STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Teacher: Laura Nestler Date:

1-26-17

School: Windsor Middle School Grade Level: 7th

Content Area: Math

Title: Comparing Expressions

Lesson #:1 of 11

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards

directly from the standard)

2.1: Properties of arithmetic can be used to generate equivalent expressions.

2.2: Equations and expressions model quantitative relationships and phenomena

Leading to: Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical

problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by
reasoning about the quantities.

Understandings: (Big Ideas)

Students will learn strategies for simplifying expressions to see which side of a
comparison mat is larger using algebra tiles. Students will learn some legal
mathematical ways to simplify expressions such as taking away zero pairs on the
same side of the comparison mat or removing matching pairs on opposite sides of
the comparison mat.

Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of

instruction, select applicable questions from standard)

How do you simplify an expression by removing zero pairs?

How do you simplify an expression by removing matching pairs from each side?

What symbols are used to represent inequalities?

Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)

Every student will be able to: (Create your own lesson objectives from the
standard, follow the ABCD format, using student voice)

I can: Simplify expressions on each side of a comparison mat with algebra

tiles to determine which side is bigger

This means: I will be able to create my own algebra tile inequality and
simplify it.

List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with
each assessment)

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences Page 1

STEPP Lesson Plan Form

I will assess students by walking around during group work to see where they are at
with their level of understanding. I will also have students create their own problem
and show it to me before they leave class for the day.

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences Page 2

STEPP Lesson Plan Form
Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title for you and the
students to associate with the activity.
Think of the purpose as the mini-rationale
for what you are trying to accomplish
through this lesson.
Approx. Time and Materials
How long do you expect the activity to
last and what materials will you need?
Anticipatory Set
The hook to grab students attention.
These are actions and statements by the
teacher to relate the experiences of the
students to the objectives of the lesson,
To put students into a receptive frame of
mind.
To focus student attention on the
lesson.
To create an organizing framework
for the ideas, principles, or
information that is to follow
(advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a
different activity or new concept is to be
introduced.
Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences
Planned Lesson Activities
Comparing Expressions
The purpose of this lesson is to teach students how to algebraic
expressions can be compared to one another through the use of algebra
tiles. Students will realized that there are two ways to simplify
expressions. They can remove zero pairs or matching pairs on both
sides of the equals sign.
This lesson should take the entire class period.
Quiz - 5 minutes
Warm up 5 minutes
Examples on Board Whole Class 10 minutes
Team problems -20 minutes
Individual experimentation -10
My Anticipatory Set for this class will be the Warm-Up problem. I plan to
use a problem from chapter 4 where students learned how to simplify
expressions using Algebra Tiles. This will then lead in nicely to the
lesson that involves students simplifying and
comparing quantities with help of Algebra Titles. 4-106 part B
2x^2+ 2x -2x +2 -3 = 2x^2 -1
Page 3
STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Procedures Teacher Actions Student Actions

(Include a play-by-play account of what I will have the learning target up Students will come in and pick up
students and teacher will do from the on the board for when students a worksheet and crome book on
minute they arrive to the minute they enter the classroom. their way into the classroom.
leave your classroom. Indicate the length
of each segment of the lesson. List actual I will then prompt students to Students will then have just about
minutes.) follow the link on their daily five minutes to complete their
Indicate whether each is: agenda to go to their order of quiz.
-teacher input operations Quiz. Awarding DOJO
-modeling points to the students who follow
-questioning strategies directions.
-guided/unguided:
-whole-class practice I will ask students to start working Students will work on their Warm-
-group practice on the Warm-Up problem after Up individually.
-individual practice they finished their quiz.
-check for understanding
-other I will go over the Warm-Up once Students will check their work.
that majority of the class has
finished.
Students will follow my examples
Then I will run through three by using the Algebra tiles on their
examples of Algebra Tile problems. computer.
One involving matching pairs, one
with zero pairs, and then one
where you are given expression.
Students will write down the
I will also go over the difference difference of the two signs in their
between greater than and less notebook.
than signs.
Students will work in groups and
Then I will give students time to with their Algebra tiles to simplify
work in their groups to complete the problems on their worksheet
the front side of the worksheet and compare the final answers.
that they picked up on their way in
the classroom.

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences Page 4

STEPP Lesson Plan Form
Closure
Those actions or statements by a teacher
that are designed to bring a lesson
presentation to an appropriate conclusion.
Used to help students bring things
together in their own minds, to make
sense out of what has just been taught.
Any Questions? No. OK, lets move on is
not closure. Closure is used:
To cue students to the fact that
they have arrived at an important
point in the lesson or the end of a
lesson.
To help organize student learning
To help form a coherent picture and to
consolidate.
Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is too advanced
for a child, how will you modify it so that
they can be successful?
To extend: If the activity is too easy for a
child, how will you extend it to develop
their emerging skills?
Assessment
How will you know if students met the
learning targets? Write a description of
what you were looking for in each
assessment.
Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences
I will be walking around helping
and assessing students knowledge
at this time.
For my closure activity for this class I want students to experiment with
their Algebra Tiles and create some of their own problems and solve
them to create an inequality equation. Students will be able to show me
that their understanding for that we learned in class today if they can
properly create and simplify their own comparison problem. This will
also show me if they have gained the understanding of how to correctly
use zero terms and matching pairs to simplify.
For the students who are having a hard time with this new content I
might have them practice simplifying expressions some more before
introducing the inequality aspect of the problems. Also I will be walking
around assisting students who are struggling.
For the students who are having no difficulty with a problem, I can have
them help their classmates of give them a challenge problem to work
through. Maybe more where I give them an expression and then have to
tell me which side is bigger.
When students are working in groups I will be walking around answering
questions as well as assessing their work on the work sheet. I will also
assess students learning by the level of difficulty of the problem that
they create for themselves.
Page 5
STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences Page 6

STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Post Lesson Reflection

1. To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize

assessment data to justify your level of achievement)

I think overall the lesson objectives were obtained pretty well just
about a . Students know how to go from Algebra titles to expressions
and how to cancel Algebra Titles using the comparison mat.

One thing that needs to emphasize is how to show simplifying

equations step by step so that in the future they can simplify equations
with out using Algebra Titles.

2. What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would

you make if you were to teach again?

On thing that I would change would be spending more time on the

equation emphasis but it was hard not spending all the time on that.

3. What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice,

reteach content, etc.)

For the next lesson we will work on how you can add zeros to each side
and balanced sets to each side.

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences Page 7