Appreciation of Human Diversity

AppreciationofHumanDiversity

Curriculum & Assessment Lesson Plan and Math Journal

Curriculum & Assessment Lesson based on Radioactive

This artifact is a lesson plan I created, and then performed for other students, in my Curriculum and

Assessment class during the first semester of my masters program at The State University of New York at New

Paltz. As a class we were asked to imagine we are all teachers of the same high school, each teaching our

respective subject. The principle asked all of us at a staff meeting to each read Radioactive: Marie & Pierre

Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Laura Redniss. This is because we are expected to include the book in our

classrooms, by creating our own lesson plan and curriculum assessment for our students based on the novel

Radioactive. It is our job to connect our subject to the novel by finding passages and concepts in the book to use

as a launching point, then create a lesson inspired by it. We need to show our students what they can learn from

the book, and beyond the book, using the lens of our subject. Then since we are using this book as a school, the

students will also be able to see the connections one book can bring to the rest of their subjects from other

classrooms’ various lessons. This sheet is my lesson template that consists of the big picture, where my lesson

fits in the grand scheme of the year, my essential question, a description of the lesson, learning targets, learning

strategies, procedures/timing, and so forth.

This lesson plan is important in showing my respect for human diversity because the lesson and the

curriculum assessment I developed to go along with has many different strategies for teaching diverse learning

styles. Every child is different, a topic I am learning more and more about in my many classes, and therefore

they each learn in a variety of ways. In this class in particular we learned about Blooms Taxonomy and the idea

of stages of learning, as well as Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences. My lesson provides many

multi-modal strategies for learning, as well as the different cap trends the lesson projects. For example, my

lesson uses a “Math Journal” where the students cut and paste different paper foldable concepts, definitions, and

worksheets into a composition notebook that is considered their journal for the year. They can color, doodle,

fold and un-fold, the many parts of their journal, as it is solely theirs. In my lesson we created more foldable

parts to add to their journal, highlighting spatial, visual, and kinesthetic intelligences. Practicing and solving

mathematical equations also allows for the logical and mathematical learners to thrive. In addition math journals

create private learning time, serving intrapersonal intelligences. Therefore just my one lesson serves a variety of

learners in my classroom, which is what I sought out when brainstorming my lesson.

This lesson plan is important as I go on in my education, as well as when I become a future teacher,

because the process and final product required the use of many different skills crucial to the art of teaching. Not

only was I able to use to a very creative and abstract book as a jumping off point for a lesson and a curriculum

assessment, but I did it in a way that allows for my students to be creative as well. I created a lesson that

connects to the novel, applies the Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics, provides for multiple

learning styles, and is applicable in math class and the outside world. I used the concept of isolating variables in

formulas, a way for scientists and mathematicians to create equivalent expressions but in a way that is

applicable for their research. We essentially do that in our own lives by performing operations in our day to day

activities in a certain order to achieve a result. I can see myself using the many skills in lesson planning:

connecting lessons, providing for diversity, allowing for creativity, allowing for multiple learning styles, and

creating a culminating assessment, in my future lesson planning. It overall was a very educational and

rewarding experience.

Math Journal Images:

Heroux 1

LESSON PLAN: ISOLATING VARIABLES JUSTINE HEROUX

Date: November 26, 2012 Class: Grade 9 Algebra 1

Big Picture: This is a high school algebra class. So far they have learned the properties of equality: equals

added, subtracted, multiplied, or divided by equals are equal. They then moved to; recognizing what

operation they are performing, combining like terms, solving with variables on both sides of the

equation, and the distributive property (A.REI.3). These previous lessons led up to this lesson, Literal

Equations, which deals with rearranging formulas. This lesson will help them move onto topics in the

future such as solving systems of inequalities, graphing solutions for linear equations and inequalities,

and eventually using and solving polynomial equations (F.LE.1, A.REI.4).

Essential Question: Are we always capable of solving for the unknown?

Lesson Description: Students will learn how to isolate a given variable in linear equations and formulas

that have multiple variables. This lesson is based off of themes represented in the novel Radioactive.

The first is what it takes to be a mathematician and scientist, they both use and create many different

formulas to analyze and help their research. For example, p.30-31 discusses Pierre Curie’s experiments

with heat and magnetism, ultimately formulating the Curie Point, which has its own formula. Other

topics discussed within this book that have formulas are; Half-life, piezoelectricity, energy, evolutionary

fitness, and radioactive decay. However these formulas are not much use unless scientists and

mathematicians know how to isolate variables and solve for the unknown, like on p.42 “X for unknown.”

There is also a whole chapter of Radioactive dedicated to isolation and what comes out of isolation (p.

108-117).

Learning Targets:

Subject matter knowledge, concepts, and terms:

o Recall properties of equality and previous strategies for solving for one and two variable

linear equations (distributive property, etc.)

o Explain the concept of isolation

o Define: isolation, transposition, grouping like terms

Reasoning Skills:

o Evaluate the equations for the given variable

o Utilize, differentiate, and apply previous strategies to these new linear equations with

multiple variables

Performance Skills:

o Identify, recognize, and solve for given variables

o Select and provide the correct answers

o Have reasoning as to why it is the correct answer

o Construct foldables in math journals

Hope they come to appreciate:

Heroux 2

o Math is used beyond its subject, like in Radioactive.

o Solving for variables, or our unknown, is applicable in many uses beyond math class

equations.

o We can solve for any variable in a given equation, as long as we are able to perform the

correct operations with other variables.

o New information comes out of isolation.

Common Core Math Learning Standards:

o A.REI.1: Understand solving equations as a process of reasoning and explain the reasoning.

o A.CED.4: Rearrange formulas to highlight a quantity of interest, using the same reasoning

as in solving equations.

o A.REI.7: Solve a system consisting of a linear equation algebraically.

Materials:

Radioactive

“Foldables” worksheets: Isolating Variables in Formulas, Definitions

Pen/pencil/colored pencils

Scissors

Glue

Math Journals

Credits/ Citations:

The Arlington Algebra Project: http://teacherweb.com/NY/Arlington/AlgebraProject/hf3.aspx

Redniss, L. (2011). Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie - A tale of love and fallout. New York:

Harpur Collins.

Math=Love Blog: http://mathequalslove.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-peek-at-my-algebra-1-

interactive.html

Multi-Modal Strategies:

Constructing foldables highlight spatial/visual and kinesthetic intelligences

Practicing and solving mathematical equations allow for the logical/mathematical learners to

thrive

Math journals create private learning time, serving intrapersonal intelligences

Discussing and talking through problems helps verbal learners

Math journals also provide creativity and art in the classroom (Karen Gallas)

Academic Vocabulary/Concepts:

Variable: a symbol that may assume any given value, quantity, or set of values

Term: the product of a coefficient and a variable

Grouping like terms: combining terms that have the same variable with the same power

together to form a single term

Transposition of a formula: rearranging a formula in order to write it in a different, but

equivalent form

Heroux 3

Isolation: the act of setting something apart from others

Isolating a variable: separating a variable in a given equation from the other variables in the

equation in order to solve for that variable

Procedures/Timing:

Introduction: I will ask the students to recall Radioactive. Did Pierre and Marie Curie always know what

they were looking for on their way to their scientific discoveries? Do you as students always know how

your day will be (a good day or a bad day)? Or were they using known variables to solve for the

unknown? Similar to our lives, we do not know if our day will end up good or bad, but we have a certain

number of variables that can come into play (weather, homework) to help determine our final result, a

great day or an awful one. (3-5 min)

2nd: I will discuss that formulas and equations help scientists and mathematicians, like those in

Radioactive, solve for the unknown. I will then hand out a list of common formulas/equations seen in

Radioactive and in the scientific world. But in order to make an equation useful to us, we sometimes

have to use transposition and isolation of variables. Have the students get out (I will hand out) their

Math Journals and the foldable sheets we will be using in them. Explain we will be adding some new

definitions to our journals, as well as some practice sheets on isolating variables. (3 min)

3rd: I will ask the students to brainstorm definitions for grouping like terms, isolation, isolating a variable,

and transposition of a formula while they cut out, fold, and paste their foldables into their journals.

When they are finished we will go over the definitions and have them write them on their foldable

definition sheets. (5-7min)

4th: I will have the students recall from our last few classes the properties of equality and the rule that

what you do to one side of the equation/equality you must do to the other side (they can also recall

using their Math Journal). I will model how to solve the first few equations on their formula

transposition foldable for the given variable on the board, and then have the students do individual

practice in their journals. I will ask the students if they can provide me the correct answers, and work

through the problems together. (15-20 min)

Catch: Discuss with the students if the new equations are equivalent, and equivalent to the original,

after transposition and isolation of variables. Have them recall the Radioactive chapter on Isolation, and

how new meaning came out of Marie’s isolation. Is this process similar? Is this process useful? Thinking

back to the question I posed at the beginning of our solving for variables unit, are we always capable of

solving for the unknown? Think back on determining the outcome of your day, now think of your week,

your year….Remind them to finish the foldable worksheets in their journals for homework. (5-7 min)