Core Decisions of Lesson Design

What:
In this lesson, students will deepen their understanding of place value in decimals.
Building on their existing knowledge of place value, students will discuss the relationship
between any two adjacent places within the base ten system (the place on the left is worth
10 times as much as the place on the right/the place on the right is worth one tenth as
much as the place on the left). Additionally, students will practice representing decimals
in different forms, specifically block (modeling), standard, word, and expanded.
Specifically with expanded form, students will consider how the face value and place
value of a number can be multiplied in order to find the quantity of that digit. Expanded
form is not an arbitrary way of writing numbers, as many students seem to think.
Students have been studying decimals for the past couple of weeks. The group of
students that I will be working with has been practicing modeling decimals on graph
paper. They have also begun practice on comparing, reading, and adding decimals.
Students may struggle conceptualizing what decimals are, a part of a whole number
represented in the base 10 number system. The pedagogical focus of the lesson will be
selecting and using representations to make mathematics meaningful and to draw
connections between mathematical concepts.
How:
Students will build their understanding of place value in decimals by using
familiar tools in a new way, as well as through guided discussion and a task centered on
thinking of the different representations of numbers. Students will use base 10 blocks to
model decimals. We will have a discussion of how students have used these blocks prior
and then transition to how they will be used in this lesson. The meaning of the tools will
be made explicit so as not to impede students understanding of the representation of
decimals. We will also engage in guided discussion throughout the lesson, which will
likely take the form of an open strategy sharing. In pairs, students will complete a
worksheet that will require them to think about the different forms that can be used to
represent decimals.
While I cannot fully implement new norms for math class in one lesson, we will
outline expectations at the beginning of the lesson, which will encourage students to ask
questions, revise their thinking, and listen to one anothers thinking. These expectations
will build off of the norms established during our number talks, in which students know
that they are expected to share their thinking strategies and not just their answers.
Why:
I have chosen to focus on place value and the representation of decimals in order
to provide students with a strong foundation before they move onto operations with
decimals. As stated by Chapin and Johnson (2006), If students dont understand the
relationship between place values (that 0.6 is ten times larger than 0.06, for example) or
realize that the value of a place can be represented using other place values (that 13 tenths
is equal to 130 hundredths, for example), they will have great difficulty with decimals.
(p.134) Even though I will be working with students who are considered the lowest
performing in the class at math, I have noticed that many of the students who are

considered more advanced have moved on to decimal operations without a strong

understanding of what decimals are.
Since I am going to be working with students who generally find math to be
challenging, I am using concrete modeling in order to make the material accessible and
tangible to them. Students will have the opportunity to move away from modeling
throughout the lesson if they feel comfortable, allowing them to advance their thinking.
Lesson Plan
Goals/Objectives:
Students will deepen their understanding of the base 10 number system by applying their
knowledge of place value to decimals.
Standards:
Pennsylvania Core Standards, Mathematics
Numbers and Operations, Grade 5
CC.2.1.5.B.1
Apply place value concepts to show an understanding of operations and rounding as they
pertain to whole numbers and decimals.
Materials and Preparation:
1. Worksheet
2. White board
3. Base 10 blocks (small cubes, long pieces, flat pieces, cubes)
Learning Environment and Management Issues:
1. I am going to meet with seven students during their regularly scheduled math
period in the afternoon. This group of students has been working together for the
past couple weeks on decimals. They have been grouped together by the
classroom teacher as they all seem to struggle representing decimal numbers. We
will work at the back table in the classroom while the rest of the class works in
separate groups. I am planning to stay in the classroom for this lesson to maintain
consistency. These students are used to working together in this group during
their math period. The back table is arranged in a semicircle, which will help
facilitate discussion.
2. Students will come to the back table at the beginning of the lesson with just a
pencil. I will have the base 10 blocks and worksheets prepared at the back table.
3. There are a few management concerns with this group of students, particularly
side conversations, restlessness, and negative language. I will try to prevent these
issues from arising by emphasizing expectations at the beginning of the lesson
(outlined in step 1 of plan). I will also tell students where to sit when they come
to the table, as there are a couple of students who should not be seated next to
each other. Having the base 10 blocks for students to interact with will hopefully

help students who are kinesthetic learners and keep them from getting too restless
in their seats. I will also keep track of time, making sure we do not dwell on any
part of the lesson for too long if students seem to be losing interest. I will use talk
moves to facilitate the discussion and guide students in how they respond to each
others thinking. The accommodations outlined at the end of the lesson will also
help with behavior management, as they will help ensure that the material is
accessible and engaging to all students.
Plan:
1. Go over expectations for small group discussions. Use language students are
familiar with (make progress/keep trying, work together, focus/stay on task, stay
positive, monitor volume). Then I will add some additional expectations: it is
okay to make mistakes and revise our thinking, share our mathematical ideas with
our classmates (the focus is on our thinking- not just our answers), listen to
understand someone elses idea- give each other time to think, ask questions. I
will write these down so we can refer to them throughout the lesson. We will
then review our math signals (thumbs up when students have thought of their
answer and agree/disagree symbols).
(3 minutes)
2. Introduce base ten blocks (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands). Ask students what
quantities these blocks represent. (follow up: How do you know this? Did you
count the blocks? If so, how did you count them?) Focus particularly on the
thousands block, since many of the cubes are hidden from view. How can we
figure out how many cubes there are altogether based on how many are on each
side?
(2 minutes)
3. Focus on the tens and hundreds blocks. Ask students what the relationship
between the two blocks is. How do we get from one block to the next? How
many of the long pieces (tens) does it take to get one flat piece (hundreds)? Then
focus on the hundreds and thousands pieces. Repeat questions. Then take out all
four pieces. How would you describe the relationship between these blocks, or if
you had to come up with a rule to go from one set to the next, what would it be?
How can you show that using the blocks? How about for going backwards? If
the students do not do it on their own, encourage them to put the correct number
of blocks together to build the next piece (such as 10 flats to make one cube).
Emphasize how one place value can be represented by others, i.e. one ten is the
same as ten ones. How can we represent one number in two ways using the
blocks?
(5 minutes)
4. Introduce the idea that this is not the only way to use the base 10 blocks. We
could decide that the long piece (tens) is equal to one. Explain that this would be
our new unit. What would the other pieces be equal to then? How many of the
long pieces are in the flat piece? This shows that the flat piece is ten times as long
as the long one, so what value would it have? What if I made the cube
(thousands) equal to one? What would the other pieces represent in that case?

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Does the relationship between the blocks change if we switch which piece is
equal to one? How can we represent one place value in different ways using the
blocks?
(10 minutes)
Take out 2 cubes. Ask students what this number represents (reminding them that
one cube is equal to one whole). I will record their answers on the white board.
Then take out 5 flat pieces and ask what value they represent. Give students think
time and ask them to put their thumbs up when ready. Students will then share
their answers, explaining how they found their solutions. When we are in
agreement I will write the number on the whiteboard. I will take out 4 long pieces
and repeat the same steps, and then again with 7 small cubes. Then I will ask
students how to combine their answers into one number. What is one number we
can write that would represent all of the blocks at once? When we are in
agreement I will record their answer on the whiteboard. Then I will ask students
how else they could represent their answer, recording their responses on a white
board. I will focus specifically on expanded form, although I will not use that
terminology until students have explained how to represent it. I will refer back to
the numbers they initially came up, asking how we combined them together to
create one number.
(8 minutes)
Then I will hand out a worksheet with four columns: block model, standard form,
expanded form, and word form. One form will be filled in for each number, and
students will be asked to fill in the other three. I will instruct them to do this in
pairs (and one group of three), reviewing how to work together in pairs (share
your thinking- not just your answers/respect each others ideas/if you dont
understand your partners idea, ask them to explain it/if you agree with your
partner, use phrases such as, I agree because)/if you disagree with your
partner, use phrases such as, I disagree because).
(2 minutes)
I will monitor their work and make note of what to focus on for our group
discussion. When most pairs have made enough progress (will be determined
depending on time) we will come back as a group to discuss.
(10 minutes)
In order to assess students understanding, I will hand them a slip of paper with a
decimal on it (I will choose the number based on how the student has performed
throughout the lesson) and ask them to represent the number using the blocks. I
will then ask them to explain their thinking.
If time allows, I will give students a challenge problem in which the flat block
(hundreds) is now equal to one whole, and students have to determine how to
represent the number in the other three forms.

Assessment:
In order to assess students understanding throughout the lesson, I will focus on
their written work. I will make note of whether students are able to correctly identify the
face and/or place value of each number. I will also monitor which number forms students

seem to grasp (model/standard/word/expanded) and which they might struggle with. Are
students able to connect the concrete model to the numeric representation? Do they see
the connection between standard and expanded form? I will keep an assessment checklist
with me with each childs name on it, so I can keep track of their understanding of face
value, place value, the block model, standard form, word form, expanded form, the unit
block (referent), and relationship between different place values.
These concepts will also arise during discussion. I will pay attention to how
students come to their answers for each problem. Do they use counting strategies or
numerical reasoning?
Anticipating Students Responses and Your Possible Responses:
1. If there are behavior problems throughout the lesson, I will assess why these
issues have come up. Are students struggling with the material or do they need to
be challenged more? In either of these cases I will make accommodations as
outlined below. If students seem to be getting restless, I may decide that students
are getting tired of this segment of the lesson and move on to the next part.
Throughout the lesson I will point out the ways in which students are following
the expectations laid out at the beginning. If problems persist, we may have to
revisit the expectations we went over at the beginning of the lesson. If necessary,
I will switch the seating arrangement. During the worksheet section, I will
circulate and check in with each group.
2. Students may struggle switching which block is equal to one. In this case I may
bring in real world examples of how we often use different units to talk about
numerical values. For example, a pizza could be thought of as one pizza or 8
slices; a ruler can be thought of as 12 inches or one foot. We can decide to think
of a foot as one whole unit or an inch as one whole unit, depending on the
situation. I will then ask the group if they have any more examples and about
how they can apply this thinking to the blocks.
Accommodations:
1. If students seem to be struggling, I will pause the conversation so that students
have a moment to think to themselves or do a pair share. This way they will not
feel pressured to deliver an answer in the whole group before they have collected
their ideas. I may also revisit how students are typically used to interpreting the
blocks (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) to build up the students understanding
of the relationship between the different place values. When/if they are able to
transition to decimals, they can focus primarily on modeling the numbers, and
hold off on the other forms of representing the numbers.
2. If students seem to find the work simple, I will give them questions in which I
change which block is equal to one. I will then challenge them to expand their
thinking by asking them how place values outside those in the physical model
could be represented.
References:

Chapin & Johnson, Math Matters, Understanding the Math You Teach Grades K-8. Math
Solutions Publications, 2006.

Maja Pehrson 12/15/14 2:00 AM

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