Blended Learning Lesson Plan

Lesson Title:
 Greater Than (>), Smaller Than (<), or Equal(=)?
Objectives:
 Students will be able to identify the ones, tens, and hundreds place of a three digit
number.
 Students will be able to recognize when a number will be farther left or farther right than
a number on a number line.
 Students will be able to select the correct symbol to make a statement true. (For example:
the symbol “>” would be used for the statement: 27__19)
State Standards:
(2nd Garde Math Standards)
 Standard 4 (Number Sense and Base Ten)
Compare two numbers with up to three digits using words and symbols (i.e., >, =, or <).

Context:
I am teaching a 2nd grade math lesson about the greater than, less than, and equal symbols so the
students can begin learning how to compare numbers based on their ones, tens, and hundreds
place. Before this lesson, the students learned how to read, write, and represent numbers through
999 using different forms and models. Going into this lesson, students will already know that
100 can also be thought of as a group of tens, and the students should be able to determine which
digit is in the ones, tens, and hundreds place. They should also know that three digit numbers can
be broken down into hundreds, tens, and ones. For example, the number 618 can be broken down
as 6 hundreds, 1 ten, and 8 ones. After this lesson, the students will learn how to fluently add and
subtract numbers with three digits based on their understanding of place value. This lesson will
encourage students to look at the place values of numbers in order to compare them. It will also
help teach them about the number line because larger numbers are farther right than smaller
numbers on a number line.
Data:
To create the groups for this lesson, I used data from the previous day’s exit slip. The exit slip
served as a pretest to determine which students had a better understanding of the material, and
which groups would need extra help or reteaching. On the exit slip, the students were asked to
compare numbers and answer questions about place value. The students were given 2 numbers
and were asked to explain how they knew one number was larger than the other. Based on these
results, There will be 3 groups. A high achieving group, a middle group, and a lower achieving
group. To collect data in this lesson for future groupings, I will have them complete a short mini
quiz on Google Classroom testing their understanding of place value and symbols (<, >, =). This
mini quiz will test how well they have mastered the concept of using place value to make
comparisons. I will also throw a challenging question in to test whether or not they can extend
what they learned during the lesson to more complex ideas.
Materials:
Part of Lesson Materials Needed
Introduction  Math notebooks and a pencil
 Computer and SmartBoard to watch the video
“Greater Than Less Than Song for Kids”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qisu9NF1_0&vl=en

Teacher Directed  Computer and SmartBoard to watch the video “How

Collaborative Station
Independent Digital
to Write the Greater Than Symbol”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBkwSl8Tj98
 A Greater Than Less Than worksheet and a pencil
 The SmartBoard to project the worksheet for the
teacher to do with the group
 A partner
 A personal whiteboard and dry erase marker
 A paper towel to clean their boards
 A 9-sided die to roll to determine the number that
will go into each place value.
 A printable gameboard:
https://www.timvandevall.com/blank-board-game-
template/game-board-template/
 One game piece per student to move on the game
board
 The students will need their iPads and headphones to
go on eSpark and complete the lesson on greater
than, less than, and equal symbols.
 The prompt on eSpark will make them record
themselves explaining why one number is larger than
the other so the student will also need a quiet, private
place to record their prompt.
 eSpark:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/espark/id457879173

Closure  Students will use their iPads to log into Google

Classroom and complete the mini quiz (the mini quiz
will serve as the exit slip for the day)
https://classroom.google.com/u/3/h
Procedures:
Introduction (25 minutes):
This lesson will serve as the math lesson for the day. The math is the second lesson of the day
after English. Then, I will transition the students into the math lesson by starting a 3-minute
timer. The students will have 3 minutes to put their English notebooks and their independent
reading books away. Once the students are settled, I will tell them to open their math books to
the page on place value and comparing numbers using symbols. Then, I will briefly review place
value by using call and response. I will point to a digit in a 3-digit number and the students will
call out whether it the ones, tens, or hundreds place. Then, I will ask them to compare two
numbers by asking “Who has a larger digit in the hundreds place? Tens place?” and so on. The
brief review will take about 10 minutes. Finally, I will tell the students I have a fun song to help
them remember the greater than and less than symbols. Using my Smart Board I will play the
video called “Greater Than Less Than Song for Kids.” The video is about 4 minutes. After the
video ends, I will have them practice using the symbols by completing a short worksheet about
the symbols in their math books. Using the last few minutes, I will begin calling out names and
having them move to the designated table for the group they are in. I will then tell them I need
their best listening ears as I explain what they need to do in each station. I will show them where
the materials are for each station and how important it is for them to clean up after themselves
and walk quickly to the next station.

Teacher Directed (15 minutes):

For the teacher directed station, I will focus on the greater than and less than symbols. I want to
make sure the students understand the correct way to write the symbol and how to say the
symbol out loud. I will have the students sit down in seats in front of the Smart Board and we
will watch the video “How to Write the Greater Than Symbol.” The video is about 2 minutes
long. Students love watching videos, so I included a fun video about turning the symbol into an
alligator. The alligator method helps the students remember that the open side of the greater than
or less than symbol always faces the larger number because alligators want to “eat the larger
number.” After the video, I will use the Smart Board to project a worksheet on the board. Then, I
will pass out the worksheet to everyone at the station. As a group, we will complete the
worksheet together. I will utilize the call and response method to get the students to participate in
completing the worksheet. At the end of the 15 minutes, I will ask the students at my station if
they have any questions. I will answer questions if they have them and then I will address the
entire class to start cleaning up and have them get ready to change stations. I will instruct the
students to rotate in a clockwise rotation quickly and efficiently.
Collaborative (15 minutes):
At the collaborative station, I will have the students work in pairs. If I observe from my station
that the students cannot pick a partner quick enough, I will quickly assign partners and move on.
At this station, partners will grab a whiteboard and gameboard worksheet from the middle table
(one per pair). They will also each grab a game piece, dry erase marker, a paper towel and a 9-
sided die (only one die per pair) which is located in the bin next to the worksheets. To further
their understanding of place value, I will have the students complete a simple, competitive game.
They will first lay out the gameboard with both of their game pieces on “Start.” They will use
their dry erase markers to divide the whiteboard in 3 sections. Each section will represent a place
value. Once they have their hundreds, tens, and ones place labeled, they will take turns using the
9-sided die. They will roll the die and each roll will represent a digit on their whiteboard. Once
each student has a 3-digit number written on their whiteboards, they will compare numbers.
Whoever has the larger number gets to move their game piece one spot closer to the finish line.
Whoever crosses the finish line or gets closest to the finish line wins. I will give a 2-minute
warning to start cleaning up and the students will use their paper towels to clean off their boards
and put all their materials away.

Independent Digital (15 minutes):

At the independent digital station, the students will retrieve their iPads from the iPad rack. Then,
they will log on their eSpark app and complete the math lesson of the day. Before class, I went
onto my educator account and manually selected the lesson of the day to be on place value and
greater than and less than symbols. On eSpark, the students will watch a short video on the topic,
play a short game to master this skill, and after about 10 minutes, they will be presented a
prompt. The prompt will show the students 2 numbers and ask them to record themselves
explaining why one of the numbers are larger using their knowledge of place value. The students
will be recording themselves and submitting the video through eSpark so I can grade them and
gage what they learned. Since the students are recording the prompt, they will also need a quiet
place to record so they will have the option to record in the back of the room, at their desk, or in
the hallway.
Closure (15 minutes):
The students will make sure all their materials are put away. This includes putting away the
whiteboards, iPads, worksheets, math books, etc. I will use this closing time to collect
worksheets and collect materials to be put away. Once everyone is seated and ready to listen, I
will ask if anyone has any questions. Once all questions are answered, I will have them log onto
Google Classroom and complete the mini quiz on greater than, less than, and place value. This
mini quiz will serve as an exit slip and a way to collect data. I will be able to gage where the
students are at in their understanding of this lesson so I can reexplain or reteach certain parts of
the lesson the students seemed to not understand. After they complete the mini quiz, the math
lesson will be over and the students will get ready to go to lunch and recess.
Rationale:
1. “Greater Than Less Than Song”
I chose to play the YouTube video called “Greater Than Less Than Song” because it was a fun
way to transition into a new lesson. I have found that fun videos and songs grab the student’s
attention and learning the song as a class would help them remember important information
about the lesson. It supports student learning by creating a fun learning environment where they
can be motivated to further their understanding about the lesson. I knew this video was high-
quality because it first explains the necessary background knowledge needed to understand the
greater than and less than symbols. It also displayed the information in an easy, attention-
grabbing way and it helped that the song was catchy and easy to remember. This video also
supports state standards because it is helping them better understand math symbols and how to
use them. Using the 8 bullet points from Evaluating Multimedia, it was clear this video was high-
quality, its goal aligned with the teaching goal, it provided student motivation to learn the lesson,
and it was presented very clearly. The lyrics of the song are the most important and the video
would be displayed on the Smart Board so it would be ideal for kids that are visually impaired.
2. “How to Write the Greater Than Symbol”
I decided to play another YouTube video called “How to Write the Greater Than Symbol”
because I thought it would be a helpful way to master the basics of comparing numbers. Many
students can identify the larger number but might not be able to identify which sign to use. This
video also keeps the students engaged because it offers a fun analogy using an alligator. It is a
high-quality video because it easily demonstrates that correct way to write the math symbols
required by state standards. The content quality of the video is also great because it offers great
explanations and awesome graphics. The presentation design is great because it is very colorful
and eye-catching yet delivers the information in a clear way. The video does a great job
explaining that a visually impaired student could simply listen to the video and get the idea.
3. Educational game about comparing numbers
I decided to play an educational game during the stations because I believe it is important to
incorporate fun activities the students can learn from. The game was fairly simple and offered
competition which when done properly, can increase motivation in students. The game was also
a hands-on activity which is proven to keep attention and increase motivation in students. The
game also allowed students to work on their cooperation with other students because they were
able to discuss which number, they believed to be larger. This is also a game where a teacher
should be mindful of who is partnered with who. In some cases, it can be helpful to students with
ADHD to be partnered with a high-achieving focused student to serve as a model for the student
and keep them on task.
4. eSpark
eSpark is an app that I truly love. I chose this app because I knew it would present information to
the students in a way that is best for their learning style. eSpark is a blended learning style app
that delivers lessons in a way that is specialized for each student. High-achieving students have
the ability to be presented more complex questions during a lesson to keep them engaged and
avoid becoming bored. A low-achieving student might have more instructional videos and
questions to deepen their understanding of the particular skill they must master. This app also
directly refers to state standards to make sure it is teaching what is required. This app is high-
quality and easy to use and has great content to keep the students engaged. The app tracks
academic growth in students and directly sends this information to the teacher’s account. eSpark
also offers great explanations when a student selects a wrong answer and allows them to redo the
question or offers a similar question. This app also lets the students answer prompts by recording
themselves speaking which teaches students an alternative way of responding to prompts. The
graphics are great, and the text and contrast can be altered for students who are visually
impaired. If the app notices a student hasn’t moved on from watching videos or playing a game
on eSpark, it can project a message on the screen telling the student it’s time to go to the next
section.

5. Google Classroom mini quiz

I chose this multimedia to serve as an exit slip. Google classroom quizzes make it easy for the
students to demonstrate what they have learned and show the educator areas where the students
are still struggling and need reteaching/extra help. The quiz was made by me, so I made sure the
quiz aligned with the goals of the lesson and state standards. This is also a high-quality method
to collect data to create groups in the future. It also helps track progress because students will do
better as they master the math skill. The presentation design is clear, and the students have a lot
of experience with Google Classroom, so it is easy for them to navigate the website. The quiz
can also be reused in future 2nd grade classrooms to collect data in those classes as well. If a
student is visually impaired or needs assistance, I can sit with the student and assist them as they
take the quiz.