MATHEMATICS UNIT PLANNER

Topic: Algebra

Year Level: 4

Key mathematical understandings:

1. Equations can be represented in an infinite
number of ways that have the same value.
2. Equality remains if the same number is added
or subtracted to both sides of an equation.
3. The equal sign is a symbol of equivalent
operations.
4. Properties of equality and reversible
operations can be used to generate equivalent
equations and find solutions to unknown
quantities.

Key AusVELS Focus / Standard:

Content strand(s):
Number and Algebra
Sub-strand(s): Patterns and algebra

Week: 4

Measurement and Geometry

Date: 24/09/2015
Statistics and Probability

Level descriptions:
Using equivalent number sentences involving addition and subtraction to find unknown quantities (ACMNA083)
Proficiency strand(s):
Understanding
Fluency
Problem Solving
Reasoning
1. Understanding: Building up knowledge of equivalent concepts, making connections between numbers through
addition and subtraction, while developing an understanding and describing thinking of equivalence.
2. Fluency: Choosing appropriate procedures to find the unknown quantities and collecting and recording data.
3. Problem Solving: Comparing numbers within a number sentence to find the unknown, while interpreting,
formulating and modelling solutions using existing strategies.
4. Reasoning: Justifying and explaining thinking, using generalisations to form number properties and to prove
unknown quantities have been found.

Key skills to develop and practise:

Key equipment / resources:

1. Comparing numbers using equivalence, partitioning and

relational thinking.
2. Making connections to numbers using quantitative
sameness, generalisations and explaining relationships.
3. Justifying thinking using multiple strategies, prior
knowledge and understandings.
4. Finding unknown quantities in number sentences using
algebraic reasoning.
Possible misconceptions:
Equal sign- view that the equal sign is an indicator
to an answer.
Computational Approach- a result of a computation.

Balancing act picture story book by Walsh.

Number balance scales and weights.
Laptops for pan balance numbers interactive
resource, NCTM (2015).
Flash cards and tens frames activity created by
Boucher (2013).
Flash cards, tens frames, counters, unifix cubes.
Hen house shakers game adapted from Tunstall
(2013).
Egg cartons and pom poms.
Key probing questions:
1. What makes an equation balanced?
2. What does the equal sign represent?
3. How do you maintain equality?
4. Can you prove your equations is correct?

Key vocabulary:
Fair: All outcomes equally likely.
Same: Identical, not different.
Balance: When both sides have the same quantity
or mass.
Equivalent/ Equality: Have the same amount or
value.
Equal: Exactly the same amount or value.
Key symbols:
Subtraction, addition and equal signs.
Links to other contexts:
English- literature (mathematics books).
Technology- using digital technologies
Science inquiry- questioning and predicting

Equality- limited understanding that means a value or

amount must be exactly the same.
Learning
strategies/ skills

Term: 1

Analysing
Checking
Classifying
Co-operating
Considering options
Designing
Elaborating

Estimating
Explaining
Generalising
Hypothesising
Inferring
Interpreting
Justifying

Listening
Locating information
Making choices
Note taking
Observing
Ordering events
Organising

Performing
Persuading
Planning
Predicting
Presenting
Providing feedback
Questioning

Reading
Recognising bias
Reflecting
Reporting
Responding
Restating
Revising

Seeing patterns
Selecting information
Self-assessing
Sharing ideas
Summarising
Synthesising

Testing
Viewing
Visually representing
Working independently
Working to a timetable

MATHEMATICAL
FOCUS
(what you want the children
to come to understand as a
result of this lesson short,
succinct statement)

TUNING IN
(WHOLE CLASS
FOCUS)
(a short, sharp task relating
to the focus of the lesson;
sets the scene/ context for
what students do in the
independent aspect. e.g., It
may be a problem posed,
spider diagram, an openended question, game, or
reading a story)

INVESTIGATIONS
SESSION

REFLECTION & MAKING

CONNECTIONS SESSION

ADAPTATIONS

(INDEPENDENT LEARNING)
(extended opportunity for students to
work in pairs, small groups or individually.
Time for teacher to probe childrens
thinking or work with a small group for
part of the time and to also conduct roving
conferences)

(WHOLE CLASS FOCUS)

(focused teacher questions and summary to
draw out the mathematics and assist children
to make links. NB. This may occur at particular
points during a lesson. Use of spotlight,
strategy, gallery walk, etc.)

- Enabling prompt
(to allow those experiencing difficulty to engage in active
experiences related to the initial goal task)
- Extending prompt
(questions that extend students thinking on the initial task)

Balance scales with different

weighted counters. Working
in pairs, students will explore
the scales, investigating the
different sized weights to
make the scales balanced.
Students must find as many
combinations as possible
and present findings as
drawings in their math book.

Selected students share their

strategies they used to keep the
scales balanced, demonstrating
it to the whole class. Record key
ideas on the board.

Enabling prompts:
Limit the weights to the one size.
What if a weight was added to one
side, how can you make the other side
balanced?
What if a weight was taken from one
side, how can you make it balanced
again?

ASSESSMENT
STRATEGIES
(should relate to
objective. Includes what
the teacher will listen for,
observe, note or analyse;
what evidence of learning
will be collected and what
criteria will be used to
analyse the evidence)

Session 1
Equality remains if
equal weight is
added or
subtracted from
both sides of a
balance scale
Skills: Making
generalisations and
comparing weights.

Read students the

book Balancing
Act, by Ellen Stoll
Walsh (appendix
1). Emphasise what
happens to the
balance of the log
when more animals
join.
Teacher Questions
(appendix 1).

Teacher role during the

activity is to observe
students strategies and use
questions to probe thinking.
Teacher Questions (appendix
1).

Teacher Questions:
-What did you find you had to do
to keep your scales balanced?
-Why do you think your scale
has to be equally weighted on
both sides for it to be balanced?
-What if you added or
subtracted a weight, what did
you need to do to keep it
balanced?
-What if you had a weight that
weighed 50gm, what are some
weights you could use other
than 50gm to keep it balanced?

Extending prompt:
Introduce more weights
Can you make some of the smaller
weights equal to the weight of the
biggest one?
How might you record your findings
using numbers, rather than drawings?

Observations of
the strategies
used to keep
equality of both
sides of the scale
and if students
were making
generalisations
when comparing
weights.
Use anecdotal
notes to record
key language
used when
balancing the
scales.

Session 2
Equality remains if
the same number is
added or
subtracted to both
sides of an
equation.
Skills: Making
connections to
numbers, viewing
the equal sign as
equivalent.

Session 3
Understand the
equal sign is a
symbol of
equivalent
operations.
Skills: Making
connections to
numbers using
relational thinking.

Introduce the
balance app Pan
Balance Numbers
by NCTM (2015),
(appendix 2), on
the interactive
white board. Draw
students attention
to the balance
equations, pointing
out the equal sign.
Teacher Questions
(appendix 2).

Show students the

number sentence
4+6=10+2
Ask students if they
agree with it?
Brain storm why
and why not on the
board.
Teacher Questions
(appendix 3).

Pan Balance Numbers by

NCTM (2015), (appendix 2).
This activity requires
students to work in pairs on a
laptop and explore the
computer app. Using the
app, students will record the
balance equations they make
into their math book and use
the number balance scales
(used in week 7 tutorial,
appendix 2) as additional
support.
Teacher role during the
activity is to observe the
mathematical language
students are using, when
exploring the balance
equations.
Teacher Questions (appendix
2).
Flash cards and tens frames
activity, by Boucher (2013),
(appendix 3). This activity
requires students to work in
groups of four and choose
two cards, place them on the
mat, and determine if the
equation is true or false using
the tens frames. Students will
record their work in their
math book for accountability.

Teacher role during the

activity is to observe the
mathematical language
students are using, when
they justify their equations.
Teacher Questions (appendix
3).

Students go on a gallery walk

and look at the balance
equations they have produced,
using the computer app and
number balance scales. Then
join for a discussion.
Teacher Questions:
- What did you discover when
exploring the app?
-What did you notice about the
equal sign?
-Why do you think you put an
equal sign in-between your
equations when you wrote out
your equations into your
workbook?
Record some ideas on the
board around the equations.

Teacher selects some of the

students equations and writes
them on the white board, and
asks them to explain why they
are true or false.
Teacher Questions:
-What can you tell me about this
equation 2+6=4+4? Is it true,
why/ why not? How did you
prove it?
-What can you tell me about this
equation 6+4=10+2? What do
you notice about the equal sign?
- What do you notice about this
equation 5+5=5+5?
Record some ideas on the
board around the equations.

Enabling prompt:
Encourage students to explore the
number balance scales for additional
support.
When we used the balance scales in
the last class what did we notice about
both sides? How might we prove both
sides of the equation are balanced?
How can we make both numbers on
either side equal the same?
Extending prompts:
What if you used the subtraction button
on the app, how will you make it
balanced then?
Have a go at writing balance equations
without using the app.

Observations of
the use of
language,
ensuring students
are using
language such as
add and subtract.
Math books will
be collected to
examine how
students are
writing out the
equations.

Enabling prompt:
Provide students with additional
materials, such as unifix cubes and
balance scales.
Limit the flash cards to only a few.
When we used the balance scales in
the last class what did we notice about
both sides? How might we prove both
sides of the equation are balanced?

Observations of
the use of
language,
ensuring students
are making links
to the equal sign,
as a symbol of
equivalence,
using relational
thinking.

Extending prompts:
Provide additional flash cards that use
2-digit numbers.
What if we took one of the numbers
away, how might we find the missing
number?

Photos will be
taken of students
equations and
tens frames; math
books will also be
collected to
further examine.

Session 4
Equality can be
used to write
number sentences
and find unknown
quantities to a
solution using
addition.
Skills: Use multiple
strategies to find
unknown quantities
using reasoning.

Introduce the game

Hen House
Shakers adapted
from Tunstall
(2013), (appendix
4). Teacher asks a
student to shake
the carton, then
writes a number
sentence from the
numbers using
addition,
questioning
students to find the
unknown.
Teacher Questions
(appendix 4).

Play the Hen House

Shakers game adapted from
Tunstall (2013), (appendix 4)
in groups of four. Students
will write as many number
sentences as they can, using
addition and finding unknown
numbers. Numbers
sentences must be written in
math books.
Teacher role during this
activity is to move between
table groups asking probing
questions (appendix 4), while
observing each group and
their ability to write a number
sentence and find an
unknown.

Each group shares their

favourite equation with the class
and explains how they found the
unknown number.
Teacher questions:
-What strategies did you use to
find the unknown?
-Did the unknown always have
to be in the same spot of the
equation or could you move it
and still create an equivalent
equation?
- Could you use the same
number but change the
sentence?

Enabling prompt:
Provide additional materials such a ten
frames, unifix cubes and counters to
help with finding the unknown.
Write out some number sentences for
students, leaving a blank for the
unknown (provide material supports).

How might you use the materials to find

the unknown? Could you use ten
frames to help you like we did in the
last class?
Extending prompts:
How might you use the same three
numbers and write a different number
sentence?

Anecdotal notes
of students
abilities to make
number
sentences and
find unknown
quantities using
addition.
Maths books will
be collected and
used to analyse to
see if they could
write number
sentences to find
the unknown.

How might you use a different strategy?

Session 5
Equality can be
used to write
number sentences
and find unknown
quantities to a
solution using
subtraction
Skills: explain
relationships and
use prior
knowledge to form
number sentences.

Teacher explains
this session we will
continue to play the
game Hen House
Shakers adapted
from Tunstall
(2013), (appendix
4) only today
students will be
making equations
using subtraction
rather than
addition.
Construct a
brainstorm on the
board of what
needs to be
considered when
using subtraction to
make number
sentences.
Teacher Questions

Play the Hen House

Shakers game adapted from
Tunstall (2013), (appendix 4)
in groups of four. Students
will write as many number
sentences they can, using
subtraction and finding
unknown numbers. Number
sentences must be written in
math books.
Teacher role during this
lesson is to work with a small
group for part of the time,
with students that were
struggling to write number
sentences during the last
class.
Teacher will also ask some
probing questions while
students are working

Students will go on a gallery

walk and look at some of the
different equations they have
created using subtraction, then
meet on the floor for a
discussion.
Teacher Questions:
Did you seen any equations that
were set out differently to your
own?
Could someone explain if they
used a different strategy when
writing a subtraction number
sentence to when they wrote an
addition number sentence?
Did the unknown always have to
be in the same spot of the
equation or could you move it
and still create an equivalent
equation?
Before finishing class students

Could you make a number sentence

using subtraction and still find the
unknown?
Enabling prompt:
Provide additional materials such a ten
frames, unifix cubes and counters to
help with finding the unknown.
Write out some number sentences for
students, leaving a blank for the
unknown (provide material supports).
How might you use the materials to find
the unknown?
Extending prompts:
How might you use the same three
numbers and write a different number
sentence?

How might you use a different strategy?

How might you prove you have found

the unknown?
Can you write a short sentence

Observation of
students abilities
to make links to
prior knowledge
of the previous
lesson as support.
Maths books will
be collected and
used to analyse to
see if they could
write number
sentences to find
the unknown
using subtraction.
The test will also
be collected to
uses as a
summative
assessment for
the unit of work.

(appendix 4)

(appendix 4)

will complete a short test to

show what they have learnt.

explaining how you know you have

found the unknown?