As a knowledgeable K-6 math teacher, you want to develop an understanding for the ways in which mathematical concepts develop across grade levels. This will help you to think beyond students’ math work with you and help you think about ways to provide foundations for beginning concepts and learn to build on foundations begun in previous grade levels as well as think about ways in which concepts will be used in later mathematics.

Collections of related math concepts are often referred to as "strands." Currently in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study there are 4 math strands with problem solving permeating the entire curriculum: number sense, numeration, & numerical operations; spatial sense, measurement, & geometry; patterns, relationships, & functions; data, probability, & statistics. Geometry is the strand that will be used to focus the daily course activities in CI 4030.

As a teacher you are responsible for helping your students work towards the objectives identified in the NC Standard Course of Study. You need to be familiar with appropriate resources that support learning related to the objectives. This assignment is divided into two parts. In the first part you will examine teacher resources available on the NC DPI website related to the geometry strand. In the second part you will begin to develop a resource file related to the geometry strand.

You should be aware that the NC Standard Course of Study has been revised and will be implemented 2004-2005 so you will use one form during your internship and student teaching and a different one the first year you begin teaching. They revise it periodically.

Part I: The purposes of this section are to (1) become familiar with resources available from NC DPI; (2) to practice developing a lesson plan that fits a particular objective from the NC Standard Course of Study; and (3) to use the NC Strategies book.

On the NC DPI website, they provide strategies for instruction in mathematics. Included for each grade level is a book for week-by-week essentials and another book is classroom strategies. Here are the directions to find each of these:
 

• Go to http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/mathematics/resources.html and click on "Math Strategies".
• Next click on "Strategies for Instruction in Mathematics [grade band desired].
• Click on the grade level you desire. Book 1 is week-by-week essentials and book 2 is classroom strategies. You will use book 1 for task B and book 2 for task A.

Task B: Week-by-Week Essentials is a collection of activities and games at each grade level K-5 that give opportunities for working and thinking about all of the mathematics strands even though the focus in math class may be on one primary strand.  By using the Week-by-Week Essentials, teachers have a systematic way of knowing that all strands are being touched upon at some point during each week of the school year. Week-by-Week Essentials is used above and beyond what is done during the regular math instruction time.

The organization of Week-by-Week Essentials includes an introduction at each grade level explaining the components and the mathematical emphasis. Then activities follow for each week of the school year.  There are a variety of activities found at each grade level; for example, at kindergarten for Week 1 the parts include "Let's Count", "What do you think?", and "Growing Mathematically".  In grades 3-5 there is usually a page called “Teacher to Teacher” where additional help for the teacher may be found.

You will go to the grade level you are working with and print a Week-by-Week Essentials for one week of the school year. Make sure you print everything for that week. You then need to read it and think about how you would fit it into your instructional day. Since Week-by-Week Essentials are in addition to your daily math instruction, you also will write a plan to describe how you would fit it into your instructional day.

Part I is due February 5 and is worth 10 points. You will turn in:

A complete print out of one Week-by-Week Essentials
A plan for generally fitting Week-by-Week Essentials into the instructional day
A lesson plan using our 4030 format for one specific objective from geometry strand using ideas from book 2, classroom strategies

Part II: The purposes of this section are to (1) become familiar with a variety of resources that might be helpful to develop lessons for objectives in the NCSCOS for geometry strand; and (2) to begin developing a resource file for the geometry strand.

You are going to explore a variety of resources and choose 20 lesson plan ideas to put in your resource file. You should choose to focus your file on grades K-2 or 3-6. For each type of resource, the minimum number of ideas will be listed. These ideas may come in different forms such as activities, games, or actual lesson plans. Each idea should be carefully labeled with the following information: (1) grade, (2) objectives from NCSCS that relate to the idea, and (3) type of resource.

Minimum Number and Type of Resources

Investigations Curriculum Materials (2): The Investigations into Number, Data, and Space are particularly strong curriculum materials that are consistent with the type of math instruction that we are focusing on in CI 4030. I would like for you to explore at least one unit that is related to the geometry strand. You will include at least 2 ideas from these materials for your resource file.

Selected Websites (10): Explore the websites below. Choose ideas from at least 6 of these sites to include in your resource file. Be sure and identify the URL on each idea.

Illuminations (http://www.illuminations.nctm.org/index2.html) This is a NCTM website that support Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. There are 2 types of links available that are appropriate: i-Math Investigations and/or Internet-Based Lesson Plans.

Mathematics Activities Guide (http://cesme.utm.edu/resources/math/MAG/Mag.html): These lessons were created by teachers in Tennessee and are correlated to their standard course of study. There are good ideas here, you just need to connect them to NC SCOS objectives.

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives for Interactive Mathematics (http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/topic_t_1.html): Virtual manipulatives to try out activity ideas.

Math Forum (http://mathforum.org/) Many resources are available.

Geometry Learning Units (http://www.nsa.gov/programs/mepp/esgeom.html)

Pro Teacher Geometry & Measurement Ideas (http://www.proteacher.com/100021.shtml)

Geometry Resources (http://www.math.okstate.edu/~wolfe/webgeom.html)

Native American Geometry (http://www.earthmeasure.com/)

Origami in Math (http://www.paperfolding.com/math/)

Lessons in Geometry (http://score.kings.k12.ca.us/meas.geometry.html) Lesson plans from California teachers.

Children's Literature (2): Children's literature can be a wonderful way to engage children in meaningful mathematics. Select at least 2 children's books that could be related to the geometry strand. Find or create mathematics activities to be used with the books. The IMC has a couple of resources for ideas related to this such as Math and Literature Grades 4-6 or Math and Literature Grades K-3.

Other options but not required: Other teachers are often a wonderful resource. Two of your ideas in your file may come from other teachers.
 

Part II is due March 18 and is worth 20 points.
 
 

Name(s):__________________________________________________________

Grade Level: ___________

Teacher Materials Needed:

Student Materials Needed:

Mathematical Goals for This Lesson:

Related NC Standard Course of Study Goals/Objectives:

Launch

Explore

Summarize

Assessment/Evidence of Learning