Classroom Layout To begin, the teacher desk is strategically placed behind the student desks. The main idea is to create an inviting atmosphere, and choosing to remove the desk from the immediate learning environment will prevent distraction. The desk faces the front of the room, so I will be able to monitor all who enter and leave. It is also placed an accessible distance from the supply table that is located in the back of the room against the wall. This proximity will assist in grading papers more efficiently, which allows for a faster response time. The supply table will hold all loose paper work, which will prevent my desk from becoming cluttered with work and materials. I hope to have stackable shelves placed on top to assist in organizing handouts, graded homework, and un-graded homework by class period. Students will be able to file their homework when completed. While exiting the classroom, they can easily pick up worksheets and other items that need to be returned. Since the students will be returning to the back of the room on their way out, the flow of traffic coming in for the next class period will be relieved. In hopes that the students leaving class will exit in a counter-clockwise formation, the front of the room will be an adequate area for students to wait as desks are emptied. The student desks are facing the front of the room where the chalkboard is located. The layout is a similar version to the "2-3-2" seating arrangement, only it contains rows of paired desks throughout. I want to be able to walk among the rows freely, and this arrangement provides me with several paths to choose. Also, I believe that cooperative learning is very important in middle school math. By arranging the desks in pairs, it will be easier to partner students up and explore together. __________________________________________________________________ Sample Lesson Teacher/Liaison Stephanie Sullivan Subject/Grade Level Math 7th grade Time Estimate 2 Class Periods Date November 2006 Specific Instructional Objective: To Provide specific examples so that students understand and comprehend how to properly multiply fractions. Media/Technology Materials (list all materials you used): We will be using the internet to research information. I will also supply rubrics to reinforce specific directions and expectations. 1. Introductory Activity/Initiating Procedures (focus, anticipatory set): We will introduce the activity by reading this story. Introduction Your family is having a reunion, and, since last time you and your cousins complained about Aunt Misha's meatball surprise, you have been put in charge of the food. After much consideration, you have decided to make homemade pizza. You decide to ask your Mom for help, and she says that, aside from doing the shopping, you are on your own. She does, however, let you know that there will be 60 people at the reunion, and each of them will need 4 slices, (1/2 of a pizza). She also said that, in order to have a diverse menu, that you should make 3 different types of pizza, with 1/3 being one type, 1/2 being another type, and the rest being a third type. The Task Your first hurdle is that you have never made homemade pizza before, and, there are no recipe books in the house. Luckily, a friend is giving you the URL of a great online recipe site, and he has promised you that you will be able to find recipes for the dough, for the sauce, and for making pizzas there. Your second hurdle is that Mom needs to know how much of which ingredients to buy. Fortunately, you have a great spreadsheet program where you will be able to figure it all out. And finally, since it was the three of you that got you into this, Mom wants each of you to rate the others in your group on how much they participated and contributed. 2. Procedures for the Lesson The Process This is a team project, and you will be assigned into groups of three. Each group will do the following: 1. You will go online and choose and print a recipe for pizza dough, a recipe for pizza sauce, and three recipes for putting together and making pizzas. (Please note, some pizza recipes include dough and/or sauce recipes. If you choose one of these, then this will effect how much of the dough and/or sauce recipes that you will need.) 2. Once you have your recipes, it is time to figure out how much of which ingredients you will need. I recommend that you make 5 spreadsheets to do that. 3. The first spreadsheet should be to figure out how many pizzas are needed of what kind. 4. The second spreadsheet should be to figure out how much of which ingredients are needed for the pizza dough recipe that you are using. (Be sure and note how many pizzas your dough recipe is for.) 5. The third spreadsheet should be to figure out how much of which ingredients are needed for the pizza sauce recipe that you are using. (Again, be sure to note how many pizzas your sauce recipe is for.) 6. The fourth spreadsheet should be to figure out how much of which ingredients are needed to put your pizzas together. (This spreadsheet should exclude the ingredients in the second and third spreadsheets.) 7. The fifth spreadsheet should be a summary, (that your Mom could have used), of the ingredients for a shopping list. 8. After your spreadsheets are finished, each team member will write a short note on how much their two partners contributed and participated. Conclusion The skills that you learn in math class do have applications in the real world, and the Internet is a great resource for finding things that you need, even when you didn't know that you needed them. How would you answer the following questions? 1. Did you have any idea that there were so many different types of pizza? 2. Would it have been easier to have done your calculations by hand, as opposed to in a spreadsheet? 3. How about if, after giving Mom your grocery list, she informed you that there were going to be 20 more people coming? 4. How difficult would it have been to keep track of your entire ingredient needs if you had not used a spreadsheet? A. Information Giving: Instructions will be read aloud in class.. B. Modeling/Providing Examples: Showing specific examples of how to increase and decrease ingredient amounts. C. Guided Practice: Students will work examples independently, and I will walk around to make sure they comprehend. D. Independent Practice: Students work independently to brainstorm. E. Closure/Culminating Procedure: Giving students time to discuss their ideas with their groups. Evaluation of Students to determine if the objective was met: Your project will be graded on the following criteria: 1. How well did you follow instructions? (20 points) 2. How well did your spreadsheets reflect the needs of your recipes? (20 points) 3. How easy would your final spreadsheet be for Mom to use while shopping? (20 points) 4. Did you use your teacher resource wisely? (20 points) Extra credit for a note from home saying that you tried to cook a pizza from your recipe(s). (10 points) Source: Webquest 7th Grade Mathematics http://www.angelfire.com/home/chas/WQ.html