Exploration Lesson 2
Objective
Participants will critique the Big Ideas Math resources and identify strengths and weaknesses of a specific unit.
Introduction
The Big Ideas Math program has a variety of available resources, from lesson plans to warm ups, lesson tutorials, to enrichment worksheets. The question is simply in what resources to use when teaching a lesson. Which will best support learning and understanding for students? This lesson will give participants an opportunity to critique the components and materials provided by the program. Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of the available resources will help participants identify any gaps in knowledge, and the need for supplemental resources in the creation of the learning segment.
Tasks
- Read this article about what "good math instruction" looks like, and this article about the essential characteristics of good math instruction, written by the author of the Big Ideas Math program.
- Select a grade-level textbook, chapter, and chapter section(s) that you will use for your course project on the Big Ideas Math website. You will need to select an assessment to go along with your segment as well. This can either be the mid-quiz, end-quiz, or one of the tests provided.
- Review the section(s) and course materials that are available for your lessons. You will be looking for any strengths and weaknesses in the textbook and available resources. You will start with the lesson plans, and follow the graphic organizer to critique the program. This will serve as the rationale for much of your instructional decisions that will follow in Unit 2. Access the graphic organizer here: File:Strengths&Weaknesses.pdf
- Post in the discussion tab on the Lesson 2 page. What strengths or weaknesses did you notice in your selected textbook, chapter, and section(s)? Does the Big Ideas Math program follow the components and characteristics of "good math instruction" depicted in the articles? Why or why not? Please reference specific components of the textbook and program, as well as the articles. Based on the weaknesses you've noticed, briefly describe your initial ideas to any changes you would make to the program. Respond to at least two of your peer's posts, as you may have noticed similar strengths and weaknesses in different sections of the program.
In Preparation for Lesson 3...
Start looking for supplemental activities to address the weaknesses that you have discovered in this lesson. How will you modify any activities or assessments to meet IEP or 504 goals?
In Lesson 3, you will begin to create your lesson segment and assessment. This lesson will focus on choosing instructional activities, and differentiating instruction.
To go on to Lesson 3, click here.
To return to the course introduction, click here.
To view the portfolio page for this course, click here.
