MATH EQUITY LESSON PLAN
Date:November 19, 2008 / Topic:Re-Allocation of Ontario’s Budget
Grade: 5
Classroom teacher: Mr. McKinley
Students teachers: Josh Goodbaum, Keenan Way, Lauren Remouche, Daphne Chung Ting Wan / Time:100 minutes
12:30 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
1:20 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.
Curriculum Expectations:
Overall:
  • Read, represent, compare, and order whole numbers
  • Determine, through investigation using a table of values, relationships in growing and shrinking patterns
  • Collect and organize discrete and continuous primary data and secondary data and display the data using charts and graphs, including broken-line graphs
  • Read, describe, and interpret primary data and secondary data presented in charts and graphs
Specific:
  • Represent, compare, and order wholenumbers and decimal numbers using a variety of too
  • Read and write money amount
  • Build a model to represent a number pattern presented in a table of values that shows the term number and the term
  • Collect and organize discrete or continuous primary data and secondary data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs that have appropriate titles, labels, and scales that suit the range and distribution of the data
  • Read, interpret, and draw conclusions from primary data and from secondary data, presented in charts, tables, and graphs

Assessment Strategies:
  • Students will have to be involved in class discussions and questions will be asked to verify if they understood the concepts being taught
  • Students will be assessed on the graphs that they submit at the end of the class. For this lesson, a checklist of 3 components will be used:
- Completion of graph with correct labeling
-Understanding and correct use of data provided
-Effort during activity
Accommodations and Modifications:
  • Teachers will be circulating and assisting students who need extra guidance
  • Students will be working in table groups that have students a various abilities and therefore they will be able to help each other to produce a work of combined effort
  • A model of a graph will also be shown to students
  • Manipulatives are being used to construct the graph and this will assist visual learners in their work
  • Students who finish doing their graphs early will be given an assignment where they would have to rank the categories according to which spends the most

Resources:
  • Chart paper
  • The main categories (e.g. Health, Education, Transportation, Social Services/Housing, Public Safety, Environment)
  • Manipulatives consisting of various small icons that represent each category
  • Chalkboard
  • Chalk
  • 26 pieces of paper for Trading activity
  • Markers
  • Checklist to assess students’ work
  • Letter addressed to the MPP
  • Worksheet for ranking the different categories(for groups of students who finish the graphing task early)
/ Outline:
Introduction:
  • Divide the students in groups of 6(before class begins)
  • Teacher will introduce guest teachers and students are asked to clear their desk apart from their ruler, pencil and glue stick
  • Teacher will write big numbers on the chalkboard(Examples: 18.1 billion and 1 million)
  • Have the students read the numbers
  • Ask students if they know what they represent (If needed prompt with: “what things could it be for?”)
  • Put a dollar sign next to the amount and ask the students again
  • Explain that 18.1 billions dollars represents the amount of money spent on war in Afghanistan and 1 million represents the amount of people living in poverty
  • Define poverty: Living without the basic things that are needed in life for survival
  • Explain to students that today we are going to be working on budgeting
  • Explain budgeting. Give a simple example so that students can relate (E.g. Household income is received from employment and parents decide what the budget will be spent on, that is how much will be spend on food, clothing, entertainment and so on)
  • Relate the government to budgeting. Explain that government receives money and what government does with the budget. Tie this with recent elections and different levels of government

Middle:
  • Ask students what they think the province spends their money on. Ask for a few examples from students(to be written on the chalkboard)
  • Then explain the trading activity and then distribute the paper for students to write down their ideas
  • Each student will receive a piece of paper and they will write down something that they think the government spends money on
  • Each group will then put their pieces of paper in the middle of their table groups and then one person in the group(the trader) will trade the pieces of paper with a group next to them
  • The students then divide the pieces of paper between their group members so that everyone has a piece of paper
  • Once this is done, they can read the idea on the piece of paper(one group at a time) and those ideas will be written on the chalkboard
  • Then students will vote for each category by raising their hand if they think that category should have more or less spending. Advise students that they can vote only once for each category.During this activity they will also have their heads down to keep each student’s decision private
  • Teacher will record the data and only the group designated to make the graph for that category will receive the data
  • Teacher will instruct students on how to make the graph with the proper labels and the 2 columns that have to appear on the graph. Teacher will also show the students a model of the graph that was constructed before
  • Do a ‘graphing stretch’ (activity where teacher will instruct the students how to do a few stretches before doing the graphs. This allows for a small break)
  • The students will use the manipulatives that represent each category to create a pictogram that will represent the data
  • Distribute the materials to each table group
  • Students will work on their graphs while teachers will circulate to observe the group work

Conclusion:
  • Once students are done with their graphs, they will be asked to briefly present it in front of the class(Teacher will call a person from the group - in the order of which group has the category that gets the most funding)
  • A student from each group will bring the graph to the board and the teacher will use magnets to hold it in place
  • Using the graphs, a discussion about why there should be less spending on the category that the students choose, could follow
  • The teacher will then ask students what could be done to make a difference to the way budget is planned – Relate it to recent lessons on government and what action we can take
  • Ask students for ideas
  • Prompt students if needed. Once they mention letter ask for details of the letter and addressed to whom
  • Advise that it will be addressed to the MPP who’s assigned to this location and that by sending a letter with thegraphs that they made, we can let the government be aware of the choices that we support in the classroom

Follow-up:
  • Language Arts:Teacher could follow up this class with lessons where the students prepare a letter with data compiled in graphs that shows their preferred budget. This can be a letter writing activity or an opening on expository writing
  • Mathematics: Students can learn further on data management and the use of different types of graphs
  • Social Studies: Now that the students have delved into provincial spending, they can tackle issues on how the government gets the income for the spending i.e. taxes. The teacher can also link this lesson to issues on national/global spending/waste