This is a lesson I created as part of a graphing unit I taught during my practicum in a third grade resource classroom. The activities were developed from a variety of online resources and the lesson is written in the format required by Fontbonne University. One of the hallmarks of the teacher preparation program at Fontbonne is becoming a reflective practitioner. This lesson plan sample includes my reflection after teaching the lesson. I believe reflection is necessary to hone my teaching skills and determine the success of the lesson. It has become a valuable part of my lesson planning process.
Fontbonne Lesson
Plan
Grade Level: Third Grade Resource - Math Length of Lesson: 45 minutes_____
Title of Lesson: Tally Ho: Learning to Use Tally
Marks
I. Prior Knowledge
·
To
assess prior knowledge I will use a riddle and discussion to determine what the
students already know about tally marks.
II.
Goal(s): Students will learn to use tally
marks to collect data and solve problems.
(Show-Me Standards: Number &
Operations MA:5 1.10; Algebraic Relationships MA:4 1.6, 1.10; Data &
Probability MA:3 1.2, 1.6, 1.10; Reading CA:2, 3 1.5, 1.6; Listening &
Speaking CA:5, 6 1.5, 1.10; Informational Literature CA:5 1.5, 1.7, 2.7)
(GLE: Number & Operations
MA1:A; Algebraic Relationships MA1:B, 2:A;
Data & Probability MA1:A, C,
2:A; Reading CA1:C, D; Listening & Speaking CA1:A, B; Informational
Literature CA2:A)
III. Learner
Outcomes
·
After
practicing counting and making tally marks, students will independently collect
data on a tally sheet with 100% accuracy. (Knowledge, Comprehension,
Application)
·
After
compiling data on individual tally sheets, students will work cooperatively to
create a tally chart displaying the information with 100% accuracy. (Knowledge,
Comprehension, Application)
·
Using
the chart they created, students will solve problems on an exit slip with
100% accuracy. (Knowledge, Comprehension, Analysis, Synthesis,
Evaluation)
IV. Assessment of Learner
Outcomes
·
I will
use observation and a checklist to determine whether students could accurately
count and make tally marks. (Outcome #1) (DOK: Level 1, 2 and
3)
·
I will
use observation and a checklist to determine whether students could accurately
record data on the chart. (Outcome #2) (DOK: Level 1, 2, and
3)
·
Exit
slips completed by the students will be collected to determine if they were able
to accurately solve problems using the tally chart. (Outcome #3) (DOK: Level 3
and 4)
V. Procedures Outline
1.
Introduction/Anticipatory
Set
a.
I will
introduce the lesson by presenting the students with a math riddle.
(Knowledge)
Using Power Point slides I will
give the following clues:
·
What
can be used to help keep score?
·
Used
to count?
·
Bundled into groups of five?
Students should guess TALLY
MARKS.
b.
I will
ask students to tell me what they know about tally marks.
(Knowledge, Comprehension,
Analysis, Evaluation)
·
What
do they look like?
·
What
do we use them for?
·
What
rules do they know about making and counting them?
Together, we will create an
anchor chart with the information students share about tally marks.
(Interpersonal, Visual-Spatial, Verbal-Linguistic)
c.
I will
then clarify and/or summarize that tally marks help us to make a picture of
information we collect so we can answer questions or solve problems. Tally marks
can help us count faster and can be used lots of ways – even to keep score
during a game.
2.
Students will practice counting
and making tally marks.
(Interpersonal/Bodily-Kinesthetic/Visual-Spatial/Logical-Mathematical)
a.
Using
a worksheet, students will practice counting tally marks. We will work together
as we review rules for counting tally marks. I will use this activity to further
gauge their understanding about using tally marks.
b.
Using
number cards and craft sticks students will work in pairs to make tally marks
for numbers 1-10 on the floor. Students will work in pairs and I will circulate
and use observation and questioning to check for
understanding.
3.
Students will compile data on
individual tally sheets.
(Bodily-Kinesthetic/Visual-Spatial/Logical-Mathematical)
a.
Students will scoop marshmallows
from a bucket, count and write the number and then show the number using tally
marks on individual tally sheets.
b.
Each
student will have five turns to scoop marshmallows.
c.
After
students have recorded the number of marshmallows for each scoop I will ask
questions about the information they’ve recorded.
(Knowledge, Analysis,
Evaluation)
1.
What
was the highest number of marshmallows you scooped? The
lowest?
2.
Did you ever scoop the same
number?
3.
How
many did you think you would scoop? Did you scoop more or less than
that?
4.
How
many marshmallows did you scoop all together?
4.
Working together, students will
create a tally chart to display the information about the marshmallows they
scooped.
(Interpersonal/Bodily-Kinesthetic/Visual-Spatial/Logical-Mathematical/Verbal-Linguistic)
a.
As I
set up the chart I will explain that we will label our chart with a title and
create a row for each student’s tally marks labeled with their name.
b.
Each
student will add the total number of marshmallows they scooped to the chart
using tally marks.
c.
When
all the information has been collected I will explain that the information we
added to our tally chart is called DATA.
d.
I will
show the students the word wall card and ask them to say it with me. I will
explain this is the math word we use for information we collect or count.
I will then add the card to the
word wall.
5.
Students will use the chart to
solve problems on an exit slip. (Logical-Mathematical)
a.
I will
explain that we will use the data we’ve collected to solve problems. Students
will independently answer the following questions on an exit
slip.
(Knowledge, Comprehension,
Analysis, Evaluation)
·
Who
scooped the most marshmallows?
·
Who
scooped the fewest marshmallows?
·
How
many marshmallows were scooped in all?
b.
Students will also be asked to
count and make tally marks on the exit slip.
(Knowledge,
Comprehension)
6.
Closure
a.
I will
use the anchor chart to review what we have learned about tally
marks.
b.
I will
ask students to tell me what data means.
c.
I will
tell students a tally chart is a type of GRAPH and explain that we will learn
more graphs in our next lesson.
VI.
Reflection on Lesson
Overall, I was pleased with the
lesson and it proved to be successful. Throughout the lesson students were
actively engaged and made connections between old and new learning as they had
the opportunity to work on an important skill – learning how to correctly use
tally marks. All of the students benefited from the variety and hands-on nature
of the activities. For example, working with a partner gave my student
challenged by autism a chance to interact with a peer. Getting him up to the
board to make his tallies and working on the floor helped him stay engaged.
There are several things I want to
remember to do differently if I teach this lesson in the future. For example, I
felt the students might have understood the directions better if I had
demonstrated on the floor instead of just at the table since they didn’t catch
on to leaving the sticks and cards matched up on the floor once they created the
tallies. It was also challenging to go between the two groups of students. Next
time, it might be better to have them work in closer proximity and benefit from
observing one other. After the first group finished there was some good
interaction between students. For instance, students from the first group came
over to watch the other group and helped them make sure the fifth stick crossed
the other four to make a bundle.
Another change I would possibly
make to the lesson would be setting additional parameters on the marshmallow
activity. For example, having a threshold for the highest number of marshmallows
they could tally or limiting them to one large scoop. This would be a more
efficient way to manage the time available. Setting parameters on this activity
would have allowed me to manage my time more effectively while retaining the
meaning and value of the activity.
There were several things that
made the lesson successful including the interactions that took place between
students. One student stunned me by pointing out the connection between crossing
the bundle of tally marks with wearing a seat belt. “It’s like a seat belt to
hold them altogether,” the student said. I applauded the brilliance of the analogy and
have used it with other students to help them remember how to correctly make
tally marks. Another great interaction was when a student decided to put the
marshmallows into groups of five because it was faster to count them by five’s.
Then the student shared this idea with a peer who later shared it with another
peer.
Following my instincts and
rearranging the order of the starter activities also contributed to the success
of the lesson. The students needed the scaffolding provided by the floor
activity to practice making tally marks more than as a reinforcement of the
concept. I also chose to relate counting tally marks to counting nickels and
pennies because of my previous experience working with this group of students.
This helped them remember to count the bundles by five’s.
Student work samples were
collected throughout the lesson. Students were asked at the beginning of the
lesson to count and make tally marks. Three out of four students were able to do
so with 100% accuracy. One student scored 90%. During the lesson students were
asked to collect data. Three out of four students did so with 100% accuracy. One
student scored 80%. This same student scored 80% on the exit slip as well. But I
believe the student’s scores are partially a result of impulsivity and not an
accurate reflection of knowledge. The lesson ran into their recess period and
once they noticed other students being dismissed they rushed through the exit
slip. However, based on the data collected I believe 3 out of 4 students
mastered the learner outcomes.
Throughout the lesson, I could see
that all of the students were making progress and getting better at making and
counting tally marks. I did notice it seemed to be easier for them to count
tally marks than to make them. Occasionally, students still wanted to count by
ones even when the tally marks were bundled into groups of five. As the unit
continues, they will have more opportunities to apply what they learned in this
lesson and for additional practice with tally marks. It will be important to
watch student frustration and to scaffold their learning as needed. One student,
in particular, is impulsive and always ready to go onto the next step before
completing the current one. This sometimes means her learning and that of others
is impacted. I need to let students know the expectation is not to interrupt
when others are talking and to follow directions more closely. In the next
lesson, I will also need to watch my pacing. I didn’t realize during the lesson
I could modify as I would in real life. I thought since I was being observed I
needed to stick with the lesson plan as written. Now, I know I can modify to
improve pacing or student learning even if I am being evaluated.