This document outlines a proposed 6-week math unit for a 3rd grade class. The central idea is that numbers are used to describe, compare, and measure quantities. Key concepts are function, connection, and change. Lines of inquiry include place value systems, fractions and decimals as representations of whole-part relationships, and number operations. Assessment tasks will evaluate student understanding of place value, addition/subtraction, fractions/decimals, and long division. Learning experiences include exploring counting strategies, discussing differences between strategies, representing number relationships, and creating mind maps. The unit aims to develop self-management skills and principled, balanced attributes through math inquiries.
1. Class/grade: 3 Age group: 8 yrs old
School: Sekolah Pilar indonesia School code: 7850
Teacher(s): Arief and Ika
Date:
Proposed duration: + 6 weeks
2. What do we want to learn?
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
Key concepts: Function, connection, change
Related concepts: quantity, number, measure, equivalent, value, fractions
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
· The base 10 place value system is used to represent numbers and number
relationships. (Function)
· Fractions and decimals are ways of representing whole-part relationships.
(connection)
· The operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are related to
each other and are used to process information to solve problems (connection)
· Number operations can be modelled in a variety of ways.(Reflection)
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
· What is a number?
· How to read, write, estimate, compare and order numbers to hundreds or
beyond?
· What is the difference between fractions and decimals?
#Teachers provide some objects such as beads or buttons, many pieces of
straws and plastic cups. Ask students to count directly or put the objects in
groups/rows then students have to show how to write and mention the numbers
accurately.
1. What is our purpose?
To inquire into the following:
transdiciplinary theme
Strand: Numeration
Central Idea
Numbers are used to describe quantities, to compare quantities, to identify
specific objects in collections and to measure.
Summative assessment task(s):
By the end of the unit, students will:
- Read, represent, compare, and order whole numbers to 1000, and use
concrete materials to represent fractions and money amounts to 1000
- Solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers,
using a variety of mental strategies (e.g., to add 37 + 26, add the tens, add
the ones, then combine the tens and ones, like this: 30 + 20 = 50, 7 + 6 =
13, 50 + 13 = 63);
- Able to demonstrate an understanding of addition and subtraction in three-digit
numbers.
- Use long division strategy with or without remainders.
- Understand fractions and decimals to represent whole-part relationships
Maths planner
2. 3. How might we know what we have learned?
This column should be used in conjunction with “How best might we learn?”
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ prior knowledge
and skills? What evidence will we look for?
1. To find the students prior knowledge, we use the strategy: I see, I think, I
wonder. We provide stations that contain tables.
2. Every station has different work. Students who work in groups then identify
and write numbers or words shown in the table starting from numbers to
1000, naming fractions, decimals, place value and number patterns.
3. The result would be discussed together.
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of
the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
1. The base 10 place value system is used to represent numbers and number
relationships. (Students are expected to be able to develop their
understanding of the base 10 place value system and will model, read,
write, estimate, compare and order numbers to hundreds or beyond)
2. Fractions and decimals are ways of representing whole-part relationships
(Students are expected to have an understanding of fractions as
representations of whole-part relationships and will be able to model
fractions and use fraction names in real-life situations)
3. The operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are
related to each other and are used to process information to solve
problems & Number operations can be modelled in a variety of ways
(Students are expected to select, use and describe a range of strategies to
solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division,
using estimation strategies to check the reasonableness of their answers)
4. How best might we learn?
What are the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students to encourage
the students to engage with the inquiries and address the driving questions?
Tuning in
- Unpack the central idea, lines of inquiry and concepts
- Using stations and I see, I think, I wonder strategy
Finding out
- Explore different ways of counting: addition, long division, dividing with remainders, 2 digits
multiplication and 3 digits subtraction
- Students to practice and classify the new strategy of counting and state the differences with
the previous one.
Sorting out
- Students to discuss and state the difference between the new strategies with the previous one.
Going further
- Students to work on some problems on numbers: Fractions, equivalent fractions, fraction
patterns, look for the relation between fractions and decimals,
- Students to make sure and strength their understanding and showing the evidence of the
numbers relations by creating spider web or mind map.
Making conclusion
- Students to finish their spider web or mind map
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?
During this unit we focus on Self-management skills that enable students to know and apply appropriate
rules or instructions of certain tasks.
Attributes of the LP: Principled and Balanced
Attitudes: integrity and commitment.
5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visuals materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available? Think of a NUMBER by Johnny Ball, New Signpost,
Queensland, Nelson Maths 3 Book, Collection of Maths lesson by Marilyn Burns, About Teaching Mathematics A K-8 Resource by Marilyn Burns, straw, cups, beads,
buttons, ice cream sticks, playing cards (bridges), calendar, clock etc.
How will the classrooms environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
3. 6. To what extend did we achieve our purpose?
Assess the outcome of the inquiry by providing evidence of students’ understanding of the central idea. The
reflections of all the teachers involved in the planning and the teaching of the inquiry should be included.
Firstly, this unit was challenging and interesting for students. Primarily students have known the basic
understanding of numeration and maths operations. Then they became more enthusiastic when they inquired
into the history of numbers and different ways people use numbers: Think of a NUMBER by Johnny Ball, and
that really helped them to be engaged with the first line of inquiry which enables students to develop their
understanding of the base 10 place value system and will model, read, write, estimate, compare and
order numbers to hundreds and beyond.
Secondly, when we discussed about fractions, most of the students have acquired some terminologies such as
numerators and denominators and that have helped them to solve the advanced level of problems. Beside that
they also could show the relationship between fractions and decimals by creating drawings or graphs.
Lastly, most of the students who tried to work on problems in groups, they helped each other to overcome the
problems they worked on. They used a variety of strategies especially in fractions and division problem and
they could show the way to get the results. They also communicated the problems with the teachers if they
found advanced problems enthusiastically.
How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a more accurate picture of each
student’s understanding of the central idea.
Presumably, this unit assessment could be integrated with art or PE lesson by creating stuff or games that use
numbers on it or by creating artificial soccer tournaments management, to count how many times every team or
player plays in a tournament and so on, so the students can think more deeply, especially in real life situations.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the transdiciplinary theme?
central idea: Numbers are used to describe quantities, to compare quantities, to identify
specific objects in collections and to measure.
transdiciplinary theme
Strand: Numeration
7. To what extend did we include the elements of the PYP?
What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:
· develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we want
to learn?”
Function: This concept was selected because the ability to analyze function,
types and strategies of maths operations is fundamental to learning and
solving problems.
Connection: This concept was selected because the operations
of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are related to one another
and are used to process information in order to solve problems and will be
able to model and use them in real-life situations.
Reflection: We used this concept because number operations can be
modelled in a variety of ways. Students can reflect on their ability or creativity
then use many of strategies even to solve the same problems.
· demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdiciplinary
skills?
We focused on self-management skills,
· develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?
In each case, explain your selection.
Attributes of the LP: Principled and Balanced
We encouraged students to develop their strong sense of fairness that helps
them to understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional to
achieve personal well-being which appropriate to maths operations system
Attitudes: integrity and commitment.
We encourage students to develop integrity and commitment with a strong
sense of fairness, justice and take responsibility and consequences to their
own learning.
4. 8. What a student-initiated inquiries arose from the learning?
Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight
any that were incorporated into the teaching and learning.
- What is a fraction?
- What is a remainder?
- How to add fractions?
- How to prove the relationship between fractions and decimals?
What student-initiated actions arose from the learning?
No observable action at this stage.
9. Teacher notes
The students had different ways of learning and that was correlated to their level of
understanding. However what we could highlight was they could show the inquiry
process as expectedly and followed the learning progress in positive manners. We
hope they could use their current understanding as the basic knowledge for the next
grade level and more advanced problems.