Assignment #2 Tanya Prion-Frank

Activity 9.4: Finding Factors ***I have modified this activity slightly so as to only look at dividing the counters into equal groups. I think that this is important, as I am assuming that this is the first time students will have been formally introduced to multiplication. If I were to teach this, I would have students dividing the counters into equal groups for one or two lessons. I would then immediately after bring in the idea of an array, and connect this idea to their previous equal division of the counters.***

Grade 3 PLOs: 1. It is hoped that students will concretely represent equal groups for a given number sentence Lesson Objective: Students should be able to recognize that a given number may be divided into several different equal grouping sets.

INTRODUCTION PHASE
1. Activate Prior Knowledge Try a simpler version of the problem as a class Tell a story about you baking a batch of cookies. You have 6 cookies to share. You want to have some friends over and give them each the same amount of cookies (to be fair). Use magnetic manipulatives on the board to show the cookies. How many friends could you have over? Why? Are there other answers? 2. Make Sure Problem/Task is Understood Describe problem and define vocabulary Explain that they will be using larger numbers. Explain that they will be using counters to help them divide up the numbers into equal groups/ What does it mean when we say equal groups? 3. Establish Clear Expectations How are students to work? What products are they to prepare for discussion? Students are to work alone for the first part. They are to work through the numbers given to them, creating as many equal groups as possible for the numbers. Students are to write their observations down. How many equal groups did they make? How many counters were in each group? Were there other groupings that worked? After students feel that they have found all the possible groupings for their numbers and have recorded them, they are to find a partner and share their observations. Did their partner notice anything different? Students need to explain their thinking to each other and demonstrate what they did. They should add anything new that they learned from their partner to their sheet. The class will then come together for a class discussion. They will need to come prepared with their observation sheet showing the different groupings that they were able to make and explanations about ways in which they found these groupings. These sheets can be completed with words, drawings, or both.

Assignment #2 Tanya Prion-Frank

DEVELOPMENT PHASE
1. Let Go! As a teacher, I will let the students work for a while without much interference from me. I will at first target students who are off task. Do they understand what their goal is? I will then target students who look as if they are struggling. o Listen to students: what strategies have they already tried? o What part is difficult or confusing for the student? o How is this problem similar to the one we did as a class? o What happens if you imagine that the counters are cookies? How will you make them into equal groups? o If the student makes an error, I will have them explain their thinking to me. 2. Listen Actively As students group into pairs, sit down with them and listen to their conversations. When students forget to explain their reasoning, prompt them. If their explanations are confusing for you, or you think they will be confusing for their partner, ask them clarifying questions. o Can you tell me more about o Can you explain this to me. o Can you show how you did this with the counters? 3 .Provide appropriate hints What happens if you share the cookies between me and you? What happens if you put fewer counters in your group? Are there other ways to make equal groups for this number? 4. Provide worthwhile extensions The numbers suggested for this activity are 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 I would print these out on a piece of paper for each child, or give them a set of flashcards with these numbers on them. For students who were done quickly, I would sit down with them and ask them: o Did you find all the different equal groups that you can make with this number? o Show me how you. to make sure they understand what they did. o Are there some equal groups that worked for all the numbers? o I would then give them Challenge flashcards, which would have larger numbers with more factors. For students who would find this activity too challenging, I would give them smaller numbers with fewer factors to work with.

FOLLOW-UP PHASE
1. Promote a Mathematical Community of Learners What did you find when you were working on this task? What ways of grouping worked for you? Was there more than one way of making equal groupings for this number? Encourage student-to-student talk. o Who can add on to what _____ said? o Do you agree with this method? o Can you describe what _____ was doing? o Who can describe ________s idea in their own words?

Assignment #2 Tanya Prion-Frank

Ask clarifying questions (see Listen Actively above). Request explanations to accompany all answers. Were their any numbers that had similar equal groups?

2. Listen Actively Without Evaluating 3. Summarize Main Ideas and Identify Hypotheses Have students draw their ideas on the board, if they are so inclined Write up different ways that students approached this task. Write up any hypotheses that students may have come up with. o Ex/ Ideas about groupings that worked for different numbers 4. Check-out: Have students hand in their observation pages.