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This lesson comes from a unit plan of 10 lessons. It is number 6 of the unit and goes for 50 minutes. The
students are required to work in small groups to work out the area of 10 wooden shapes. The overall aim of the
lesson is that students are able to work out the area of shapes using scaled instruments to measure and solve
problems using length and area ("Mathematics Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum by rows - The Australian
Curriculum v8.3", 2017). There have been multiple introductory lessons prior to this lesson so the students are
familiar with the area formula for squares and rectangles.
Learning Objectives
As a result of engaging with the lesson, students will:
understand that (Concepts, principles, big ideas. No more than 1 or 2 for a single lesson. Make sure
your objectives are statements that work in the form, Students will understand that)
- Students will understand that standardised units of measurement are used in everyday life.
- Students will understand that there are a variety of methods of measurement.
Essential Questions (1-3 only; these should help students engage with the big ideas or
understandings)
For students who are confident with the concept and finding the work too easy, will be assigned to tier 3. This
tier involves 10 shapes including squares, rectangles and triangles. They are given the formula for both
squares/rectangles and triangles, However, same as tier 2, they are not given the measurements.
The importance about pre-assessment is that through the use of a quick activity or quiz, the teacher is
informed of the students current readiness and ability levels. Without the knowledge of where the students are
at in the beginning, the teacher is unable to make meaningful feedback and push the students in the direction
that they need to be heading in (Jarvis, 2017, Module 3). The reason behind choosing exit cards as the pre-
assessment for this particular unit is that it is a really quick activity that allows enough information of the
teacher to determine the readiness levels of their students. It also gives a quick overview of the students
ability levels and whether they are improving their skills.
Lesson Plan
Lesson Sequence Explanatory notes
In groups, students are required to work in small groups to
Explain task. calculate the area of the shapes that they have been
given. Each bag of shapes contains 10 shapes with
Sort students into their tiers before different areas. Students record their working out and
forming small groups. answers in their maths books.
(For full details on tiers, see explanation).
Provide each group with the correct bag
of shapes. Tier 1: 10 wooden shapes, all squares and rectangles,
given formula and measurements
Students have 30 minutes to work out Tier 2: 10 wooden shapes, all squares and rectangles,
the area of the shapes before coming given formula, no measurements.
back as a class to share their findings.
(Teacher can wonder around and assist Tier 3: 10 wooden shapes, squares, rectangles and
students, paying particular attention to tier 1). triangles, formulas but no measurements.
Students share their findings to the (If the students are requiring help, they are to talk to their
class and discuss whether they found group members first and then proceed to ask the teacher
any patterns or interesting ideas when if they still dont understand).
completing the task.
1 finger: confident
Students will complete a 1, 2, 3 finger 2 fingers: confident but need practice
confidence activity. 3 fingers: need more practice and not confident yet
The reason behind choosing the 1, 2, 3 finger strategy to check for understanding allows the teacher to see
how their students are travelling after the particular lesson. The importance of checking for understanding after
the lesson is that some students will start with the same readiness level, however, some students may
progress and gain understanding quicker than others (Jarvis, 2017, Module 4). Through the 1, 2, 3 finger
strategy, the teacher can quickly glance over the students and see which students believe they are still
struggling with the concept. Through the use of this strategy, the students are also participating in self-
assessment as they are evaluating how they believe they are going with the concept.
Explanation:
This lesson plan is split into the following 3 tiers:
Tier 1 is provided with 10 different sized, wooden squares and rectangles. Each of these shapes have the
measurements and formula provided. The teacher will also be required to pay particular attention to this tier and
assist students when needed. Due to the tiering throughout this lesson, the main focus for this tier is that students
become more familiar with using the formula. This is the reason behind including the measurements as instead of
the students spending majority of the lesson measuring, they are able to focus on using the formula.
Tier 2 is provided the same shapes as tier 1 with the formula included, however they do not receive the
measurements for the shapes. It was understood that the students in this tier were confident with the formula,
however still needed some practice and found it was the appropriate challenge for them. The students in this tier
are still focussed on the same outcome of calculating the area, however, they are also required to do the
measuring of the shapes in order to do so. This means that the students are having to measure accurately in
order to get the same answers as the other tiers.
Tier 3 is provided a few of the same shapes are tier 1 and 2 however, they also have the challenge of some
added triangles. Both formulas are included but no measurements are given. The students that have been
assigned to this tier, identified themselves as finding the set work too easy. As a result, they are still working
towards the same outcome of calculating area, but they are given the challenge of using triangles. Prior to this
lesson, they have had no experience with calculating the area of triangles, let alone the formula for doing so.
They will be required to apply their current knowledge of rectangles and squares to assist their investigation. This
will act as a lead in activity to the next lesson where students will be explicitly taught the formula for triangles and
how to use it.
Through the use of the 3 tiers, the differing readiness levels between students are addressed. Each tier has the
same learning outcome, but the main focus differs slightly from tier to tier. For some students, particularly in tier
1, they may have the knowledge and understanding of the area content but lack the skills to apply the knowledge
and calculate the area of shapes (Tomlinson, & McTighe, 2006). Through the use of tier 1, these lower readiness
levels are addressed and students are required to focus on the skills through calculating area using the formula.
This lesson is an example of a tiered lesson in that it provides multiple tiers which allow the students to reach the
same learning outcome, in relation to their own readiness levels. With the use of the pre-assessment, the
readiness levels are attained and the students can be sorted into their tiers. Although the tiers are all somewhat
different, the main activity is engaging and hands-on as high-engagement classroom environments appear to
have a significant impact on student achievement, (William, 2011). So while each student is in their particular
tier, they are all achieving the same learning outcome. Differentiating by readiness allows the students to work at
their own pace and can also somewhat allow students to have some choice over their tasks, (Jarvis, 2017,
Module 5).
References
Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions Mathematics K-12. (2017) (1st ed.). Retrieved
from https://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/uploaded/Curriculum/MATH_K-
12/Math_K_12_Enduring_Understandings_and_Essential_Questions.pdf
Jarvis, J. (2017). Module 5: Differentiation in Response to Different Interests and Learning Profile
Preferences. Lecture, Flinders University.
Mathematics Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum by rows - The Australian Curriculum v8.3. (2017).
Australiancurriculum.edu.au. Retrieved 16 March 2017, from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/mathematics/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level4
Tomlinson, C., & McTighe, J. (2006). Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms. In
C. Tomlinson & J. McTighte, Integrating Differentiation Instruction & Understanding by Design:
Connecting Content and Kids (1st ed.). Heatherton, VIC: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Exit Card
Question 1: What is the area of the square?
4 cm
4 cm