Gene Pak and Rachel Stremme

Professor Caroline Ebby

EDUC-531
28 November 2018

Term III

Part I. “The What”

Goals / Objectives

We want our students to explore the various conceptual connections of number sense. In our
fifth-grade classrooms, we have seen that number sense is expected as intuitive in our students,
but we have rarely seen it visited on its own. Number sense is incredibly expansive and many
connections can be made to solidify and maintain students’ grips on number sense and we want
to engender that expansion on this topic in our lesson. Specifically we will be focusing on
number sense’s connections to the determinants of change in patterns (starting number vs.
numerical multiple). This focus will also encompass many other mathematical ideas that we will
not necessarily emphasize but will be an inherent aspect of the lesson itself (place value, base 10,
patterns in sums, pattern differences in even and odd numbers).

● MP3:​​ Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

● MP5:​​ Use appropriate tools strategically.
● MP7:​​ ​Look for and make use of structure.
● MP8:​​ ​Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
● CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.OA.B.3​​: ​Generate two numerical patterns using two given
rules. Identify apparent relationships between corresponding terms. Form ordered pairs
consisting of corresponding terms from the two patterns, and graph the ordered pairs on a
coordinate plane.

The Task

Imagine that you have several robots: a two-stepper, a three-stepper, a four-stepper, and a
nine-stepper.

● Pick the number on the 100 x 100 grid where the robots will start.
● Explore the walks of four different robots.
● Try at least two different start numbers for each robot.
● Write about the patterns you find in your grids. Think about:
● Patterns in the ones place
● Patterns in the tens place
● Even and odd number patterns
● Patterns in the sums of the first and second number, the third and the fourth
number, the fifth and the sixth number, and so on.
 ● What changes a pattern more, the stepper or the start number? Explain your
thinking.

Unpacking the Mathematics

As said previously in the “Goals/Objectives” section, number sense is expected as sequentially

existent for the students in our fifth-grade classrooms. It is simply not a topic that we have seen
covered in our classes. Interestingly enough, number sense is something that we have seen our
students struggle with to an extent when solving problems that require the application of such
mathematical concept. Therefore, we would like to build upon their current knowledge of
number sense and expand it heavily with the aid of accessible numbers that they can navigate
around.

It is important to mention that this task is a strong example of a low floor high ceiling task, for it
does not require extensive prior knowledge of number sense while possessing the capability of
broadening the number sense/knowledge of number sense in our students to great extents. This
task will require as little as knowledge in addition, skip counting, multiplication, and an
application of both in certain contexts. Most, if not all, of our students are capable of addition
and can certainly skip-count (OGAP), thus, this activity will be very practicable and doable for
our students. They will be using addition/skip counting/multiplication (OGAP) to find the
“steps” of each robot (which are essentially multiples) and they will utilize a combination of
addition, counting, and multiplication (perhaps even the conceptual understandings of doubling
and halving) to examine patterns that occur from these operations (as well as the
dependence/influence of the starting point of their robots on these patterns).

Certainly, a difficulty we have discussed is the ability to gauge the current understandings of
number sense among our students. However, we find that this understanding isn’t entirely crucial
because our task is so low floor high ceiling. Nonetheless, a difficulty we are in preparation for is
the potential lack of meaning making that will be present in the patterns our students observe.
We hope to counter this extensively by continuously asking our students why they think that
specific pattern has happened and to support their mathematical claims/arguments. The analysis
of the evidence in the patterns must be present for this lesson to take place.

Anticipating Student Strategies

We are expecting our students to use skip counting, prior multiplication knowledge
(multiplication tables), repeated addition, and direct modeling if necessary. The point of the
lesson is not to assess how capable our students are at finding multiples/sums, rather we are
hoping to guide our students to help them find patterns and compare patterns as mentioned in the
previous section.
Student Strategy Representation

Skip Counting (OGAP) 4 —> 8 —> 12 —> 20 —> 24 —> 28

—> 32

Knowledge of Multiplication Tables Knowing that 4 x 8 = 32.

Repeated Addition (OGAP) 4+4=8

8 + 4 = 12
12 + 4 = 16
16 + 4 = 20
20 + 4 = 24
24 + 4 = 28
28 + 4 = 32
Direct Modeling (OGAP)

Materials and preparation

100 x 100 Grid Paper

● For each student.
4-5 Color Markers/Pencils/Crayons
● For each student to color code and to visually represent each of their robot’s path.

Index Cards
● Exit slip for students to conclude and summarize what they learned.

Classroom arrangement and management issues

For this lesson, we plan to go to the library and work at a table. We (individually Rachel and
Gene with each of our own groups) will sit at the front of the table to lead each of our students
through the lesson. Students will receive all the materials as soon as we sit down and provide the
instructions and norms.

We have usually had management difficulties with students on other tasks (such as the number
talks) for we are not in the classroom as often as other student teachers. To address this, we will
concretely and constantly remind our students of the norms for our lesson, especially at the
beginning of the lesson. This firm placement of the norms will set the standard for the behavior,
the concentration, and the respect that we will expect from our students as they duly expect all
three from us (which we will continually provide).
Part II: The Lesson Plan

Before (5-10 minutes)

- For today’s lesson we will be working independently. We are expecting everyone to be
respectful of each other’s space. That means keeping our hands to ourselves, focusing
on the task, and working silently. If you have a question please use the thumbs up signal
we have practiced during our number talks. Are we all on the same page? Alright, so
today, we will be talking about numbers and patterns. To do so, we will be exploring the
walks of different robots. Imagine that you have four robots: a two stepper, three stepper,
four stepper, and a nine stepper. Each robot will have their own marker color. To track
the robot’s walks, we will be using a 100 grid. You can start the robot anywhere on the
grid you like. For each robot, please make note of any patterns you see. For example,
think about patterns in the ones place, tens place, or even and odd patterns.

During (15-20 minutes)

- We are expecting students to work quietly and independently. We will be reminding the
students of our norms. We are also expecting students to start with the two stepper and
then after marking its steps, moving to the three, four, and nine stepper without really
noticing any patterns. To make sure that students are focused on the task and looking
closely at the grids, we have included some guiding questions.
Questions to guide/assess understanding:
- What patterns are you noticing with your robots? Write them down.
- Have you tried starting the pattern at a different number with your robot? Has
anything changed?
- Are there any similarities between the robots?

After (10-15 minutes)

- Great work today everyone! We are really proud of how you took your time with the
assignment and tried to find as many patterns as possible. On a piece of paper, we are
going to write down the patterns that you all found. Can we have people share patterns
they noticed with the two stepper, etc.? Where did people start their robots? What
happened to the pattern? Did you notice how the counting you all did is similar to
multiplication? How could you predict the steps of a robot? The final question we have
is what changes a pattern more, the stepper or the start number. Explain your thinking.
Before you all leave, the students will fill out an exit ticket so we can see what they
understood from the lesson. The exit ticket question will ask students to write down a
pattern that they thought was interesting and explain why.

Formative Assessment
- To collect evidence of student thinking, we will film the session. The discussion at the
end of the lesson will be especially important for assessing the students. In addition, we
will collect all of the written work from the students, including the 100 grids and the exit
ticket. We will be looking for students to write down their patterns and to color in the
 grids. This information will guide our understanding of the student’s understanding of
number sense.

Accommodations
- The lesson itself is a low floor high ceiling task. Therefore, students who find the task
too challenging have the ability to spend more time with simpler patterns such as a two
step or three step robot and begin at different numbers on the number grid. On the the
other hand, students who want a greater challenge can work with different robots that we
have not explored, such as a six or seven step robot, or start their robots at a different spot
on the grid. They can also explore different patterns, such as looking at the sums of the
first and second number, third and fourth number, fifth and sixth number, etc.