Erica Scully

Final Math Lesson Plan

A. Number line Rounding!
B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
The pre-assessment for this lesson was determined from the amount of observation and
experience that I had in the classroom prior to my lesson. This lesson was the last one I
taught during HIIE, therefore I knew my students well enough to know their learning
styles and interests. This activity is appropriate at this time because students had a lot of
previous practice and experience with rounding numbers to the tens, hundreds, and
thousands place. This lesson focuses less on procedures and more on the concept behind
why a certain number is rounded up or rounded down. It is aimed to motivate higherlevel thinking by requiring students to apply their existing knowledge to a new way of
demonstrating it.
C. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING
3.1 The student will
b) round whole numbers, 9,999 or less, to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand;
and
D. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
UNDERSTAND I will understand how to round whole numbers 9,999 to the
nearest ten, hundreds, and thousands place.
KNOW - I will know how to round four digit, three digit, and two digit numbers
using my knowledge of place value and number lines.
DO - What are the specific thinking behaviors students will be able to do through
this lesson? (These will also be assessed in your lesson.) I can use a number line to
round four digit numbers based on their place value
E. ASSESSING LEARNING

The students will be assessed through their work on the dry erase boards, number
lines, and worksheets. Dialogue from the students throughout the stations will indicate
whether students have a firm grasp on understanding the objectives of the lesson. I will
be listening specifically for statements such as first I find the place value they are
asking for and look next door, 5 or more up the score, 4 or less let it rest! I will be
looking for students to apply their prior knowledge of place value and rounding two and
three digit numbers to the lesson. Another big tool used for assessing learning will be the
completed worksheets at the end of the lesson. If students are able to label the
beginning and end points on number line for the last couple of questions independently
based on various place values, they have grasped the concept of the lesson. Questions
that they ask throughout the lesson will highlight any confusion and misconceptions
students have and give the teacher insight on what needs to be explained more
thoroughly.
F. MATERIALS NEEDED

Pencils
Highlighters
Dry erase boards
Worksheets timeline worksheet (attached below)

G. PROCEDURES
The whole lesson will run in four different stations. Students will have 15-20
minutes at each station before rotating to the next. During my station students will
explore how rounding numbers on number lines justify and illustrate the saying five or
more up the score, four or less let it rest. From observation I have concluded that
students do not understand why a number either rounds up or down, they just have the
procedure memorized. This lesson aims to give students justification and explanations
for rounding methods and answers. Additionally, using number lines requires application
of a mathematical concept instead of simply writing the answer and moving on.
BEFORE:
The first thing I will do in this lesson is work on activating prior knowledge by
starting with a simple version of the overall assignment. Students have had weeks
of practice rounding three digit numbers to the tens and hundreds place, and most

are comfortable with rounding four digit numbers in the thousands. Therefore, I will
make sure the problem is understood by going over a simple version of problems
on the worksheet. will put 325 on the whiteboard and ask students what two
numbers would this number fall between if I was rounding to the hundreds place.
When someone answers 300-400 I will then ask, Well, what does it round to? And
why? I will let students have time to think of their answer, and then I will call on
students and wait for the explanation 5 or more up the score, 4 of less let it rest.
This is when I will introduce a number line by saying, That is correct- but
have you ever thought about what those words mean? Sometimes it helps me
visualize rounding on a number line. (Draw line) Do you guys think you can help
me create one using 325 rounded to the nearest hundreds place? Call on
different student to answer the following question to let everyone
participate What would be my start and ending point on my number line?
Students can come up to the board and write 300-400 on number line
What would be my halfway point between 300-400? Student will answer 350
and mark it on timeline Now lets look at this number line. Would 325 fall on the
left of 350 or the right? Once students realize that the 325 would be closer to the
300 on the number line, they will be able to construct their own ideas explaining
why 5 or more up the score 4 or less let it rest is the saying.
Before I pass out the number line worksheets I will establish clear
expectations of what I want to see during the lesson. I will explain to students that
they can work by themselves, as a group or in pairs to complete more rounding
problems. Additionally, I will explain to students that I know they can round, but I
am looking for how they construct their number lines. They will have highlighters
and whiteboards available to them if they need additional materials to help them.
DURING:
While students are working on completing their own number lines I will step
back and observe until they need extra support. When they are confused, instead
of walking students through the process and giving them the answers right away I
will ask questions that help guide their thinking. Certain questions that I will ask
are what do you know about the problem? How would you round this number to
the tens place if you did not have the number line? What are the highest and
lowest numbers this number could possibly fit between before it goes into another

tens place? Questions for extending thinking will be Now that you labeled your
timeline, can you use the same timeline if you round to the nearest hundred
instead of ten? Why or why not?
AFTER:
After students have completed their work we will have a whole group
discussion. I will ask different students who are willing to share their ideas to come
up to the board and solve their favorite problem in front of their friends. I will then
ask students if anyone else had a different way of looking at it, or a different way
to represent their number line. I will ask students if they agree or disagree and
why. This will be a time for me to assess who conceptually understands the
assignment and a time for students to communicate their ideas whole- group. I will
summarize the idea that rounding using a number line is one way to understand
and visually see why we round up when the number is above five, and down when
its below. I will also tell them that when they are in doubt on tests, breaking down
the problem step-by-step is an important way to see the relationships between
numbers as well as a smart way to double check answers.
H. DIFFERENTIATION
This lesson aims to extend and enrich the learning of all students by offering
multiple stations to review and practice their rounding. In my station specifically,
students that finish early will be asked to create their own questions and switch with a
partner. This will cultivate higher-level thinking because students will come up with a
number, pick which place to round to, and draw their own number lines. For students
who are struggling, I will not use the worksheet at all and start with the basics of what
they know about rounding. Instead of asking students to round 4-digit numbers, I will
start with two and three digit numbers because they have mastered rounding these.
Having struggling students start from the basics will help them understand how and why
number lines can help students visualize rounding. Examples of questions I will put on
the board will be as follows: 54 is between what two numbers when rounding to the
nearest tens place? When they answer 50 and 60 I will draw a number line with 50
being the starting point and 60 being the ending. I will then ask Where is the halfway
point between 50 and 60? When the students answer 55, I will plot that on the number
line as my middle point. Then I will say, now that we see where our midpoint is on the

number line, can anyone estimate where 54 would go on the number line? I will call on
a student to come plot the point. Then I will say, Without answering out loud, I want you
to think. By looking at this number line, is 54 closer to 50 or 60? I will wait until I feel
that every student has time to understand the question, and then I will call on someone.
When they answer that 54 is closer to 50, I will ask Why? Having students explain their
answer will guide them into a deeper understanding of how rounding works instead of
sticking by the rules that they were taught. I will explain that using a number line helps
demonstrate the relationship of numbers and build number sense. These steps will be
repeated using a three-digit and four-digit number if time allows. Breaking it down step
by step as a group will help struggling students comprehend the lesson better.
I. NCTM STANDARDS
This lesson met the 5 NCTM standards on numerous levels. The four stations
enable all students to build on previous mathematical knowledge on comparing
numbers, place value, and rounding. The different stations focus on unique problem
solving techniques that give students the opportunity to have a more in depth
exploration of rounding numbers. The lesson includes reasoning and proof because
students are required to justify their answers through the use of a timeline. Students will
also explain and justify their solutions throughout the lesson when they are asked to
describe their thought process. This lesson fosters a learning environment that utilizes
many different forms of communication. Students will be demonstrating their level of
understanding through written communication (worksheet) and verbal communication.
Throughout the lesson students will use mathematical vocabulary (tens place, hundreds
place, thousands place, etc) when communicating to peers and teachers to accurately
express their thinking. Questions that they ask throughout the lesson will highlight any
confusion and misconceptions students have and give the teacher insight on what needs
to be explained better. Lastly, this lesson gives all students the opportunity to decide
what representations they want to use to display their thinking. My station specifically
has students explore using timelines to help understand rounding. Students will also be
able to show their work using dry erase boards, place value charts, and manipulatives
throughout all four stations of the lesson.

J. REFLECTION

For your reflection I would like you to provide an honest assessment of how things went.
What went well and what went poorly? What would you change about the lesson to
make it go better, not just the things that did not work, but the things that did work as
well? Discuss everything that went into your planning, how did your assessment go?
Were you able to follow your procedures? What did you learn about working with
students during your lesson? What did you learn about yourself during this lesson?
This lesson was a great learning opportunity because it gave me experience with
math that I previously have never had before. I have never been the strongest math
student, so teaching an important concept such as rounding to the tens, hundreds, and
thousands place using a number line was extremely intimidating. I planned my lesson so
it would fall on a review day before the end of the unit test. My cooperating teacher
taught rounding without any representations, so I wanted to plan a lesson that would
help students think about concepts instead of procedures. The first lesson I taught using
the worksheets that I constructed in hopes that students would learn, and then use it as
study material before their test. It did not go as well as I hoped it would. Since the lesson
was taught in fifteen-minute stations, some groups understood the introduction and
finished their individual worksheets fast, while others were stuck on the first question the
whole time. I also felt that by using the worksheets, students just wanted to quickly
finish it without taking the time to actually think about the connection of number lines
and rounding that the lesson was aiming to achieve.
Although I put a lot of time into planning my lesson, I decided to change my
implementation process for the afternoon class. After reflecting on the morning round, I
realized that even though some students were easily able to use number lines to explain
and justify their rounding solutions, others walked away from the lesson feeling
confused. My adjustments focused on the way I introduced my lesson, and I got rid of the
worksheets all together and just used them to guide my lesson. I slowed down my
introduction by asking students step by step how they would complete each phase. I also
turned the station into a game show which immediately got students excited to
participate. The game worked as follows: each student took a turn to answer a question
that I put on the board. Students had one chance to answer, and if they got it wrong the
same question was moved to the next student. A new question was not asked until
someone got it right AND explained to the group how they got their answer. As questions
got harder, students were allowed to attempt to answer, or phone a friend. This was an

exciting component to the game because students were able to collaborate on problem
solving techniques by organizing their mathematical thinking in verbal communication
with one another. The number of questions that were asked each station was based on
how fast students picked up on the lesson. Some groups were only asked one question
each because they needed more support and explanation while others were asked three
or four questions each because of how fast they picked up on the game.
Even though the game was made up at the last minute, I feel as though
students were more receptive and attentive to the lesson because it was more engaging
and exciting- students left the room asking if we could play again tomorrow. Additionally,
directing my lesson to a whole group atmosphere helped students stay together and on
task. Planning and teaching this math lesson opened my eyes to how simple
modifications to the directions and implementation of a lesson can make a positive
impact on student learning.
This lesson taught me things about myself that I previously did not realize. Going
into the lesson I was nervous that I would not have the ability to properly answer
questions that students had, but once I relaxed and gained more confidence I was able
to successfully explain different strategies to help students understand. Putting the focus
on listening to students explain their answers to the group instead of me lecture made
me realize that sometimes less is more when planning a lesson because they got more
time to talk and express their ideas. Most of all, I learned to not be too hard on myselfbecoming a teacher is a learning experience too. This lesson reinforced the idea that not
every lesson is going to be perfect no matter how much practice and planning is done
before. I am satisfied with the various aspects of the lesson that went well, but grateful
for the aspects that did not go well because it was a valuable learning opportunity for me
to be better next time.

Lesson Plan Scoring Rubric

Context of Lesson
Related Standards of Learning
Learning Objectives: Understand
Learning Objectives: Know
Learning Objectives: Do
Assessment
Procedure: Before
Procedure: During
Procedure: After
Differentiation
NCTM Standards
Reflection
Other Expectations
Free of spelling and grammatical
errors
Submitted on time
Total
Comments:

Points
Possible
1
1
1.5
1.5
1.5
2
3
3
3
1.5
3
3

.5/error
1/day
25

Points
Earned