinking—Visualization. She is approaching Level 1—Analysis. She is able to

recognize shapes, such as the outline of the house, the circular window at the top of the house, and the rectangular windows and

almost recreate them exactly or identify reflectional symmetry, which would be the next level of Van Hiele mathematical thinking

(Van de Walle 2019).

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This student shows an understanding of reflectional symmetry, which is evident in the tree, the sign, and the circular window.

All of these objects are drawn on a line of symmetry and flipped over that line. Another strength of this student is his ability to

recreate shapes using their properties. This is evident in the sign and the French window.

Weaknesses for this student include his conceptual understanding of reflectional symmetry. This was not understood fully. We

see this in the outline of house. It seems that it was created using his imagination of what an outline of a house should look like.

Another weakness includes following directions of the assignment and the reasonableness of it. The tree is not part of the house and

shouldn’t have been included in the drawing as a line of symmetry, the line of symmetry should be where the house ends.

This student demonstrates Van Hiele Level 0 thinking—Visualization. He was able to understand the concept of reflectional

symmetry, however not fully apply it to all of the geometrical shapes. He applied this concept to a tree, a sign, and one of the

windows, however only one of the rectangular windows (Van de Walle 2019).

Conclusion

Revisions I would make to the lesson include: modeling precision for the students on maybe the first window either in the

beginning of the lesson or after students have completed the peer rubric checklist. In addition to modeling the precision, I would have

shown students how to use the math tools appropriately. These are two of the biggest weaknesses of students’ assignments. Modeling

these two strategies appropriately before releasing them to complete the task would have prevented most of my students from making

these same mistakes. One last revision I would make is to model a short reteach of the concept of reflectional symmetry at the very
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beginning of the lesson. A lot of students’ issues centered around their misconception of reflectional symmetry. Students did not fully

understand that the shapes need to reflect to match the original exactly. Students thought that if they saw a square, they could reflect a

square of any (or similar) size in any reflected position, rather that the same exact size and same exact reflected position.

As a result of this experience, I have learned that in order to get students truly invested in math work, it needs to be culturally

relevant. Students were so excited to learn about Mary Church Terrell because she was a D.C. hero they never knew, whose house is

located down the street. They also got interested in the house because it looked very interesting—it was literally a half of a house.

When I showed them the picture of the house, they were very curious about why it was “half of a house” and how it got to be that

way. After telling them the back story and that our goal was to create a photograph of the original house, they were very excited to be

able to “create history.” I also learned that it is important to ensure that students fully understand or have a solid understanding of the

mathematical concept at the core of the task before allowing them to work on it without teacher assistance. For instance, if I had

checked for understanding about how students should be placing the windows/doors on the opposite side of the house, it would have

been more helpful to help students with their precision and reflectional symmetry. Students were able to show me they understood

reflectional symmetry for the outline of the house because I conducted a check for understanding specifically for that piece, but not

how to make the windows and doors symmetrical. These are two completely different skills of reflectional symmetry, however I had

not anticipated them being different levels of difficulty.

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Tensions that arose within my host teacher as I went to implement this task was the fact that she completely skipped over the

Geometry module in Eureka Math. This was something I had to plan for in advance, as I had to conduct a symmetry mini-lesson the

morning before enacting my task with my students. This is a major reason for a lot of the conceptual misunderstandings that students

had when completing the task. Their exposure to reflectional symmetry was reduced to about 30 minutes of instructional time before

engaging in my lesson. My attempt to resolve this tension was to create a mini-lesson that was “college style” where students watched

two videos about reflectional symmetry and took notes about the concept in order to get backwards classroom feel like in college.

Then, I had students complete the Do Now, which was the original task I chose from Illustrative Mathematics, in order to assess their

students’ understanding of reflectional symmetry. I quickly assessed student understanding as a class, then conducted my planned

mini-lesson accordingly and cleared up as many misconceptions as possible. This helped me anticipate student misconceptions for the

task. Ideally, this would have happened as a normal lesson over a period of 1-2 full class periods so I could have planned for the

misconceptions in my lesson planning for the task. However, this was the situation I was presented with my host teacher.

I am better prepared to teach math workshop in the future because I know that when I have my own classroom and I am

teaching the curriculum in preparation for a task such as this, I will be able to assess student understanding of the core concept of the

task over multiple lessons. This way, I will be able to better anticipate student misconceptions during the task. Additionally, I now

know to analyze each part of my lesson for misconceptions and not just the core standard or concept. For example, the practice

standards, attention to precision and use appropriate tools strategically, were included in my lesson plan and I did not plan for those
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misconceptions. Since these were two of the biggest weaknesses, it is clear that it was because I did not anticipate the misconceptions

for them or model them accordingly before releasing students to complete the task.

References

Common Core Standards Writing Team. (2013, September 19). Progressions for the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics

(draft). Grades K–5, Geometry. Tucson, AZ: Institute for Mathematics and Education, University of Arizona.

Mathematics Standards. (2019). Retrieved February 20, 2019, from http://www.corestandards.org/Math/

Smith, Margaret Schwan, and Mary Kay Stein. “Selecting and Creating Mathematical Tasks: From Research to Practice.”

Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 3 (February 1998): 344–50.

The Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. (2017). Inside Mathematics. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from

http://www.insidemathematics.org/

Van de Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2019). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching

Developmentally (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

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Appendices
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Appendix A
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Appendix B
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