Lesson Plan Format

Date: 7th of April, 2015

Class:

Time: Start: 10.00 am

Year 2

Finish: 10.40 am (40 minutes)

Key Learning Area: Mathematics

Lesson Topic: Using formal and informal units of measurement

Recent Prior Experience (specific relevant concepts, skills and values the school students have experienced prior to this lesson):
-

S are familiar with the terms distance, length and estimate. They also have an understanding of how to measure items and using some formal
measurements such as m and cm.

Syllabus Outcome(s):
- describes mathematical situations and
methods using everyday and some
mathematical language, actions,
materials, diagrams and symbols
MA1-1WM

- measures, records, compares and

estimates lengths and distances using
uniform informal units, metres and
centimetres MA1-9MG
Key:
Questioning
Explanation

Group work
Demonstration

Indicators of Learning for this lesson:

Behaviours that contribute toward achievement of outcome(s).
Quote syllabus numbers. Must be clear, specific, observable.
Curriculum Content Strands may be used as headings.
By the end of this lesson, the students will:
- Be able to put objects in order of height correctly

- Be able to select appropriate units to measure with

- Be able to measure a variety of classroom objects using informal

materials

Any safety issues to be considered:

Assessment:
Strategies which will be used to assess
learners attainment of learning outcomes.
Should be linked to each learning indicator.

Observation of Ss during the body of

the lesson when measuring objects
if Ss measure without spaces or
overlapping.
Purposeful Roving: Moving from
group to group during the body of the
lesson to establish S knowledge as
well as provide probe questions to
extent knowledge.
Collect worksheet which asks them
to write their answers and gauge if
they understood how to undertake
the task.

Be able to use mathematical terms correctly e.g. Length

and estimate.
Resources:
List resources you used in preparing the lesson AND those used in the lesson implementation.
- Book

paper clips, bread tags, unifix cubes, base 10 sticks, paddle pop sticks, pens/pencils
Desk (teacher/student) , Student height, shoe length, workbooks, 30cm ruler, pencils,
whiteboard, door/door frame, windows, pencil case, chair, posters on the wall

LESSON SEQUENCE
Lesson Content / Indicators of
Learning (What is Taught):
Note key skills, concepts and values
addressed in each section. Link to your
Indicators of Learning.
INTRODUCTION
T asks questions such as:
- What are words we have heard or
used before about measurement?
- What do these terms that we have
heard mean?
- What do we use these terms for?
Language used by teacher:
- We are measuring the length of
their bodies
- What do we estimate that their
height will be?
T Demonstrates the measuring of one
student using an informal unit of
measurement e.g. using a book. Show the
students how to measure by placing the
book to the side of the students and
holding the place
DEVELOPMENT
Measurement of objects using informal
units of measurement is the key concept
being looked at.

Timing
(mins)

Teaching Strategies / Learning Experiences:

(How it is taught)
Write detailed steps showing what the teacher (T) will
do and what students (Ss) will do.

7minute
s

3minute
s
-

T demonstrates an example to Ss e.g. the

length of this pencil = 5 bread tags

Gain students attention with a visual sign

(raising a hand in the air)
Begin with discussion (questions) on length and
words that we have associated with length. E.g.
length, distance, metre, centimetre, measure,
estimate.
Ask five Ss to come out to the front of the
classroom.
o Estimate what their height is as a class.
o Using an informal unit of measurement
such as a book, to measure each of the
students and write their heights on the
board

Ss are provided with a range of materials to

use as informal units of measurement
In groups of four in functional groups, Ss are
given a worksheet to complete. This contains a
list of classroom items that they are required to
measure, what informal unit they are using to

Resources and Organisation:

Ask S to come and sit on the floor

Invite the students with difficulties to
come closer to the front/in a position
that they are able to see and hear
what is happening.
- Include the children that have
difficulties with English in the
measurement process so they are
included.
- Five students come to the front to be
measured
Resources:
- Book

Ask Ss to return to their desks.

Resources:
paper clips, bread tags, unifix cubes,
base 10 sticks, paddle pop sticks,
pens/pencils, books, hand span etc.

Discuss and explain to Ss how this is an

appropriate unit of measurement for this
object as it is small and you want to use
the appropriate informal units to measure.
E.g you dont want to use 100 unifix cubes
if you can use 10 pencils
Explanation of how to measure using
informal units is given i.e. placing end-toend with no gaps and the materials do not
overlap.

T uses the probe question:

- Would you need more/less of a
different informal unit to measure
the same thing?

17
minutes
5
minutes

measure, an estimate and their results.

S to come and select three different types of
informal units of measurement that they would
like to use to measure these classroom objects
(The informal units of measurement will be
grouped in small, medium and large, students
are to select one of each). (Demonstration and
Explanation/discussion)
S are given time to then record their results.

Roles of students in the functional

group are:
o
o
o
o

Question
S then investigate the probe question and pick
2 items on their list that they will then remeasure using one of the different items that
they have.

Extension activity for gifted students:

Students create their own tape measure, using an
informal unit measurement to mark on it.
- Students then use this to measure classroom
objects and order them from shortest to
longest.

Recorder
Measurer
Gopher
Reporter

The objects to be measured will

include:
o Desk (teacher/student)
o Student height
o Shoe length
o Workbook
o 30cm ruler
o Pencils
o Whiteboard
o Door/door frame
o Windows
o Pencil case
o Chair
o Posters on the wall
o Door handle
Ss pick a partner they would like to
work with and are then put together
for ability groups. Higher achieving
Ss will be placed together. The
students who have difficulties will be
place together so that they can be
closely monitored by the T and gain
extra assistance when necessary.
For the Ss with the cochlear implant,
the group will stay in one area of the
room and use their gopher in the
group to go and collect different

objects before they move. This is so

he will be in a comfortable position
to hear his peers more clearly.
CLOSURE
T asks:
- What things did we need to know
to complete this activity?
- Did anyone learn anything new?
- What would you like to do next
time we do something like this?

Desciption of context of
learners

8
minutes

Ss put their materials back at the front of the

room.
One group member presents what they had
discovered to the class, whether their estimates
were correct or not and why they think that
might be.
Reflection questions
Thank Ss for participating in the lesson

The school that this lesson plan has been designed for is in Auburn, a low socioeconomic suburb (anzrsai.org/assets/Uploads/PublicationChapter/313-

Baum.pdf). In this particular area there are a large number of migrants

living in this area with a large portion of people not having English as their
first language
http://localstats.qpzm.com.au/stats/nsw/sydney/parramatta/auburn .
http://myboot.com.au/2144/Auburn/demographics.aspx Of these people,
there are also a large portion who were born overseas. Within this school,
the class that is being taught is a stage 1, year 2 class. It is a small class
with only 20 students. The resources are adequate but the teacher has
brought many objects for this particular lesson from home. Within this
class there is a large portion of students performing at an average ability.
However, there are a few students who are considered gifted and
talented and require extensions on tasks. There are also a small group of
three students who are functioning at a lower level to their peers. This is
due to the special needs that they present which need to be addressed.
Two of the students have difficulty with communicating in English as they
have recently arrived in the country. This makes it difficult for them to
read and understand instructions. The third student has a hearing

Students organize their materials at

the front of the classroom.
Students come back to their desks.
From where theyre sitting, one
group member presents their
findings.

disability and has a cochlear implant. This means that arrangements

need to be made for his seating as well as the students he is with.
Reasons behind the choice
of teaching and learning
strategies

The teaching strategies that have been used throughout this lesson have
been explanation, demonstration, questioning and group work. These
four different strategies have been used throughout to engage children in
cooperative work and promote higher order thinking.

Reasoning of assessment
strategies

The assessment strategies in this lesson include roving and informal

assessment. These two methods of assessment mean that students are
able to have their work evaluated and looked at while they are continuing
on with their work. Students dont have any added pressure of being
made to take a test or have a formal measure of how they are going and
are given their work in an environment that might be safe for them.

Reasons behind resources

Sociological issues and their

effects in the educational
settings

Sociology issues and factors effect the teaching and learning that occurs
within the classroom. Low Socio-economic (SES) factors have a great
effect on the teaching and learning that happens in this setting. With it
being a low SES area, there are many things that impacts the classroom
environment. One of the effects is that being in a low SES area, there
might not be a great deal of funding and a lack of resources. This means
that resources need to be sourced by the teacher. Ethnicity will also have
a great impact on the educational settings as it impacts the children. The
family can impact the learning especially in a low SES area as it means
that there might be extra strain on some children as they take on roles of
the household typically held for adults.

Principles of lesson planning

Knowledge of effective
communication/management
strategies in classrooms.

Rationale:

Principles of lesson planning include

Talk about the sociology + sociological factors. (refer to the lecture notes!) Factors include: religion, ethnicity, family, physical status,
economic status, education, location, life partners, children and political systems.
Importance of building literacy
Assessment strategies.
Management strategies
Teaching strategies:
Explanation
- Used throughout the lesson as a vital part to provide a description as to what it is they are learning. Throughout this lesson, explanations
are used in the
Demonstration
Questioning
Discussion
Group work
Classroom management:
- What have you done and why?

How does this lesson appeal to different types of learners? (kinesthetic, visual etc.)

School has a very important role in society to perform different functions for society as a whole.
The purpose of education as a whole is in terms of the individual mostly aiming to achieve their needs and goals. When looked at from a
structural functionist approach, we consider it in terms of what society as a whole needs education so that it works smoothly and efficiently.
School performs three functions: build solidarity, produces a range of skills and knowledge needed, key role in social differentiation and
regulation as it streams individuals into the roles that their ebilities equip them with. (Reading 1 week 1 Allan pg50)
the family is a social institution in that it represents a set of social relations that have been accepted over time as controlling and ordering social
action. There is a considerable emphasis placed on patterning social behavior in ways that are consistent with the needs of society. In Australian
society, the family is a social institution that people associate with fulfilling functions for the good of the wider society. It is important to be aware
that social and economic conditions vary among families, and these in turn affect a childs life chances and view of the world. The distribution of
resources strongly affects the family as an economic unit because they are a source of cultural capital. Eg. 1990s economic recession placed
pressure on many families as the resource distribution was increasingly uneven.
Family influences social processes and shapes the social behavior of individuals. It is largely responsible for primary socialization.
Earle- family in society
Dont make the assumption that outcomes and frameworks can be used to directly asses students performance. A defensible assessment
requires evidence that the student can perform consistently at a particular level and that the components that make up the overall performance
have been thoroughly assessed. Needs to be frequent and focus on specific aspects of learning. Fair and valid assessment will try to balance a
variety of evidence.
Ashenden- outcomes why and how

The teacher aims to integrate skill development with content knowledge while meeting the emotional and social needs to thirty unique individuals
and the interests of their parents. The culture of the school will effect decision making framework and the individual teachers planning. The
availability of resources is another factor which impacts on what teachers plan. Resources are not just material. Some schools are more able to
provide resources for student use than those which depend almost solely on government subsidy. Not all schools are resources equally.
Groundwater-Smith, Cusworth, Dobbins- Teaching challenges and Dilemmas.
School is an institution of society and through a series of planed exercises, skills and strategies called lessons. There were two other practices
which are equally important and they are communication and classroom management. These need to be combined to have a strong impact on
the teaching and learning. Effective teachers plan, present, communicate and have a positive classroom management. Use effective
communication skills to have positive student-teacher interactions and builds student-teacher relationships. Establishing a positive learning
environment is very important for fostering harmony and confidence in daily classroom life. Teacher encouragement of co-operative learning
is important! The building of strong personal links between group members can be encouraged through building and developing friendship
groupings and interests.
McBurney-Fry- A guide to better teaching practice
Benefits of cooperative group learning, cognitive, social, personal and equity- students who are new to the class, less able or ethnically different
are claimed to benefit from cooperative groups, arguably from the higher levels of interaction required (Barry and King 1993).
Students in this lesson have also been organized into function groups, where they all have a role. This provides students to learn role-appropriate
behaviours for practicing leadership in small groups. These task behaviours mean that students contribute, summarise and coordinate
information, and maintenance behaviours involve students in maintaining friendly relationships.
Brady- cooperative group learning.
Cooperative and collaborative learning activities is a classroom management technique. The only struggle with this is the teaching working hard
on maintaining on-task conduct during these activities.
Modelling respect is an important management strategy.
Cope- classroom management