Amanda Amanullah

Term III

Math Methods

Lesson Plan
Goals / Objectives
Students will be able to connect prior knowledge of place value to the skill of adding multi-digit
whole numbers with decimals. Students will work together to solve practical story problems and
think analytically about the computational process and the implications of decimals in real-world
scenarios. Through mathematical discussions, students will deepen their understanding of
addition by sharing strategies, learning methods to solve word problems, and interpreting their
answers.
Standards (and Assessment Anchors, if applicable)
1) Understand the place value system
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.3
Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.4
Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place. Perform operations with
multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths.
2) Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.7
Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or
drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the
relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and
explain the reasoning used.
Materials and preparation
Whiteboard
Markers and eraser
Notebook paper
Pencils (+ extra pencils)
Scholastic book catalogues (obtained from classroom teacher)
Decimal Game
Classroom arrangement and management issues
At Russell Byers Charter School, I will take 4-6 students (depending on who is absent or in
school) to a cultural arts / elective room on the basement floor or an empty classroom that is
available during that time (depends on the time of my lesson, which will most likely take place
right after lunch). I prefer to use a quiet and private area such as these, because my Term II
experience with hallways and instruction proved inconvenient; noise level would be a
distraction, for both students and the observer. Because my pedagogical focus is about
mathematical discussion and student explanations, I plan on setting up discussion norms and
reviewing the group task strategies that they already know. I will especially focus on raising
hands and using nonverbal gestures in order to keep us all on task. I will also remember to keep
track of the conversation and stay on target, while also accommodating the versatility of answers
and questions. The kids I plan on working with tend to behave according to expected norms, so I

Amanda Amanullah

Term III

Math Methods

do not foresee many issues in this area. Although, if any misbehavior occurs I will promptly ask
the student if he or she needs a break from the lesson and to come back when they are ready to
participate appropriately and respect their classmates.
Plan (50 minutes)
1. Launch (10 minutes)this will take about 25 minutes
a. I will start with a hook activity, integrating basic knowledge of decimals, speed,
and teamwork. I have 12 cards, which were written with 6 pairs in mind. Each
pair equals 100 (i.e. 10.5 and 89.5). Each student will be given 2 random cards
and must work with the rest of the group to trade and eventually obtain their
missing piece of the pair to equal 100. They will stay in their seats for this task,
for management purposes.
b. After they are done, I will ask them about their thoughts.
i. Possible questions:
1. What did you first do when I said start? What was your first
thought?
2. Did anyone calculate what they needed to get to $100 and then
looked for their partner?
3. Did anyone estimate?
4. Why would estimation help in this scenario?
5. How did you know your 2 numbers equaled 100?
6. What place values are important here?
c. We will create a small mind map about where they see decimals being used in
their lives (this is to help them prepare for writing their own word problem, later
in the lesson). It will most likely consist of Money (i.e. buying clothes, buying
books) and Measurements (i.e. 1.5 cups of chocolate chips, running .5 of a mile). I
will express that if they think of other ideas or if anything else comes up, to let me
know and I can record it on the mind map. I will circle the books section on this
mind map and reveal that we are starting here.
2. Work and Explore (30 minutes)
a. (7 minutes) I will give them each the Scholastic book catalogue and a set of
problems. Students will work in pairs. During this time, I will listen in on the
conversations and ask individual questions if needed, to gain data for my
assessment chart.
b. (7-10 minutes) I will choose one problem to review and break down, by writing
the problem on the board and going through a step-by-step method to solve the
problem and explain our answers. They will be given a mini anchor chart to use
during the session and take home.
i. The mini anchor chart will be half a page of printer-sized paper and have
the following steps:
1. Read the problem
2. Identify and underline what you will need to solve the problem
3. Draw a picture, if needed
4. Write a number sentence for the problem
5. Make an estimate before doing the computation

Amanda Amanullah

Term III

Math Methods

6. Solve the problem and show your work

7. Check your answer for accuracy and sense
8. Interpret your answer mentally
9. Talk about your answer verbally
10. Write your interpretation of your answer and check for sense
a. Possible questions to consider for discussion:
i. What is the problem really asking you?
ii. What words would you underline and why?
iii. How do you know that this means you have to add?
iv. What do we mean by accuracy?
v. What do we mean by sense?
vi. Why would we want to interpret mentally or talk
about interpretation?
vii. Why estimate?
c. (10 minutes) We will now create our own decimal addition problem, keeping in
mind the methods and techniques mentioned about problem solving and addition
computation. They can use the Scholastic catalogue (for students who are
struggling with the idea of creating a problem) or any other topic.
i. Youve shown me that you can solve a real-world math problem with
decimals. Now, we have the chance to write our own problem!
ii. I would use one of the previous problems we went over and identify the
important parts of a problem. I would make sure to cover the following:
Topic (general area of interest), Subject (people or things involved)
Numbers (exact numbers that are being used), Operation (what do you
want to do with the numbers?) to support their problem-making process.
1. Possible discussion questions
a. What topic and why is this relevant?
b. What makes you want to use decimals instead of whole
numbers?
c. What if we were asking for a different operation. Would
the words change? What words?
3.

Debrief and Wrap up (5)

i. Questions to consider: Do you see any similarities in your process for
writing the word problems as your process for solving a word problem?
They are quite similar. When you solve a word problem, you need to be
actively thinking, as if you are writing your own problem, because you
need to figure out what it is asking and how you are going to get that
answer.
ii. If there is time, talk about working together as a group: Did you like
working together to solve a problem? Or, do you like solving problems
alone? Problem solving does not need to be done alone. It can be done in
groups. When we work with others on word problems, we are able to get
many perspectives besides our own. Maybe someone else will spot
something that you dont, and vice versa. Maybe there is an easier or

Amanda Amanullah

Term III

Math Methods

more logical way to do the problem and you need time or collaboration to
get there.
Anticipating students responses and your possible responses
My class has experience with writing, but needs to improve on writing about math and
discussing it. I anticipate that students may react stubbornly to this expectation am interested in
observing how they interact with math that focuses more on real world application. I expect that
that they will be very engaged in flipping through the book catalogue and at least somewhat
interested throughout the entire lesson. I am hopeful that they will also be enthusiastic about
creating their own word problems. If I sense any level of disengagement, I will try to liven up the
discussion using more references to class and positive support about their work.
Assessment of the goals/objectives listed above
The assessment checklist I created (attached in the email) covers the basic areas of attention in
this lesson and benchmarks of understanding decimal operations and usage in real world
applications and word problems. Most of my assessment will take place during discussions and
student sharing of explanations; this will require a video or audio recording, which I will view
after the lesson. Another form of assessment is to review their problem of the week and see if
their problem solving process, answers, and explanations have improved at all after my lesson. I
will look at these for evidence, along with their written work for the Scholastic book catalogue
activity and creating their own word problem.
Accommodations
I do not believe any major accommodations will be necessary; none of my students are English
Language Learners and I am not planning on pulling the IEP students out of the classroom.
Accommodations would depend on how this particular group of students reacts to new ways of
solving decimal problems, which are different than what they encounter during regular
classroom instruction, and the freedom to create their own problems. If they become
overwhelmed and want more time than what is allotted, I will have to adjust the lesson as I see
fit. For example, if they cannot finish writing or solving their word problems, then I will have to
move on anyway and use one of the finished problems as the example to share. For students who
may finish writing early, I would individually provide them with the next challenge, which is to
create a Part B for the problem. For those who solve problems early, I would ask them to write in
words about the task that they performed. Writing and explaining your work with words is
something I would have incorporated into this lesson, if given more time, so I think it is an
appropriate extension.