1. I’ll Halve S’more Please! By Cindy Jackson Lesson Plan Analysis by EDUC 524 Group B: Angela Coleman, Christine Masters, Megan Pagnotti, and Derek Dunn http://www.pbs.org/parents/cyberchase/show/episodes/311.html

3. Standards Addressed Number and Operations Focus Areas for Grades 3-5: Mathematics instructional programs should foster the development of number operation sense so that all students: 1. Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems; 2. Use computational tools and strategies fluently and estimate appropriately. (Standards obtained from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, which is available online at http://standards.nctm.org./documet/chapter5/index.htm .)

4. Critical Thinking Skills (Higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy) Apply : Predict the answer to solve the problem for the Three-Headed Dogs. 9. How would you divide the apples to feed all three dogs? Students are asked to make predictions based on gained knowledge Synthesis : A question on the Zeus on the Loose worksheet specifically asks the students to” On a separate piece of paper, draw a picture of the gold bars that shows how the CYBERCHASE kids divided the gold evenly.”

5. Theory of Intellegences Gardner Linguistic : Play on words of the title and repetition of the title by the teacher “I’ll halve S’more Please” Make the students who listen the best think about halving the s’more Spatial : Seeing the S’more being physically divided by the teacher into several parts helps cator to the students who learn the best through spatial features Bodily Kinesthetic and Naturalist : Having the students carefully break their own S’more into parts Helps students who learn the best via tactial function Musical : Watching and listening to the Zeus on the loose video helps the students who learn the best via music Logical-mathematical : Dr. Marble’s 13 combination game and the vortex games are focused on the logical pattern learner. Intrapersonal and Interpersonal : Were not part of the lesson

6. Theory of Intellegences Sternberg Number Ability : learning of how fractions come about by the division of a S’more into pieces helps the student to learn this numerical idea Spatial and Perceptual Ability: Vortex game develops the students ability to visually recognize fractions in a fast paced game. Inductive Reasoning : Dr. Marble’s 13 combinations of one halve game has students reason which eighths of the square need to be filled and which do not to reach 13 ways to make one half Verbal comprehension ability : The teacher’s lecture about S’more’s help the students to develop the verbal comprehension ability. Memory : the assessments either online or on the Zeus on the loose worksheet help Students develop the ability to quickly pick out fractions

7. Metacognition Play on words of the title and repetition of the title by the teacher “I’ll halve S’more Please” makes the students think about how to halve the s’more During both the Vortex and Dr. Marble’s game students are required to think about how they use fractions to succeed in the game.

8. Alternative Assessments Dr. Marbles Game: trying to find 13 combinations of eight pieces of a square will equal one half. Scored online Vortex Game: Speed game which Requires students to visually pick out fraction matches. Scored online Students fill out the Zeus on the Loose worksheet while the video is being played. Teacher Graded

10. Self Esteem Students are chosen to divide the smore. They will be happy to be chosen Students are chosen to draw the three-headed dog, as part of the discussion about how would you give each head part of 2 apples because they are good artists The familiar connections to food, games, drawing and cartoons will help their self esteem. They will be more likely to interact if the knowledge is presented in a familiar fashion. Involving the entire class in a communal activity raises self esteem because the student feel like they are part of a group.

11. Cooperative learning Groups of students are selected to build and divide s’mores into fractions. As a class, students answer Many questions about fractions like: How to divide S’mores into fractions?

12. Various Learning Environments Teacher Lecture about fractions based on questioning of the students about dividing s’mores “ Zeus on the Loose” internet video and worksheet Internet based games: Dr. Marble’s 13 combination of Halve Game and Vortex Game

14. Conclusion This lesson, “I’ll Halve S’more Please” uses a combination of media elements and parallels to a favorite treat to create enduring understanding of fractions for students. Incorporating such instructional strategies as critical thinking skills, intelligence attributes, metacognition, alternative assessments, direct instruction, cooperative learning, and self-esteem building tools, educators can differentiate instruction effectively and increase learning for their students while engaging them in fun activities! Since media components in the classroom can contribute many positive elements, and references to real-life illustrations help students realize the value of what they are learning, this lesson is very effective at capturing and maintaining the interest of students. Using this lesson in the classroom would aid students in understanding numbers, ways of representing numbers, the relationships amongst numbers, and number systems while allowing them to utilize computational tools and strategies confidently and estimate properly. For educators that wish to expand on this effectiveness, the lesson suggests cross-curricular extensions in art, history/english, and technology that would provide additional instructional strategies for increased learning in the classroom.