Teaching Math in Intermediate Grades

3. What knowledge and/or skills do the students need to learn?
You must be guided by the a content standards, performance
standards, and the learning competencies that are found in the
curriculum guide.
Example: Teacher Gina identified “multiplication of whole numbers up to two digits”
as the goal of her lesson.

4. What strategies must be implemented for the students to achieve the
objectives targeted in the previous stage? In planning instruction, it is
important that you have mastered the content of the lesson that you are
about to teach. It is also beneficial to be familiar with your students-
what they know, how they learn, etc.
Example: Teacher Gina thought it is best to apply constructivist approach to help
her students learn techniques in multiplying whole numbers. She planned a lesson
that incorporates the problem solving strategy.

5. This is the stage where you conduct the learning activities that
you have prepared during the planning stage. A word of
advice: even though you have carefully and delicately planned
for the lesson, you must be flexible with the possible changes
that you need to accommodate.
Example: The class went on smoothly. The activities that teacher Gina prepared
were successfully done by her students.

6. Teaching is about helping the students learn. During the implementation
of the lesson plan, you must every now and then check whether the
students have understood what you have covered so far. Facial
reactions and verbal cues help in assessing whether or not the students
can move on to another concept or skill. If not, you might need to give a
more elaborate explanation, more examples, or whatever you think is
needed based on the student’s reaction.
Example: To make sure that her students understood the lesson teacher Gina gave
a three-item exercise as an exit pass.

7. You must evaluate every teaching period that you finished. Were the
objectives achieve? Were the implemented strategies effective? How
can the instructions be improved? Your answers to the last questions
will give you insights on how to improve instruction the next time you
teach the same lesson. However, if your answer in the first question is
no, i.e., the objectives were not met, then you need to plan again. What
do you need to do differently in order to achieve the objectives?
Example: Based on the exit pass, Teacher Gina found out that many students have
difficulty multiplying numbers that involve the digit 8. So, she decided to do a find-
your-error activity the next day for the students to realize their mistakes. She also
planned to give a short drill on skip counting by 8.

8. This stage gives you a complete measure of what the students have
learned. In math, this is usually through a paper and pencil examination.
However some authentic assessments may also be implemented. Take note
that this stage does not end in assessing learning. You need to reflect on
the results, what can you learn about student learning and teaching practice
based on the results?
After assessment and reflection, you will once again identify the next
learning goals and so the cycle continues.
Example: Teacher Gina Teacher Gina later on gave a multiplication quiz. Ninety percent
of the students passed. She planned to give remedial exercises to those who failed.

9. 1. Interview two mathematics teachers. Ask them about
the stages of the teaching cycle that they follow. Then
create a diagram illustrating their common answers.
2. How is the diagram you created in # 1 similar or
different from the cycle that was presented in our
lesson?

11. - Research the subject matter that you will be teaching. You should
consult the curriculum and teaching guides published by DepEd.
- Aside from books, you can also visit websites that will give you
information relevant to your subject area.
- Remember, you cannot give what you do not have.
- It is easier to learn than to unlearn, it is difficult to take back wrong
contents that have already been taught.
- You have a big responsibility as a teacher –master your content!

12. - Before you begin planning, you need to know what specific
knowledge and skills you want your students to develop during the
lesson or unit.
- Teachers often focus on too much on knowledge and forget about
developing skills, which in the long term are more important than
knowing mere facts. So, in planning your instruction always
consider both knowledge and skills.

13. - Get to know your students – where they came from, what their
interests are, what they already know, their learning styles, attention
span, special needs, etc.
- Remember that you need to prepare your lessons with all your
students in mind and that your main goal should be meet their needs
and offer them enabling environments to learn their preferred way.
- Knowing your students will also help you build rapport with them,
which is important if you want your students to be freely sharing
their ideas with you and their classmates.

14. - Another consideration that needs serious attention in teaching,
especially in mathematics in the student’s mindset.
- FIXED MINDSET – believed that their math skills cannot be
improved, which results in underperformance in the subject.
- Reasons for a fixed mindset includes influence from adults who
dislike math, precious unpleasant experience in math class and
others.

15. - Your goal as a teacher is to develop students with GROWTH MIND-
SET.
- Students with growth mindset believe that they can be better at
math.
- They know that their efforts are not wasted and that they can learn
even in their failures.

16. - Aside from the physical environment where the learning takes place,
it is also important to consider the social and emotional learning
environment of the class. You need to make sure that you promote a
positive environment where the students are motivated and are
supportive of each other’s growth. The students must feel safe to
express their thinking without fear of being embarrassed because of
mistakes or different views.
- Most importantly, you must create an atmosphere where students
are open to learning through the activities you prepared and
interactions with their classmates.

17. - Take into consideration the instructional materials that you will be
needing before you write your lesson plan. Is a blackboard
available? If not, can you improvise? Are there specific
manipulatives that you need? Where can you get them? Can you
make them instead? Do you need technology resources? Have you
checked whether your devices are compatible with what is available
in school?

18. 1. Interview three experienced intermediate grades (grades 4,5, or
6) mathematics teachers. Ask them the following question: if you
were to give a piece of advice about lesson planning to your
rookie teacher self, what would it be?
What are common about their responses?
2. Sketch an infographic about the difference between growth
mindset and fixed mindset.