Lesson Plan 2- Pan Balances (Whole Group)

Title: Equivalence with Pan Balances Content Area: Math

Teacher Name: Emily Ray Grade Level: 5

OVERARCHING GOALS FOR THE LESSON LESSON OBJECTIVES AND STANDARDS

In this lesson students will:
Students will be able to define the equals sign as “the same as”
and create equations that are equivalent.  Define rules for “seesaws.”
 Define the equal sign to mean “the same as”
 Practice finding equivalences among different weights

5.ATO.3 Investigate the relationship between two numerical

patterns

IMPORTANT CONTENT CONNECTION:

Prior concepts:
In fourth grade, students learned how to represent problems using an equation with a variable: 4.ATO.3 Solve multi-step, real-world problems
using the four operations. Represent the problem using an equation with a variable as the unknown quantity. 

We will use this to further develop the students’ understanding of equivalency and finding the value of a variable.

Future concepts:
This lesson sets the stage for inequalities in sixth grade:
6.EEI.8 Extend knowledge of inequalities used to compare numerical expressions to include algebraic expressions in real-world and
mathematical situations.
a. Write an inequality of the form 𝑥 > 𝑥 or 𝑥 < 𝑥 and graph the solution set on a number line. 

b. Recognize that inequalities have infinitely many solutions. 


IMPORTANT THEORETICAL CONNECTIONS & FOUNDATIONS:

This lesson is primarily based off of a similar lesson conducted by Rebecca Mann in her article Balancing Act: The Truth behind the Equals Sign
(2004). In her lesson, she uses dialogic talk with her students to inquire about how seesaws work. Together, the students created “seesaw rules.”
Mann then connected these rules to pan balances and talking about equivalence. Through this activity, she was able to establish that “the equals
sign is a symbol that indicates that a state of equality exists and that the two values on either side of the equals sign are the same” (Mann 2004).
By establishing this foundation with elementary age students, it sets the stage for future algebraic thinking in middle school.

MATERIALS.
Pan Balance Mat (1 per student), manipulatives (3 different types to represent different weights), study links workbook for follow up
practice.
Components of the lesson. Anticipated Student Responses Teaching notes DIFFERENTIATION: Evidence of learning.
list adaptations for ELL, EC, LD
LINK PRIOR KNOWLEDGE.

I will have the students begin by Possible answers: We will go through it in a Students are able to recognize
thinking about a seesaw. We will  You go up and down. discussion/verbal format (Number how seesaws work and verbalize
then discuss what happens when  When the other person is Talk) first for our verbal their thoughts.
you go on a seesaw. By linking down you are up. processors.
pan balances to something that  Some students may recognize
they are more familiar with, it that you will only go up if the
makes the concept more engaging other person weighs more
for the students. than you.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES..
Mini lesson: Seesaws
10-15 min
Once we have discussed what a We will then demonstrate with
seesaw is, we will test our our own bodies for our
hypothesizes by demonstrating a visual/tactile learners.
seesaw with our arms. They will
bend their elbows up towards the
veiling and place their palms
upward at shoulder level to
simulate a balanced seesaw. I will
tell the class that I have an
imaginary basket of big, juicy
oranges that all weigh the same
weight. But I also have a basket of
leftover, small apples that are all
the same weight. I explain to
them that my oranges are big and
juicy and weigh more than my
apples. I will then experiment.
Then I walk my students through
some scenarios:

1. I just put an orange in your Also draw the scenarios on the

 right hand. What happened to Students will lean to the right board for our visual learners. Students are able to accurately
your seesaw? since there is a weight on the show what happens to a seesaw
right side of their seesaw. (or pan balance) in different
2. Now I am going to put an scenarios.
orange in your left hand. Students will balance their scales
Remember, that all of my back out, putting their arms at
oranges are the same weight. equal heights.
What happened to your
seesaw?
3. You still have the oranges in This is where confusions may
your hands. But now I am begin to arise since we are adding
adding an apple to your left in a second variable. Students
hand. What happened to your should lean to the left since their
seesaw? left hand now has more weight.

4. I want to make my seesaw Possible answers:

balanced again. What can I  Add an apple.
do?  Add an apple to your right
hand.

If students recognize that we must

add an apple to the right side,
continue. If the students just say
add an apple, I will add it to my
left side to see how they respond.
Hopefully, they will see that they
must be specific in saying which
side, as just adding an apple will
not give them their desired
answer.

In pairs, students will then create

some “seesaw rules” that sum up
there findings.

Once they have created seesaw

rules, we will share them and
create a class list to sum up how
seesaw, or pan balances, work.
Engage in a discussion with
students about what our seesaws
have to do with equal signs.
Independent Work
15 min
Give all students a pan balance
mat to work with at their desks.
They will also all be given several
manipulatives. We will have three
different kinds of manipulatives
like we did with our apples and
oranges.
We will start by working
independently on a problem. We
will begin with easier problems
and slowly advance. Here are
some example problems we will
use:
1. Show the students how one
triangle and two squares are
equal on the balance. Ask
them what this tells me about
the weight of a triangle.
 Knowing this, given two
triangles and a square on
one side of the pan
balance, how would I
make the balance equal
using only squares? Show
me using your pan
balance mats.
Students will notice how both
sides are at the same height when Students are able to define the
the weights on both sides are the equals sign to mean “the same
same. They will then make the as.”
connection that when the weights
are equal, they are the same.
Thus connecting the equals sign
to mean “the same as.”
We began by using our bodies as
the manipulatives, and now
students are using pan balance
mats and shapes to create
equalities. Using these two
different models ensures that I
am engaging all of my students
and scaffolding their learning.
Anticipated answer: 1 triangle Work through this first one
weighs the same as two squares. together as a demonstration.
Or 2 squares weigh the same as 1
triangle.
Anticipated answer: place 5
squares on the opposite side.
Some students may not recognize
that in order to keep the pan
balance balanced, they must take
2. Looking at #1 on pg. 294 of
your study links book, show
this pan balance using your
mats.
 Solve the problem using
your manipulatives.
away the same amounts from
both sides. So here, they could
take 2 squares from the left side
and two from the right side.

Assessment
15 min
Have students try #s 2-5 in study
links on pg. 294 on their own. Let
them know that they can use
their manipulatives if necessary.
Have them take a picture of their
work and upload it to Seesaw.
REFLECT and SUMMARIZE.
I will conclude the lesson by
asking students a few questions:
 What did you like about this
activity?
 What did you find difficult?
 What did you do when you
got stuck?
Allows for students who no longer
need the manipulatives to move
towards pencil/paper thinking.
However, if students still need to
use the manipulatives they are
available to them for these
problems.
I anticipate that the students will
say they like using the
manipulatives, as many of them
are always excited to get to do
hands-on activities.
After class, I can go back and see
what answers students got for
these problems. It will allow for
me to see which students have a
full understanding, beginning
understanding, or no
understanding of the concept
taught.
Students should be able to
identify and articulate how they
went about solving these types of
problems.

This allows for me to be able to

gauge student understanding
after the activity. It also opens up
the floor for dialogic talk.
Students may hear a strategy they
may not have thought of before.
EXTENSIONS/CONNECTIONS.
In the future, students will begin Some students may not recognize Students should be able to
to work with inequalities and how this lesson connects with recognize the connection
equalities. This allows for them to equalities and inequalities in between pan balances and
use visuals and manipulatives first future mathematic discussions. equivalencies. It sets the stage for
before moving to naked numbers. creating equalities and
It also sets the stage for algebraic inequalities in 6th grade math.
thinking with variables.
=