Tiffany Pan Story Problems: Combinations and Addition What Students will learn to differentiate word problems that

ask for different combinations from word problems that ask for a total definitive sum. The concept of composition and decomposition of numbers as well as the one-to-one correspondence (Chapin & Johnson, 2006) will be practiced and honed in this lesson as students are focused on differentiating between the two types of skills they need to use. Students have already had at least three or more lessons on number combinations but they have not had explicit instruction on solving addition word problems. Most if not all students are able to count all and some can count on but a couple students got confused when they had to do both tasks successively. The fact that Ill be teaching both tasks together might be confusing as they are not used to having a comparative math lesson that focuses on two topics but the goal is to get them to become familiar enough with both types of problems that they can go back and forth without becoming confused. How I will give students concrete materials (connecting cubes) to use to solve the word problems that will be given to them on a sheet. They will be asked to work on their own first and then brought back together as a group to discuss what they did using the mathematical terms of combinations and total. Why One of the baseline requirements in the Common Core standards is that students should be able to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Investigative Math, which is the workbook they use, emphasizes inquiry-based learning so I will provide connecting cubes so that students can represent the problems with manipulatives. Since students are still working on addition (getting to numbers up to 20), the questions I will be using will be strictly addition word problems. I believe that students show that they truly understand a concept or have mastered a skill when they are able to exercise it in a new context or even a slightly tricky and confusing context. Understanding and following directions are crucial in learning how to complete a task correctly; this is a skill that transfers across and beyond core subjects in education that students will need to have. Some students got confused when they did an addition word problem right after a combination problem on a math assessment worksheet they did last Friday. My students tend to confused when they switch from one task to the next (they usually do multiple activities during one math workshop session since each worksheet page does not take up the entire 35-40 minutes). Goals/ Objectives Students will be able to distinguish the instructions of story word problems that ask them to either create combinations out of a certain number or find the total definitive sum. Students will learn to read questions and understand what the question is asking for before trying to answer the question. Standards/ Assessment Anchors Common Core Grade 1 - Operations and Algebraic Thinking

Students will be able to represent and solve problems involving additions and subtraction. Students will be able to understand and apply properties of operations. Materials and Preparation -a worksheet with word problems that address combinations and definitive sums -connecting cubes Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues Students will be in a smaller lounge room (with a copy machine and teachers bathroom inside but during classes, these rooms are usually empty and quiet) so outside distractions are minimized. I will give students their materials once they have settled down inside the room. If certain students are misbehaving, I will tell these students that the same rules apply outside of the classroom and that if they continue their misbehavior, they will have to go back to the classroom and not be able to participate in small group math activity and discussion (Ill tell them that I will choose other students from the classroom to do it instead). If the noise level gets too loud, I will ask them to speak at a certain volume (by modeling it) and explain that they have to do this so their peers can hear what their neighbor is saying. Plan 1. Introduction (12-15 minutes) Ill have two word problems laid out on the portable whiteboard for students to look at when they come into the room (these word problems will have their names included in them) . I will have the students act out both problems so that they can get the idea of what is going on visually. They will solve these problems together verbally and show me by physically positioning themselves in different groups according to what the question is asking. 2. Work and Explore (15-20 minutes) I will give students a worksheet with 8 story problems on it (the types of problems will be mixed up so that students will need to read the questions carefully). They will be allowed to work in pairs (there will be 3 groups of 2) but they may work independently if they do not need the additional help. I will go over to each student and see what they may be having more trouble with and mark the items down accordingly in my checklist. 3. Debrief and Wrap Up (5-7 minutes) I will bring back the group together to share strategies on how they solved the problems. I will start off by asking which questions they found the most difficult (Were there any questions you found extremely hard to understand and solve?). Here are some other focus questions I will ask throughout the discussion: What is that question asking you to do? How were you able to solve the problem?

Did anyone solve it in a different way? Anticipating students responses and your possible responses Students may be confused while doing the worksheet and use the wrong skills; I will not correct them while they are working on their worksheets but I want to help them understand the differences in the types of problems during their discussions with their partners/groups and through the direct instruction I give at the beginning (Im going to give a mini-lesson on how to identify what the question is asking by pointing out the key words students need to pay extra attention to). Assessment of the goals/objectives listed above The worksheets will be my main assessment as well as their verbal explanations (Ill have a checklist ready to see how they generally approach and solve word problems). Accommodations For students that may find this too challenging, I will pull them aside while others are working and verbally reword the questions to help them understand the question better. I will use a pen underline the key wording they need to pay attention to know which skill they need to use to solve the problem. For students that finish early or need more challenges, I will give them some extra word problems that have different wording and bigger numbers to work with and see if they are able to understand and solve the problems.