MYP unit planner ~ Year 1: Is nature mathematical?

Teacher(s) Louise Fung Greaves Subject group and Mathematics

discipline

Unit title Is nature mathematical? MYP year 1 Unit duration (hrs) 19 hours (5 weeks)

Inquiry: Establishing the purpose of the unit

Key concept Related concept(s) Global context

Logic Generalization Scientific and technical innovation

Model Exploration: Modelling patterns in the natural
Pattern world

Statement of inquiry

Logical processes help to model and generalize the patterns around us in the natural world.

Inquiry questions

Factual - What is a pattern? What is a generalization?

Conceptual - How does logic help us model and predict patterns?
Debatable - Is there a mathematical order to our natural world?

Objectives Summative assessment

Outline of summative assessment task(s) Relationship between summative assessment

including assessment criteria: task(s) and statement of inquiry:

B: Investigating Patterns
i. apply mathematical problem-solving
techniques to recognize patterns
ii. describe patterns as relationships or
general rules consistent with correct
findings
iii. verify whether the pattern works for other
examples.
C: Communicating
i. use appropriate mathematical language
Lily pads: Criteria B & C Lily pads: Criteria B &C
Goal: To demonstrate understanding of the In this assessment, students will apply their
mathematical concepts - generalization, model understanding of generalization, model and
and pattern in an investigation on the movement pattern and investigate whether there are any
relationships with the number of different ways
of frogs across a pond of lily pads.
frogs can cross a pond. Students will need to think
carefully how they can apply these concepts to the
Role: You work at the Fairy Lake Botanical problem for them to reach a correct conclusion.
Gardens in Shenzhen and you are in charge of the The task is open-ended so students will have the
frog ponds, which are a popular attraction. opportunity to inquire and explore many different
relationships within the investigation.
 (notation, symbols and terminology) in both
oral and written statements
ii. use appropriate forms of mathematical
representation to present information
iii. communicate coherent mathematical lines
of reasoning
iv. organize information using a logical
structure.
Audience: The visitors of the Fairy Lake Botanical
Gardens.
Situation: As part of your duties, you have
noticed that frogs move across the pond by
jumping from lily pad to lily pad. They will either
jump one lily pad or two lily pads at a time. For
example, if there were three lily pads, the frogs
would have two ways of crossing the pond.
Investigate the number of different ways there are
for the frogs to jump across the pond for different
numbers of lily pads. What kind of patterns and
relationships do you notice?
Product: After initial planning and investigation
time, you will produce a decorated leaflet that
explains this interesting information to the visitors.
Success criteria:
B – Investigating Patterns (Year 1)
 select and apply your understanding of
generalization, model and pattern to recognize
patterns
 describe patterns as relationships or general
rules consistent with correct findings
 verify whether the pattern works for other
number of lily pads.
C – Communicating (Year 1)
 use appropriate mathematical language and
notation in your descriptions and explanations
 use appropriate forms of mathematical
representation to present your findings clearly
 communicate coherent mathematical lines of
reasoning that support your conclusions
  organize information using a logical structure
so it is easy to follow your investigation.

Approaches to learning (ATL)

viii. Critical-thinking skills

In order for students to apply mathematical problem-solving techniques to recognise patterns, describe patterns as relationships or general rules
consistent with correct findings and verify whether the patterns works for other examples, students must gather and organize relevant information to
formulate an argument in their investigation to find a pattern or relationship that is consistent with their findings.

i. Communication skills
In order for students to use appropriate mathematical language (notation, symbols and terminology) and forms of representation in their written work,
student must understand and use mathematical notation and the relationships that they represent.
In order for students to communicate coherent mathematical lines of reasoning and organize information using a logical structure, students must
organize and depict information logically in their descriptions and explanations.

Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry

Content Learning process

Finding and describing patterns
● Identify and continue numerical patterns
● Find and describe the term-to-term rules of
sequences in words
● Review the use of letters and symbols to
represent variables and unknown numbers
● Read and write expressions in which letters
stand for numbers
● Review algebraic notation rules (i.e. no
multiplication signs, writing algebraic division
as fractions)
● Understand and use Algebra as a
mathematical tool to describe relationships
and patterns
● Express term to term rules using Algebra (as
functions of T_n)
● Find and describe the position to term rules of
sequences in Algebra
Further study of Algebra Basics
● Use and understand the key terms such as:
“sum”, “term”, “product” and “coefficient”
● Simplifying expressions by collecting like terms
● Substitute values into expressions to evaluate
terms
Patterns and equations
● Recognize that the rules for sequences are
relationships between an “input” and an
“output”
● Form algebraic equations with one unknown
● Solve one step (x + p = r or qx = r) and two
step equations (px + q = r) by working
backwards in a function
● Solve harder equations that require
simplification first
Learning experiences and teaching strategies
Prior learning experiences
Students should be familiar with the following: Using letters and symbols to represent unknown
numbers, continuing patterns, the order of operations, terms such as sum and product.
Finding and describing patterns
In this section of the unit, we will discuss the following:
● What is a sequence and what do we look for to continue its pattern?
● Is there a common difference or “change” between each term?
● How can we describe a pattern? (i.e. what are the term to term and position to term rules?)
● Can we use our existing knowledge of mathematical notation to describe the rules more
succinctly?
We will examine a few applications of term to term and position to term rules of a pattern and
complete practice criterion B investigation tasks (similar to Growing Surprises:
https://nrich.maths.org/11212). Students are encouraged to draw upon their learning of describing
patterns and apply it to the different contexts of the patterns in the natural world (ATL: Transfer)
Students will also complete a short research project on the Fibonacci Sequence. They have to
provide an information booklet based on Fibonacci, the Fibonacci Sequence and its presence in the
natural world. (There will also be some consideration of the Fibonacci Sequence from a Chinese
perspective and look into how it occurs in the history of Chinese mathematics). At the end, students
will have to consider a two-sided answer to the debatable inquiry question. This is also a good
opportunity to combine reviewing the strands required in Criterion C: Communicating.
Further study of Algebra Basics
In this section, we will focus more on the concept of Algebra. We will develop the language we use
to describe algebraic terms, how we can further simplify algebra by collecting like terms and
substitute values in expressions given in algebraic form. In this section, employing the student
reflections skills (ATL: Reflection) will be used and activities that use classic mistakes to address
common misconceptions will be used to consolidate new understanding. Skills practice tasks will
provide the revision required to embed understanding of these rules of the Algebra Basics.
Patterns and equations
In this section, we refer back to pattern finding and describing sequences. The students will relate
concepts of the nth term general rule to a function that has an input (the position) and an output
(the term in the sequence). Using this connection, and now focusing mostly on arithmetic linear
sequences, students will form linear equations. Using their relationships to find particular terms in
the sequence will require learning how to solve these equations, enabling focus on how to solve
one and two-step questions.
 Formative assessment
Common Core State Standards: 6.EE.1-4, 6.EE.6-7,
Diagnostic assessments/Skills checks to practice criterion A
6.EE.9 There will be on-going short reviews in the format of entry and exit passes and quizzes to review
CNC: -- students’ understanding.
MYP 1: Ch3
Fibonacci Project and focus on Criterion C
Students will complete an information booklet on Fibonacci and the significance of the Fibonacci
Sequence. This is to encourage students to consider their opinion on the debatable inquiry
question but it is also an opportunity for them to experience the criterion C strands in this unit.
Students will complete these over a period of week and will be allocated home learning time and
some lesson time to work on this as an on-going project.

Practice criterion B tasks

Students will complete a series of investigation tasks to apply their knowledge of using Algebra to
describe and model relationships in a generalised way. This will also enable students to get more
familiar with the inquiry continuum and criterion B strands.

Differentiation
Word wall and definitions (in English and Chinese)
Key mathematical vocabulary that is relevant to this unit will be developed. It is also noted in the
student’s topic checklist

Scaffolded activity stations during skills practice

Some students will be confident with algebraic manipulation and some will have only just learnt the
skills in this unit. To better accommodate the varying needs, skills practice needs to be scaffolded
and differentiated so that the correct level of difficulty is provided.

Possible extension topics:

● The Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio
● The distributive law - single brackets only
● Graphical representations of linear sequences
● Using non-numerical sequences to develop written communication
● Non-linear functions and their representations

Resources

● MYP Mathematics 1: A concept-based approach (Oxford University Press) – Chapter 3: Algebraic expressions and equations: patterns in nature
● GAIM investigations: https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/25300/gaim-activities-investigations
 ● Nrich investigations:
○ Growing Surprises: https://nrich.maths.org/11212
○ 1 step, 2 step: https://nrich.maths.org/7199
● Fibonacci: https://plus.maths.org/content/life-and-numbers-fibonacci
● Mangahigh

Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry

Prior to teaching the unit During teaching After teaching the unit

It is important that students are able to practice
and consolidate key algebraic basics in order to
avoid misconceptions with algebraic rules
developing early on. Regular consolidation and
review with skills checks is needed to assess
students' understanding before students can apply
it to describe patterns in the investigation.
Students will be familiar with the investigation
process and so this unit will consolidate their
understanding further.
The reflection practice needs more emphasis and
will be useful as we resume this unit after a school
break. The practice B tasks are useful but
students do struggle to communicate fully, in
particular some are reluctant to fully describe the
patterns they find, despite being able to spot the
general patterns.
As we approach the end of this unit, it may be
better to rearrange it so that it comes a little later.
Some of the prior knowledge here requires
understanding of negative numbers and it seems
that allowing students to settle their understanding
of negative numbers (introduced previously) may
be best and then this unit can be used as a
deeper review of their prior understanding.
The students were really engaged with this unit
and its context. Examining patterns in nature was
a realistic context to use and students enjoyed
thinking about the mathematics behind nature
patterns. A few changes led to some amendments
to the ATLs so they were better aligned with the
summative assessment criteria.

We will need to explicitly do formative tasks on

criterion B and C. This will help students prepare
their understanding of the summative assessment,
and also work well with the timing of full school
reports, etc.