Mathematical Learning Experiences for a Classroom of 5-6 Year Olds - Assignment Example

EXPERIENCE PLAN Time 35 minutes Target Age 5-6 years Date: 19/01/11 Topic/Experience title Number concepts and skills PREPARATION Rationale/Goal: The purpose The aim of this lesson is to develop numerical reasoning and counting backwards and forward. Skills and concepts targeted The students should be able to use the skills gained in numbering the days of the week and also locate numbers in a number line. The students should also be in a position to skip numbers in twos, fives and tens. The counting skills need to be at least up to 100. They should also be able to do multiplications and additions. Curriculum Links Specific to your local Curriculum Documents The Australian curriculum (2010) indicates that the outcome of this experience needs to address numbering skills, counting skills to at least 100. On the other hand Fyfield (2006) states that children at this age ought to manipulate integer digits up to 100 and also count in a backwards direction. Objectives: By the end of the lesson the children will be able to: Objective 1 Number objective By the end of the lesson, the children should be able to do simple counting using a number line and also count in groups of twos, fives and tens from 0 to 100. Objective 2 Manipulation objectives By using their previous knowledge on subtraction, addition, division and multiplication, the children should be able to apply the same concept and skills to work on numbers from 0 to 100. Environment/Preparation/Resources In order to accomplish this task, I a number line made of plastic with counting up to 100 will be provided to the children. Counting sticks will also be provided in order to aid when counting in groups of groups of twos, fives and tens from 0 to 100. Two assistant teachers will be distributing these resources to the children in groups of five for easier teaching process. The two assistants will also help in discussing the concepts with the children while grouped together. PROCEDURE Before introducing the topic, I will capture the student’s attention by first asking them about their experience while coming to school. This will help in attracting their lesson attention; I will follow later with fundamental questions about the previous lesson. I will give a chance to five children to answer. In order to ensure maximum participation in the lesson process, I will use small gifts of a biro, pencil and a book for the children who answer the question accurately. After issuing the gifts, I will promise them more if they became attentive in the lesson. I will then introduce the two objectives of the lesson. Introduction For the 10 minutes of the lesson, I will ask my assistants to distribute the resources to the children grouped in groups of five. The children will therefore have a chance to touch the resources and respond to what they know about the numbers written in the sticks and the number line. The students will therefore have a chance to touch the materials and also use their visualization to capture the concepts provided in the materials. I will thereafter demonstrate by writing a number line and the numbers from 1 to 100. Main Body of the Experience: Focus questions 1. Count from 1 to 100? 2. Count in groups of twos from 1 to 100 3. Count in groups of fives from 1 to 100 4. Count in groups of tens from 1 to 100 5. Count in the reverse direction from 100 to 1 6. Count in groups of twos, fives, tens backwards Duties allocation As the teacher, I will direct and coordinate the activities of the classroom and make sure that the helpers provide all the 20 children with materials and necessary assistance. Helpers will assist in grouping of the children in groups of five and also assist the children in understanding the meaning of the number line and also create fluency in counting with the assistance of the number line. The children will participate by listening and following teacher’s and helper’s directives as the lesson progresses. Concept understanding (15 minutes) I will start by introducing the topic; I will thereafter provide a written number line from 1 to 100. This will be important while I teach the students to start counting from 1 to 100, then followed by 1 to hundred in groups of twos, fives and tens to 100. I will then reverse the strategy and commence from 100 counting backwards and again in groups of twos, fives and tens to 1. Practical demonstration (10 minutes) The helpers will then group children in groups of five, practical demonstration of how the counting concept is done using the sticks and the number line provided, the repetition using the physical number line with the assistance will help in creating permanent visual image of the numbers from 1 to 100 in forward and backward direction. Closure I will finish the lesson by asking the focus questions, this will help in establishing if the new skills were gained or not. I will select few students from different groups to demonstrate if they captured the concepts and the skills of fluently counting in both directions as dictated by the Australian curriculum. EXPERIENCE PLAN 2 Time ___30____________ Target Age ___5-6 years_________ Date:____19/01/2011_____________ Topic/Experience title Geometry concepts and skills PREPARATION Rationale/Goal: Purpose To develop geometry concepts and skills Concepts and skills targeted The student should be able to understand dimensions, solids properties, angles and geometric figures. Curriculum Links The curriculum of Australia (2010) demands that year 1 child should be able to distinguish between different shapes and their corresponding angles. According to Australian Government Department of Education (2009), child development required sense of touch and visualization in order for the concepts to be embedded. Objectives: Objective 1 Differentiation of dimensions Differentiate dimensions, two dimensions and three dimensions. Objective 2 Geometrical concepts like angles and different geometric shapes Environment/Preparation/Resources I will have four sets of different shapes coloured plastics, circular, rectangular (with two dimensions and three dimensions with), square (with two dimensions and three dimensions) and triangle with marked angles. The four sets of resources will be distributed the four groups of children created by the 20 children. I will also have two assistants who will distribute the resource and also help the students. PROCEDURE I will capture the attention of the students by asking them questions of the previous lesson with gifts of biros for correct answers; this will motivate the children to pay attention to the lesson. I will thereafter introduce the lessons objectives with demonstration of the resources to be used in the lesson process. I will also give guidance on the roles of helpers and the students. Introduction I will start the lesson by demonstrating different shapes of geometric figure with the name and the associated physical representation. I will ask the children to draw the three shapes of the objects and correctly name them. After ensuring that the children have drawn the figures, I will give them physical representation of the shapes that they have drawn in order for them to differentiate. Main Body of the Experience: Including focus questions, checks for understanding, modelling and demonstration. Focus questions 1. What is a dimension 2. What is two dimension object (demonstrate) 3. What is three dimension object (demonstrate) 4. What is an angle? 5. How many angles’ are in square, triangle and rectangle in two and three dimensions? Duties allocation I will provide the directions of the lesson and guideline on the practical and theoretical time schedule. Helpers will provide the resources to the children and also tackle any challenging task when the children are grouped Children will participate by listening and responding to questions when asked. Checking understanding (15 minutes) I will introduce the topic by stating the objectives of the lesson, I will then proceed to draw and name three shapes of circle, square and rectangle in two dimensions. I will ask the children to say the name of the object as I touch them in the chalkboard. I teach them the concept of dimensions by labelling the width and the height of the shapes. I will then proceed to three dimensions and label the length, width and height to differentiate them from the two dimensions. I will also show the angles in two dimension perspective and also in three dimensions by labelling the objects in the board. Modelling and demonstration (10 minutes) After the theoretical teaching of dimensions, shapes and angles, I will seek the assistance of the helpers to divide the class into four groups of five. After the division, the assistants will provide the children with the set of two dimension and three dimensions different coloured plastic objects. The children will thereafter demonstrate the concepts of shapes by touching and creating distinctions of these objects. The helpers will ensure that every child participates in the process. The focus questions which cover the underlying concepts will be asked as the children experience the touch and visualization of different objects at their disposal. Closure At the closure, I spare 5 minutes to review the dimensions concepts, the angles of in each dimension of different shape that the student had theoretically and practically learnt. EXPERIENCE PLAN 3 Time 35 Target Age 5- 6 years Date: 19/01/2011 Topic/Experience title Probability and statistics PREPARATION Rationale/Goal: What is the purpose? Students should be able to understand the meaning of mean or average and also be in a position to solve simple probability problems like acknowledging that the possible outcomes of an event is between 0 and 1. Skills and concepts targeted They should be able to apply practical and theoretical skills gained in manipulating means of integers and fractions and fractions of probability. Curriculum Links Specific to your local Curriculum Documents Australian curriculum (2010) emphasises the need for children at this age to be able to distinguish between possible outcomes of events, and use “will happen” and “won’t happen” on some natural phenomena. They should also be able to perform manipulation of digits using visual representation enhances concept grasping in children aged 3-6 years. It is therefore mandatory for any instructor to maximize visual representation of concepts in order for the children to fully grasp them (Fyfield, 2006). I will therefore use the fundamental concept of this information to enhance practicality of the calculation as much as possible. Objectives: By the end of the lesson the children will be able to: Objective 1 Calculate mean of a group in integers and fractions Objective 2 Calculate probability of simple events Environment/Preparation/Resources A set of four ten differently coloured sticks, and a set of 5 differently coloured sticks labelled in fraction. A dice with six sides labelled 1 to 6 in different colours. Two assistants will be available in order to distribute the resources to students and also address their questions first hand as the practical part progresses. PROCEDURE What you will do to engage the children in the learning? Links to past experiences. I will introduce the topic by asking questions related to the first lesson on fractions and integers. Correct answers will be rewarded by oranges which will be divided among four students who answered the questions correctly. The division of the orange into four will not only remind the students of the concept of fractions but also introduce the concept of mean which entails addition and division and also probability concept. I will then capture the student’s attention by asking them if they know the meaning of mean and division. Introduction Introduce the learning objectives. I will introduce the topic by doing addition and division related problems in order to prepare the children for a more complex combination of both methods in calculating the mean of numbers and simple probabilities. I will also revisit the concepts of integers and fractions in order to prepare the students for manipulating these numbers while calculating the means and probabilities of a given number. Main Body of the Experience: Focus questions 1. What is average/mean? 2. What is the mean of the first ten digits (1,2,3....10)? 3. What is the mean of 1, 2.5. 8, 9 (tests on a mixture of integers and fractions)? 4. What is probability? 5. What is an outcome of 5 when a dice is tossed once? Duties allocation I will provide the directions of the lesson and guideline on the practical and theoretical time schedule. Helpers will provide the resources to the children and also tackle any challenging task when the children are grouped Children will participate by listening and responding to questions when asked. Check of understanding (15 minutes) I will introduce the topic by explaining what a mean is and how it is applied in everyday life. I will do a practical mean of 10 number from (1,2,3....10)? After getting the answer by adding the numbers (1+2+3+....10/ 10). I will tell the students that adding the numbers is the first step in the solution and they will be able to use the previous concept and also divide the summation by the number of the digits (which is ten in this case). I will thereafter introduce the concept of probability and explain why the chances of an event occurring is between 0 and 1. I will inform the children that 0 probabilities imply that the event occurrence is not possible, and 1 implies that the event occurrence is a must. I will use the rising of the sun as one perfect example of a probability of 1 occurrence. Modelling and demonstration (10 minutes) In order for the students to visualize and comprehend fully the concept of mean in statistics, I will tell the assistants to divide the class into four groups of five and give them the resources (four ten differently coloured sticks, and a set of 5 differently coloured sticks labelled in fraction). I will thereafter demonstrate practically through addition of the numbers labelled in the four ten sets and again divide by the number of sticks which the students will participate by telling the next step after practically counting the sticks. We will then divide the sum with the number of sticks jointly with the students. I will thereafter move to a more complex situation where we will mix one fraction representation with the set of ten sticks and do the mean/average with students involvement in order for them to visualize the concepts and skills learnt. In order for the student to also grasp the implication of probability, I will ask the helpers to distribute dice to the children and help them in tossing. The students will have a chance to toss the dice and record their outcome. By getting involved in the tossing process, they will be able to comprehend the significance of probability and statistics. Closure I will review the lesson by asking the basic steps involved in the calculation of mean and also leave the students with a few questions on the topic in order for them to practise. I will also ask the children day to day events that trigger probability and statistics concepts in order to visualize the concept of probability. References Australian Government Department of Education.(2009). The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Sydney: Common Wealth of Australia. Fyfield, J & Blane, D.(2006).Mathematics K-6 Syllabus. Sydney: Foundation Statements. The Australian Curriculum. (2010).The Australian Curriculum mathematics. Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. Read More