Tally Ho!

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.