Intern Name: McKenna Nacey

Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): Math/Hands on Equations

Grade: 5
Length of Lesson:
Date Taught:
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
In this lesson…
Overview I worked with a small group of kids doing Hands on Equations.

Standards of 5.18 a) investigate and describe the concept of a variable

c) model one-step linear equations in one variable, using addition and
Learning subtraction

Essential Questions
Students will be able to…​ investigate and describe the concept of a variable;
model one-step linear equations in one variable, using addition and subtraction
Objectives

I can investigate and describe the concept of a variable. I can model one-step
Learning Target linear equations in one variable, using addition and subtraction.
Necessary Prior All of the students​ ​had previously done Hands on Equations in 4th grade.
Vocab
Knowledge
● Hands on Equation bags including 8 blue pawns, 4 red cubes, 8 white
pawns, and 4 green cubes.
● Hands on Equation mats
Materials ● Hands on Equations lesson worksheets (provided by cooperating
teacher)

Ask students what each piece of the Hands on Equations bag represents. Talk
with students to understand when they first learned Hands on Equations. Ask
Introduction/Hook students to relate Hands on Equations to real life situations.

1. Hand out all materials needed to each student.

2. Have the students investigate the packet and ask:
What do you need to find in the packet? value of x
Instructional What patterns do you see? alternates between new and previous work
What is a legal move? doing the same thing to both sides
Activities & 3. Instruct students to only do new work and do previous work if extra help
Strategies is needed.
4. Most kids have done Hands on Equations in previous grades. Break into
three groups. Never seen this/checker group run by Mrs. Cohen. She will check
each students lesson so they can move onto the next. I run the I need help group

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
 and worked with all the kids that needed assistance. The good to go group
consists of students who are fine on their own.
5. Make sure to introduce the groups as free flowing. Students are
allowed to flow between the I need help group and good to go group.
6. Since kids are working at different speeds, the free flowing groups help
them attain the help they need.
7. Encourage peer support in the good to go group and if students still
don’t understand they are free to move to a different group.
8. Make sure to occasionally walk around to make sure students
understand what they are doing. Most kids will come get help but a few do not.
9. Clean up and assign the optional homework/extra help.
● Blue pawn
Key Vocabulary or ● red cube
Concepts ● legal move
● check
Mrs. Cohen checked each lesson the students did, for accuracy, and then moved
Assessments on to the next or redid problems that were incorrect.
Schoology has a Hands on Equations lesson that I assigned as optional
homework/extra practice.
Closure Activity

N/A
Accommodations
Hands on Equations Booklet
Mrs. Cohen
Resources

Reflection on a Lesson Plan Taught

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow
Intern Name: McKenna Nacey
Lesson Title (Subecjt/Topc): Math/Hands on Equations
Date of Lesson Taught: 1/30/18
Cooperating Teacher & School: Mrs. Cohen, John B. Dey Elementary
Grade: 5
Time of Day: Afternoon

1. What steps did you go through to create this lesson? With whom did you talk, discuss, or edit your lesson?
I have previously worked with kids on Hands on Equations last year. I also had a book to look through that
thoroughly explained how Hands on Equations works.

2. How did the SOLs and Objectives help focus your instruction?

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
By doing Hands on Equations the lesson gives students the opportunity to work on linear equations and
understand variables. This is a SOL objective and sets a foundation for when students move on to harder
algebra.

3. What parts of the instructional plan worked as you anticipated?

Creating different groups for learners at different speeds worked well because most kids that needed help
sought out the group for help.

4. What, if any, adjustments needed to be made once you began?

I had to eliminate the I’ve never seen this group because all of the kids were at least slightly familiar with Hands
on Equations.

5. How well did you anticipate the materials needed?

All of the materials were already in the classroom because my class has a set of Hands on Equation supplies.

6. How effective was the assessment you chose to use? (If no assessment was used, what will the future
assessment be and how will you gauge its effectiveness?)
After a kid would finish a lesson they had to go to Mrs. Cohen to get it checked and get them all right before
they could move on to the next.

7. To what degree do you feel that this lesson was a success? What evidence do you have for the success of
the lesson? (Hint: Student learning is the key to a lesson’s success!)
The kids were super excited to work with me and learn. Mrs. Cohen was greatly impressed when she was
checking the lessons the students had completed.

8. How did the time spent preparing for your lesson contribute to it’s success?
Time spent prepinghelped me be successful and being familiar with Hands on Equations also helped.

9. If you could do this lesson again with the same students, would you do anything differently? If so, what?
I would definitely do this lesson again with these same kids because they absolutely loved being able to learn
with me.

10. Any last comments/reflections about your lesson?

Mrs. Cohen helped me come up with the idea of free flowing groups and it was a great success.

Lesson Plan Assignment: Grade Sheet

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow I

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
Intern Name: ______________________________
Refer to the comments written ​on​ your lesson plan for detailed feedback.
Needs a few
Ready to Your
additions or Incomplete
Teach! Score
tweaks
Overview, SOLs, essential questions, objectives (10)
Introduction/hook & closure (10)
Instructional activities (20)
Accommodations (10)
Assessment (5)
Vocab, materials, resources (5)
Supplemental materials, if applicable (5)

Total (65)

Taught Lesson Plan Grade Sheet

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow II

Intern Name: ______________________________Lesson #________

● Written (typed) Lesson Plan: _____/50

[See comments on LP]

● Supplemental materials: _____/10

Comments:

● Self-Evaluation: _____/15
Comments:

Total: _____/75

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)