Framework for Lesson Plans

Framework for Lesson Plans

In this section, we suggest a framework for how you might plan your lessons. Most of you will benefit from following this framework closely to begin with and then modifying it to suit your particular circumstances over time. Some schools and departments have their own lesson plan pro-forma, which they like trainees to use. However, you are expected to use this University planning framework to begin with.

The size of the boxes of the framework will expand to include the amount of detail appropriate for any particular lesson. The evaluation will vary in length considerably from lesson to lesson, but we would expect each class to have at least one lesson each week which stimulated a lengthy evaluation which would be attached to the lesson plan, whilst other lessons for that class might have less detailed evaluations.

The level of detail should be sufficient for a tutor or mentor to picture the lesson. In particular, you need to indicate the type of questions you might ask the whole class, the type of examples that they might display on the board, and an indication of where pupils might need extra support or extension material.

Lesson Plan

Class: year 8 mixed ability / Day: / Date:
No. of pupils: about 30 / Start time: 9:00 / End time: 10:00

Topic

Adding and subtracting fractions (lesson two of Fractions, Decimals and Percentages)

National Curriculum References

3.1b Number and Algebra: calculations and manipulations with rational numbers

Pupil Learning Targets

To be shared:

Must: Be able to add and subtract fractions when given a diagram.

Should: Be able to add and subtract fractions in the same family: like halves, quarters and eighths [what I mean is where one fraction’s denominator is a factor of the other’s]

Could: Be able to add and subtract fractions with any denominator

Other learning targets:

To be able to understand that you can multiply the numerator and denominator by the same number and still have the same fraction

Personal Targets

To make sure during questioning I don’t just ask for answers from the ones who put their hands up.

Resources:

Electronic whiteboard (although normal whiteboard will suffice)

Lesson Outline

Time

/

Teacher Activity

/

Pupil Activity/

Actions / Reactions

Starter

9:00 / Have up on the board before pupils arrive:
What fraction of the circle is:
a)blue
b)green
c)red
d)green or blue
e)red, blue or green / a) , b) and c) should be very easily done, as it is revision of the last lesson.
d) will be recognised by most as ¾ as that’s what it looks like
e) is harder. It might be recognised as 1/8 + ¾ which would be hard for them to work out at this stage. It might be thought of as 1-1/8 which would give the right answer.

Teaching sequence

9:10 / Ask the class, “How did you work out the answer for e)?”
“If I drew these lines in, would that make it easier?”

“How many quarters are green and blue?”
“How many eighths are green? How many are blue? How many are red? How many are red or blue?”
Write on the board:
½ + ¼ = 2/4 + ¼ = ¾
“How would I solve this one?”
1/8 + ¼ = …
“What about 1/10 + 1/5? Does anyone know how we might work that out?”
“What picture might help you work this out? How many pieces does my shape need to be cut into for me to work this out?”
(Draw on board)
“How do I show 1/5 on this picture?”
“How do I show 1/10?”
“How can I work out what 1/5 + 1/10 is?”
Update picture:

“When we add fractions we need to make sure that they both have the same denominator. In the last example, we wrote 1/5 as 2/10.”
“Why can we replace 1/5 with 2/10 without changing our answer? Why are we allowed to do this?”
“What else could we have written for 1/5 instead of 2/10?”
“How would we work this one out?”
Write: 2/9 + 3/18
“What do we need to do first?”
“What fraction is equivalent to 2/9?” / Confident pupils who managed to get an answer feedback what they did.
Pupils contribute answers
Pupils contribute answers
Pupils recall previous lesson. Hopefully they will use the word equivalent.
9:20 / Sets an exercise from the text book involving adding fractions where the denominator of one fraction is a factor of the other. / Pupils work on exercises independently (although quiet discussion is allowed)
9:30 / “What about if I wanted to do something like 1/7 +1/8? Discuss with the person next to you how you think you might work it out.”
“Now discuss with the pair opposite you as a four.”
“Has any group come up with a way of working it out?”
“Does anyone have any comments about that?”
“What do we need to split our picture into to work it out? We need to be able to see sevenths as well as eighths.”

“How can we colour in one seventh? How many blocks have we coloured in?”
“How can we colour in one eight? How many blocks have we coloured in?”
“How can we use this to work out 1/7 + 1/8?”
“So how can we write this down?”
Write: 1/7 = 8/56
1/8 = 7/56
1/7+1/8 = 15/56
“Without using a picture, how do we work out 1/9 + 1/5?”
Write on board (prompted by pupils)
9 x 5 = 45
1/9 = 5/45
1/5 = 9/45
1/9 + 1/5 = 14/45 / Pair discussion
Small group discussion
Feedback
Peer assessing
Pupils contribute answers
Watch out for pupils thinking you colour one row and one column (giving 14 not 15, as you use a block twice)
9:45 / Set an exercise from the text book involving adding fractions like this.
Circulate the class to make sure everyone is doing OK, paying particular attention to the lower-attaining pupils.
Read out answers. Ask for a thumbs up if they got more than 8/10 correct, thumbs down if they got less than 4/10 right, and thumbs sideways if they got in between. / Pupils work independently

Plenary

9:55 / “Let’s try, as a class, to come up with a rule we can write down about adding fractions”
“What key thing do you have to remember?”
“What are the steps you do?”
Write it on the board (using the pupils’ phrasing and language as much as possible) and ask pupils to copy it down and draw a box around it in their exercise books. / Pupils contribute to the discussion.
Pupils write in their exercise books.

Prompts and Notes

(Possibly including whiteboard content)

See above.

Language and Vocabulary

Underlined in the plan above is the key vocabulary.

Numerator, Denominator, Equivalent

Differentiation provision

(SEN, gifted and talented, fast workers, slow workers)

Circulating the class during individual work.

Fast workers are encouraged when they have finished an exercise to help the pupils who are struggling by explaining how they do it (benefitting the fast workers by being forced to verbalise their understanding, and helping the lower-attaining pupils by being explained to in a language and style more similar to their own way of thinking).

Assessment Strategies (how you will know if your learning targets have been met)

During lesson:

One-one-one discussion during individual work

Class discussion (try to ask lots of different people, not just those with their hands up)

Probing questions

Gladiator Death Thumb

After lesson:

Check exercise books.

Homework

None.