LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program

The following information should be included in the header of the lesson plan:
• Quinn Albo
• Math
• Grade 2

A. TITLE/TYPE OF LESSON: Addition and Subtraction with Estimation

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON AND UNWRAPPING OF THE STANDARD

This lesson will initiate the subsequent unit on adding and subtracting with incorporated
estimation. The students have been working on rounding for the past few weeks, developing their
skills of knowing when to round up or down to the nearest ten. Most of the numbers they have
worked with are two-digits, but they have also practiced with one- and three-digit numbers. The
majority of the class has cultivated a thorough understanding of the main features of rounding
with the use of short phrases such as “5 or above – give it a shove; 4 or less – let it rest.”
However, some students are still developing the skill of identifying when a number should be
rounded up and how this affects the digit in the tens place. Additionally, the students have been
challenged with rounding single digit numbers. For example, when rounding the number 7, they
struggle to unite the knowledge they have about when to round up or down with a number that
lacks a second digit, and are often confused by the place value of this single number. To combat
this, we have been emphasizing the importance of beginning their work with the initial strategy
they learned for rounding. This strategy instructs students to circle the digit in the ones place and
underline the digit in the tens place, then use the “5 or above” rule to decide what the digit in the
ones place will cause the digit in the tens place to do. For this lesson, I will be incorporating this
knowledge that the students currently have into a new concept that will ask them to use the skills
they already have and develop skills they will need in the future. Because it is the beginning of
the unit, not only will this lesson introduce the topic, but it will also help indicate what the
students will have trouble with as the unit continues, as well as what ideas they grasp more
easily.

C. UNWRAPPING THE VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING and the NEXT

GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NATIONAL STANDARDS)
2.6 The student, given two whole numbers whose sum is 99 or less, will
a) estimate the sum; and
b) find the sum, using various methods of calculation.
2.7 The student, given two whole numbers, each of which is 99 or less, will
a) estimate the difference; and
b) find the difference, using various methods of calculation.
 D. LEARNING INTENTIONS and SUCCESS CRITERIA
Understand – what are the broad Know – what are the facts,
generalizations the students should rules, specific data the students
begin to develop? These are typically will gain through this lesson?
difficult to assess in one lesson. These “knows” must be
These should be written in the form of assessed in your lesson. These
“I understand” statements. should be written in the form
of “I know that” statements.
Students will understand that: Students will know that:
- Estimation skills are valuable, - Rounding numbers in math -
timesaving tools particularly in problems is a method of
practical situations when exact
answers are not required or getting an estimation of the
needed. answer
- Rounding is one strategy used to - They can use rounding to
estimate estimate the difference of
whole numbers or find the -
sum of two whole numbers
- Rounding happens before
computation in the
problem
Do – what are the specific success
criteria for the lesson? Each success
criteria will be assessed in your
lesson. These should be written in
the form of “I can” statements.
Students will be able to:
Use the steps to examine the
word problem before solving
(circle numbers, underline
important words, underline
“About” in the question sentence,
create a number sentence)
Correctly round the number
given to them in the problem
- Use these rounded numbers to
get an estimated answer

E. ASSESSING LEARNING
Learning Intention and Opportunities to
Evidence
Success Criteria Respond
I can follow the procedure Students begin their problems by first using the
for addition/subtraction strategies they have for word problems
problems using estimation. - On exit ticket (circling/underlining) and display an
understanding of the importance of estimating
before computing.
I can estimate the Students will use their rounding skills to round
- During introduction of
numbers in my number numbers to the nearest ten, using the procedure of
lesson/PowerPoint
sentence to create a new 4 or below, 5 or above to calculate estimations
- On exit ticket
vertical problem. correctly.
I can solve the problem Students will display an understanding of adding
- During introduction of
using my estimations in and subtracting with estimation by finding a
lesson/PowerPoint
order to find a correct correct answer using the estimations they made,
- On exit ticket
answer. not the numbers directly from the problem.

F. MATERIALS NEEDED
- PowerPoint of problems
- Slides with the procedure for these problems listed
- Exit tickets with adding/subtracting estimation problems
G. PROCEDURE
Before:
To introduce the lesson, I will begin by explaining the expectations for the students –
participation and respect for classmates when others are sharing. I will also briefly describe the
learning intentions for the students, explaining to them that the lesson will focus on adding and
subtracting with estimations. Continuing this, I will begin the lesson by reminding students of
their work with rounding. I will touch on the relationship between these skills and the
information we will be discussing today. Before beginning, I will ask the class for a volunteer to
give me the first step when we see a word problem, and will continue this until all parts of the
procedure are mentioned (reading the problem twice, circling numbers, underlining important
words in the question sentence, and deciding whether it is addition or subtraction). After we have
covered this, I will then ask students to share the steps we use when rounding numbers and
repeat the same process. When reviewing these two skills, I will be simultaneously carrying out
the procedure as each student describes it.

During:
I will be using the SmartBoard to work through the problems with the students as a class,
with students answering the questions and dictating what I should write while I stand at the front
and follow their directions. For the first several problems until the class gains an understanding
of the procedure, I will remind them of the steps we take, describing each if they are struggling
to remember what should be done next. We will approach the problems the same way as we do
other word problems, so after we have finished these steps, I will ask how we would make a
number sentence from this problem (example: 24+31). Writing this number sentence in vertical
form, I will ask students how to round the first number (24à20) and record this next to the
problem. Following this step for the second number (31à30), I will ask aloud what I am missing
in the problem, waiting for the answer “Your addition sign!” Finally, I will call on a student to
give me the answer to this revised question (in this case, 50). A crucial component at this time
will be my emphasis on the language used to answer the problem. With 50 written down as the
answer, I will ask the class what the units are, then record this. For the first several problems, I
will stress the importance of underlining “about” in the question sentence, and reiterate its
significance for the problem. After we have completed several problems, I will begin waiting for
students to indicate that we need the “about” when we read our answer after we work through the
problem. If needed, I will prompt this comment by asking if we are missing anything in our
answer. While working through these problems, I will be on the lookout for comments or the
lack thereof in order to gauge how the students are following the lesson. The students all
participate at different levels, so I will be wary of quieter students who are not outwardly
displaying understanding. Additionally, throughout the lesson I will allow the students to have
time to think of their answer before I ask for volunteers to share. While this happens, I will walk
around the room, observing what they are writing down and answering any questions. I will do
this for each step of the problem procedure in order to identify what aspects or steps are
challenging students the most. Once we have completed the problems in the PowerPoint, I will
pass out the worksheets while I ask for volunteers to offer their thoughts on what the most
important aspects of the lesson were, any tips they have for their classmates, or any questions
they have.
Examples of problems in the PowerPoint and exit slip:
The ginger bread man ate 24 gum drops. Then he ate 31 M&M’s. About how much candy did he
eat altogether?

Eli bought a shirt that cost $32. Noah bought a shirt that cost &16. About how many more
dollars did Eli spend?

22 31
+51 -19

After:
The conclusion of the lesson will be the exit tickets that I pass out to the students. These
sheets will include problems similar to the ones we went over during the lesson. I will also have
slips that list the steps in the procedure that I will allow students to use if they would like,
however they will not be handed out unless students come to retrieve them from me, or I decide
to give them to students who seem to be struggling while I’m walking around the room. Because
these sheets will list the steps, I hope they will help me to identify which aspect of the problems
is challenging the students. They will clarify if the students are simply struggling to remember
which step comes nest, rather than if they truly do not understand parts of the process. I will
continuously walk around the room and observe the class working while answering any
questions that may come up. I will collect the slips even if students have not finished, as long as
they have made a clear attempt at some of the problems. Lastly, I will thank the class for their
participation in the lesson.

H. DIFFERENTIATION
The most differentiation in this lesson stems from creating and engaging in a dialogue with the
students. This not only helps me to understand what I need to clarify and what I should adjust,
but also is beneficial for the students as they are then encouraged to explain themselves. This
allows them to work through their thought process aloud, and classmates are thereby able to
share ideas that may help each other move forward or discuss differences in opinions. In
addition, the incorporation of time to think before answers are shared allows more time for
students who do not work as quickly as their classmates. Without this, they may just be copying
down answers instead of fully understanding the ideas. Similarly, the optional sheet that lists the
procedural steps gives students who want an extra aid for the worksheet. I will also be giving the
extra slips to those students I know will benefit from the list, which will in turn help me
understand what parts are confusing him or her. For students whose mathematical skills are more
developed, the ability to share with the class their ideas and answers is beneficial, as is their
opportunity to assist classmates who have voiced confusions aloud. When working on the sheets
after the lesson, if they are excelling and finish the problems, I will ask these students to create
their own addition or subtraction problem with estimation.
I. NCTM STANDARDS
The onset of this lesson relied on the students making connections to concepts from past
lessons. This lesson incorporated two main topics that the class had been working on in the
preceding few months: calculations within word problems and rounding of numbers to the
nearest tens place. I prompted these connections through the use of a problem procedure that
involved the steps they were taught to take when solving problems in both of these topics.
Because the students were very familiar with both of these series of steps, the process of
combining the two to form a new concept was a simpler task. Because this was consistent
throughout the lesson, connections that were made steadily deepened until a fuller understanding
of the reasoning behind the relationship between these two ideas was developed.
In addition to the progression of connection-making, students were asked to communicate
their ideas and reasoning throughout the lesson. During the PowerPoint, after we completed the
procedural steps of circling, underlining, etc., at each of the following steps the students had to
explain why they answered a certain way. For example, when I asked if this problem asked us to
add or subtract, students would be asked to defend their answer with the clues they used from the
question (clues like “altogether” or “how many more”). Additionally, if there was a disagreement
between students about the next step or an answer, they were able to respectfully correct each
other and explain their reasoning. In regards to reasoning, though the early steps in the problems
had been memorized by students previously when working with word problems or rounding, the
added component of estimation allowed for new thinking to be developed. This goes hand-in-
hand with the standard of problem solving. The PowerPoint began with a series of very similar
problems so that the children could become comfortable with the appearance and process.
However, in order for the students to have an authentic experience with the strategies and
thinking behind these problems, I incorporated ones that looked different or asked them to draw
upon different methods and ideas they knew. The exit ticket incorporated more of these than the
PowerPoint did, which can be seen by the answers of some of the students. However, by
integrating problems that looked different, used different skills, and tested the extent of student
understanding, the class was able to develop their understanding of the concept.
The standard this lesson lacked more than others was that of representation. Though I gave
the students freedom to solve the problems using whatever means they preferred, by giving them
a step-by-step procedure eliminated the chance that they would use other strategies. There were
symbols incorporated into this procedure, such as the arrows that indicated the numbers should
be rounded and the addition or subtraction that was written down as a reminder. The students
were very enthusiastic about these symbolic characters, and would eagerly inform me if I had
forgotten to write them while we were working on the problems. This eagerness shows me that a
better use of representations, including symbols, manipulatives, or diagrams, would have been
beneficial for them. My Cooperating Teacher suggested I use the same procedures that had
become regular practice for the class, however if I were to do this lesson again, I would adapt my
lesson to allow for greater flexibility with representations while still maintaining the procedures
the students were accustomed to.

J. REFLECTION
This lesson went much more smoothly than I had anticipated. I had previously taught a math
lesson when my Cooperating Teacher was absent. During this first lesson, I struggled with the
SmartBoard and arrived at challenges when I did not follow the exact steps that the class was
used to for the problems. However, this lesson was very similar in this regard – I used the same
technology and the process of student involvement was identical. My preparation was very
beneficial for creating a continuous, productive lesson, as opposed to the surprise of teaching a
math lesson. This quality of flexibility is one that I continue to work on as an educator. During
the PowerPoint portion of the lesson, my only concern was the level of engagement of students
when they were not called upon to answer or help with the next step. There was not an apparent
issue, because when I called on students I had not heard from in a while, they were able to
correctly contribute, however I expect that this could have been an issue had the students not
been so involved or well behaved. My main concerns for the lesson emerged in the exit ticket
portion. Though the majority of the students received perfect scores (including the work they
showed), there were some small challenges. These did not all directly involve the information
they had learned that day, but still extended into their ability to solve the problems. Some of
these include misjudging whether a problem was addition or subtraction, forgetting units, or
miscalculating an answer.
I noticed the most considerable and common challenge occurred in the problems on the exit
ticket that were not word problems. Though we did several of these in the PowerPoint, not as
much time was spent on them as on word problems. Several students asked me how to solve
these, while others simply solved them without the use of estimation. If I were to do the lesson
again, I would spend more time focusing on problems that looked different in order to get the
students accustomed to using the skills they learned in different scenarios and therefore
developing the skills more.
The idea of following a strict series of steps is one that is habituated in the routines of these
students, which taught me about myself as a teacher and also about these students and learners in
general. When I strayed from this procedure, whether by accident or on purpose, I was met with
concerned reactions from the students, leading me to believe that they are unable to adapt to
certain situations. Though this can be beneficial in some circumstances, it would be more
valuable if the students were able to adapt and modify their thinking to whatever situation is
presented. This lesson was helpful in learning about myself as a teacher and the characteristics of
students as learners because of this aspect. Moving forward, I want to use this information to
plan my lessons in a way that both incorporates steps that students can follow when they get lost
in a problem, but also allows for a good deal of adaptation and change.