Artifact # 7
Math Lesson focusing on the third strand of Patterns, Functions and Relationships
Context
This lesson plan was developed for kindergarteners during my pre-service training for my Math in the Elementary Schools course. We focused on learning the three strands of the math curriculum for elementary students.
Impact
This lesson plan focuses on sorting and patterns for the kindergarten student. The NC competencies for math can be found listed within the lesson. The lesson plan involves group learning and individual learning and is a good example of constructivist learning. This plan would be beneficial to other teachers because it will be easily accessible on the web and it helps other teachers understand a form of the third strand. Along with informal assessment throughout the lesson, the students are formally assessed by doing some problems on the internet from a particular math website. My lesson also includes a reflection after teaching my lesson so that other teachers can see the positives and negatives I found in my lesson and they could make the changes needed to fit their classroom.
Alignment
Planning appropriate lessons and knowing the curriculum are very important
to the elementary school teacher to be able to reach students' minds.
With this artifact I have shown that I know one of the central concepts
of the kindergarten curriculum (patterns and sorting), I use the tools
of inquiry (summarize section), and I know the structure of the kindergarten
mathematics discipline. I have also made this lesson with the intent of
bringing out the creativity of my students by allowing them to experience
mathematics by using their hands and minds (INTASC
#1). This lesson includes a reflection of my learning and my
students’ learning (INTASC #9).
The lesson also shows that I informally assessed my students by questioning
and observing and I formally assessed them by the computer game of recognizing
patterns (INTASC # 8).