Math Focus Lesson Planning Sheet

Focus Lesson Topic / Using Parentheses, Brackets, and Braces in Numerical Expressions

MACCSS Standards

/ 4.NBT.1

Standards for Mathematical Practice

/ 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Materials

/ EDM Lesson 7.4 Parentheses in Number Sentences and website

Connection

/ Over the last few days in math, we have been exploring and working in powers of 10. Today, and for the next few days, we are going to be working on numerical expressions that have parentheses, brackets, or braces in them. On another day, we will take our knowledge of the powers of 10 and integrate that into numerical expressions with parentheses, brackets, and braces .
Direct
Instruction
Whole group instruction that may include: presentation of problem solving scenario, explicit teacher modeling of skill or strategy application, development of anchor charts, etc. / Let’s look at what parentheses, brackets, and braces look like and talk about why and how they are used. (Teacher will open web resource and discuss.) These symbols are used when there is more than one operation in a number sentence. The purpose of these mathematical symbols is to help us read the expression and evaluate what we have to do to solve the expression. Let me show you how this is done. Teacher should go through several examples found in the web resource, in EDM lesson 7.4, or teacher created.
Teacher should note that the MA CCSS requires students to use and evaluate simple expressions with these symbols but does not require students to have understanding of formal order of operations. Order of operations is now covered in middle school.
Guided Practice / Let’s take a look at some more examples. (The teacher can use the examples found in the web resource or can use examples found in Mental Math and Reflexes in lesson 7.4 of EDM, being sure to include brackets and braces as well as parentheses. The teacher can also use EDM lesson 7.4 as a reference or guide.)
Send Off [for Independent Problem Solving] / We are going to continue exploring this skill of using parentheses, brackets, and braces in numerical expression and evaluating number sentences that include these symbols.
There are three math stations set up today. In the first station, students will be working with me to practice reading and writing numerical expressions that include parentheses, brackets, and braces. At the second station, students will be reviewing our work with powers of 10 through the game Scientific Notation Toss that we learned last week (or another game that practices a skill chosen by the teacher). At the third station, you will find index cards with numerical expressions on them. At this station, you will work with a partner to write number stories that match one of the cards that you will find at that station (see EDM lesson 7.4 Extra Practice for details). This final activity can be done on paper, in the math notebook, or on individual white boards or slates
Group Share
Whole group discussion to share math learning, synthesize thinking about lesson’s “big ideas,” develop/add to anchor charts, etc. / Let’s share some of the great math thinking I saw going on today during our Math Workshop. Does anyone want to share a discovery that they madeabout using the math symbols of parentheses, brackets, or braces? The teacher can also highlight work done by individuals or teams, “I noticed Marsha and Karim using an interesting strategy for evaluating the number sentences and creating number stories for them. Can you tell the class more about the confusion you originally had and the strategy you used for evaluating the mathematical expression?” Before we end Math Workshop today, let’s do a quick write in our math notebook about these three math symbols and how they are used in numerical expressions.