The unit which I chose to plan is for a 7th grade mathematics class.

The unit is titled

Ratios, Proportions, and Relationships with Rational Numbers. The purpose of this unit is threefold. First, the unit addresses a number of state standards for 7 th grade math which is essential to
any quality unit of instruction. Secondly, the unit teaches and reinforces knowledge and skills
which are absolutely essential to future academic success in mathematics. Finally, this unit
incorporates content which is thematically tied together. The theme which is reinforced or
introduced in this lesson (dependent upon students background), is relationship. There are many
important themes present in math which it would enrich students education to understand, and
relationship is one such theme.
My learning goals for this unit are taken directly from the Iowa Core state standards for
7th grade math. Math, as a subject-area, is unique in that the state standards often lend themselves
very directly to learning objectives. The standards which this unit addresses are no exception.
They are as follows:
a) Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas
and other quantities measured in like or different units. For example, if a person walks
1/2 mile in each 1/4 hour, compute the unit rate as the complex fraction 1/2/1/4 miles per
hour, equivalently 2 miles per hour. (7.RP.A.1)
b) Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities. (7.RP.A.2)
c) Apply and extend previous understandings of operations with fractions to add, subtract,
multiply, and divide rational numbers. (7.NS.A)
d) Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions. (7.EE.A)

This unit addresses each of these objectives to varying degrees. The unit addresses
objectives a and b in their entirety; however, I do not spend a great deal of time on these
topics. These are objectives which will crop up throughout the semester, as unit rates and

proportionality are applicable to a number of other chapters and sections. So, in this unit, I
addressed the objectives, but left some unchartered territory to be explored in later units.
The unit focuses heavily on objectives c and d. These objectives are very closely tied
together, as both relate back to the basic mathematical operations of addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division. Understandings about rational numbers, what they are and how they
are useful, will be increasingly important as students progress in mathematics, thus I felt these
objectives deserved a great deal of time and attention. Likewise, the ability to apply basic
operations to new situations is incredibly important. Students will use these operations all
throughout their time in math and the flexibility to apply these skills, even when the material
looks different, is invaluable.
As I looked out upon the formation of this unit and imagined how it might look and how
it might progress, I accepted the challenge to break away from the lecture-assign-test, format of
traditional math classes. This rather idealistic goal was modified as the unit began to actually
take form. That said, this unit uses lecture as the primary mode of instruction, however, an
exploration activity is used at the beginning of the unit as an opportunity for students to discover
some of the pieces that will be formally introduced later, through lecture. Many of the concepts
covered in this unit are basic, however they have a vast number of applications and though the
concepts do not change, the application can be difficult in new situations. Discovery-based
instructional strategies are heavily relied on in this unit, especially for those students who
progress more quickly than others. There are numerous opportunities during this unit for
enrichment activities which will very much leave these students to their own devices as they
navigate the newly-learned concepts. This is not to say my support will not be available, because
it most certainly will.

Additionally, discussion will be utilized as an instructional strategy through the daily

Q&A sessions over homework assignments. While this will look very different from discussion
in most other content areas, these sessions will be conducted such that students will need to
communicate back and forth in order to reach a solution. This will not be a time for me to simply
dole out answers. Informal discussion opportunities will also be incorporated into lectures.
This unit does not rely heavily on pre-assessment. The primary role of pre-assessment in
this unit is to gain insight into the students as individuals. This is appropriate, as this is the first
unit of the term and the students will be new to me, and I to them. Formative assessment drives
this unit, particularly through board work, homework assignments, and self-assessments. This
assessment strategy is ideal because it allows for a continuous flow of information about student
progress, in both formal and informal ways. Summative assessment strategies utilized include: a
quiz, a unit test, and an authentic peer teaching activity. The quiz and test are ideal for assessing
the more objective pieces which math is typically associated with. However, the teaching activity
works well to assess the more implicit understanding goals tied to personal preference and
intuition in math.
The largest challenge I anticipate with this unit, is the rigorous pace. I intentionally built
in days to slow things down and allow students a chance to catch their breath. However, if there
are students who struggle severely to comprehend the material or possibly are just slower than
the rest of the class, the pace could be a bit fast for them. I anticipate that students who are not
able to keep up will come from one of two camps. One being, students who simply choose not to
do the work out of laziness, in which case, they will inevitably suffer the consequences of their
choices. The other students I anticipate are special education students, who will likely have an
aid or associate with them either in the classroom or as extra support outside of the classroom.

That being said, on the days that I offer time for make-up work and remediation my focus for
those days is to work particularly with special needs students or other students who are putting in
the effort, but simply falling behind.
This raises another possible challenge. On those days when I am differentiating in so
many ways and offering different opportunities and activities for different students, I fear that I
may be pulled in too many directions and not be able to focus enough time and energy on any
one group or individual. I plan to combat this in two ways. First, the more I plan ahead and
prepare for those days, the better. The more I can have things laid out and ready to go, so as to
enable more students to be self-sufficient, the better. Additionally, I will need to prioritize by
student and I will do this by informally evaluating them in terms of effort. I simply will not allow
a student who is working their tail off but not getting it, to lack the support they need because I
am burning time helping another student, who chose to be lazy, to avoid the consequences of
their actions.
I have mentioned a number of ways which I plan to differentiate for students all along the
spectrum from gifted to special needs, but I have a few more ideas which I can explain here. I
philosophically do not believe in giving gifted students more work in terms of quantity, instead I
plan to offer them enrichment opportunities grounded in quality. This can be done in math by
offering more difficult problems or problems which necessitate extended understanding and
discovery in order to solve. Tutoring opportunities may also be given to gifted students, if there
are good circumstances for this arrangement. For special needs students, besides offering them
more of my time and re-teaching opportunities, I have no issue shortening assignments for these
students. In math, repetition and practice are very important; however there is a point for every
student where they start to experience diminishing marginal returns. So, for a special education

student who takes longer to solve problems for whatever reason, the fifteenth problem may
literally be more harm than good for them, whereas that point may be the 45th problem for
another student. In assignments, it is most important that students are receiving exposure to the
necessary applications, not that they have enormous, long assignments to complete.
In summary, this lesson and its objectives are grounded in the Iowa Core state standards
for 7th grade mathematic. It relies primarily on lecture, student-discovery activities, and
discussion as instructional strategies. In addition, this lesson will be continually informed by a
variety of formative assessments and summative assessment will be in the form of a quiz, test,
and peer-teaching activity. While the pace may be challenging, there are numerous ways to
adjust the pacing and/or to help students to adapt and catch up. I certainly hope to find use for
this lesson in my future teaching, as I believe it would be very effective in teaching students
about Ratios, Proportions, and Relationships with Rational Numbers.

Unit Title: Ratios, Proportions, and Relationships with Rational Numbers.

Grade level: 7th Grade
Length of unit: 2-3 weeks (beginning of term)
Stage 1 Desired Results
Meaning
Enduring Understandings: student will understand that
1. Recognizing, interpreting and manipulating mathematical
relationships will enable us to make sense of math. (a)
2. Practicing math develops intuition which helps us to recognize
relationships. (b)
3. When quantities are related we can create expressions which
represent the relationship mathematically. (a, b)
4. Rational numbers are essential to establishing and
understanding relationships. (c)
5. Mathematical operations add flexibility which enables
mathematicians to find solutions. (d)

Essential Questions:

How do mathematicians solve proportions?

What does it mean to be related mathematically?
What is proportionality and how is it relational?
What does equality mean in math?
Are unequal relationships useful?
How is the number 1 useful in math?

Knowledge & Skills Acquisition

Learning Goals: (standards from the Iowa Core for 7th grade mathematics)
a) Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or
different units. For example, if a person walks 1/2 mile in each 1/4 hour, compute the unit rate as the complex fraction 1/2/1/4 miles
per hour, equivalently 2 miles per hour. (7.RP.A.1)
b) Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities. (7.RP.A.2)
c) Apply and extend previous understandings of operations with fractions to add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers.
(7.NS.A)
d) Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions. (7.EE.A)

Knowledge: Students will know

1. Complex fractions can be simplified by using the
multiplicative inverse of the denominator. (U 1)
2. Equality is maintained in expressions by mirrored
operations on either side of the equal sing. (U 1)
3. They can always multiply by 1 w/o changing value and 1
can be written in infinitely many different ways. (U 1)
4. Relationships can look different and are not always easy
to find or establish. (U 2)
5. That practice problems will make math easier and more
beneficial to them. (U 2)
6. What information to look for when trying to establish
relationships. (U 3)
7. Rational Number Any number which can be written as a
fraction. (U 4)
8. Order of operations must be applied when performing
operations involving rational numbers. (U 4)
9. By applying operations to rational numbers, we can
simplify expressions. (U 4)
10. The basic mathematical operations. (U 5)
11. When to apply basic operations to find solutions. (U 5)
12. Terms: equivalence, LCD, inverse, basic operations, unit
rates, ratio, proportion, rational number, expression, scale
factor.

Skills: Students will be able to

Organize given information to create complex fractions. (K 1)

Utilize the multiplicative inverse of the denominator of fractions to
simplify expressions. (K 1)
Compute unit rates. (K 1)
Interpret conversion charts to achieve like units. (K 1)
Perform algebraic manipulations without changing the value of an
expression (i.e.: maintaining equality). (K 2)
Multiply by 1 to simplify expressions. (K 3)
Represent the number 1 in a variety of ways. (K 3)
Recognize and establish relationships using given information.
(K 4)
Apply themselves to sets of practice problems. (K 5)
Organize given information represent relationships through
mathematical expressions. (K 6)
Write rational numbers. (K 7)
Manipulate expressions containing rational numbers using basic
operations. (K 8,9)
Apply the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division. (K10)
Explain their applications of basic operations when manipulating
equations. (K 11)

Resources/Materials:

Textbook (HOLT Middle School Math Course 3 Algebra Readiness)

Syllabus
Pre-Assessment: interview sheets and pre-test
Number lines
First in Math license
Computers
White board and markers
Smart board
Lecture notes
Worksheets & problem sets: exploration activity, reciprocals, remedial, practice algebra, practice word problems,
group word problems, challenge sets, unit review sets, supplementary individual practice sets, enriched challenge
sets, modeled word problems
Manipulatives
Pie charts and diagrams
Quiz
Teaching Activity: assignment sheet, rubric, and grading sheets
Unit test

Stage 2 Evidence (Assessment)

Types of assessment: Selected-Response (tests, quizzes); Personal Communication (interview, oral exam, discussion);
Written Response (short constructed response questions, entrance/exit slips, essays); Performance Assessment (role-play,
Simulation, labs, dramatization)
Pre-assessment:

Interview:
o What relationships can you think of in mathematic? (K 4)
o What is your attitude towards assignments in mathematics and why? (K 5)
o How might your attitude be changed?
o What ways will you find to motivate yourself this semester?

Pre-test over operations involving rational numbers (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, reduction, multiplicative inverse).
o Multiplicative inverse (K 1), Algebraic operations to solve for a variable. (K 2, 8, 10, 11), Multiplying by 1. (K 3)

Formative Assessment:

Daily textbook assignments (accuracy)

Practice problems administered as a group, but worked out individually on white boards
- These will be used to address questions and misconceptions prior to beginning homework assignments.

Skill sets and modules via computer program (completion)

- These will be used to reiterate previous material and to build fact fluency.

Weekly self-assessment (of effort and competency) via exit slip on Thursdays
- Fridays will be dedicated to addressing issues referenced in Thursdays exit slips, make up work, re-teaching, etc. (mustard days).

Word problem pertaining to proportionality and scale:

Students will create a unique word problem which involves scale and/or proportionality. The problem must be presented in such a
way that it could be given to another student to solve. This problem will be assessed for understanding of proportions and students
will have revision opportunities until the problem is such that it is ready to be solved.

Summative Assessment:

Quiz

Unit test covering all content.

Small group teaching experience:

Students will be divided into groups of 3 and each student will solve the word problem which was previously created by the other
two.

Unit: Ratios, proportions, and relationships with rational numbers.

Week

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

First Day of School

KEY

* SB = smart board
* Board Work = all students
work out a problem on the
white board. They
individually solve the
problem, but are free to
collaborate.
* Individual Practice:
While seated students work
individually to solve a given
problem. After adequate
work time, teacher works
the problem on the board
and invites questions.
* Correct: Students trade
papers and correct each
others assignments.
* Patch Up: In no more than
5 minutes, address issues
from the bell ringer
problems.
Self-Assess. Exit Slip:
W/o solving the
problems, look at each
problem and rate it from
1-10 (10 meaning you
know exactly how to
solve it).
Rate your level of effort
this week from 1-10 (10
being everything you
had). Be sure to
consider your effort
during lecture, board
work, on assignments,
& during Q&A sessions.

Unit Calendar

Self introduction &

background.
Class discussion to
establish expectations.
Classroom procedure &
norms.
Syllabus walkthrough.
Explanation of SB notes
being uploaded for review.
Explanation of tutoring
times & before/after school
hours (info also included in
syllabus).

Unit Intro (SB):

Understandings
Objectives
Pre-Assess: Begin
individual interviews.
Record on interview
sheets.
Small group exploration
activity (during interviews):
Groups of 3 or 4.
Worksheet guides
students thru problems
with questions leading
from one to the next.
Q&A session over
upcoming unit.
Which understandings
confuse you?
What things do you
think you already
understand?
Which understandings
seem most difficult?

Pre-Assess: Continue
interviews (if necessary)

Correct: 3.1 homework.

Q&A over missed problems.

Pre-Assess: Administer pretest.

Evaluate results overnight to inform
assignments and speed
of progression.

Board Work: 3.1, #s 53, 55,

57

Lecture (SB): Lesson 3.1

Define rational number
Simplify (relatively
prime)
Simplest form
Decimals to fractions
Fractions to decimals

Lecture (SB): Lesson 3.2

Hand out number
lines.
Adding rational
numbers (students
practice using number
lines).
Add & subtract fractions
(like & unlike
denominators).

Practice: Lesson 3-1, 1-16

(evens)

Assign: 3.2, 2-17 & 23-38

(odd)

Assign: 3-1, 1750 ( odd)

Unit: Ratios, proportions, and relationships with rational numbers.

Lessons 3.3 - 3.6
Bell Ringer: 3.1 #s 26, 38,
& 46
Patch Up
Correct: 3.2 homework.
Q&A over homework.
First in Math: Introduce and
give an overview. Via
projector, orient students.
First in Math: Handout to
guide students in navigating
software.

Board Work: Intro 3.3

through sample problems.

Entrance Slip:
When you multiply two
numbers together, you
get a product. If your
product is negative,
what must be true of the
two numbers? What if
your product is positive?
Group discussion over
entrance slips.
Lecture (SB): Lesson 3.3
Multiplying fraction and
integer.
Multiplying fractions.
Multiplying decimals.
Reciprocals.
Reciprocals worksheet.

Correct: 3.3 homework.

Correct: 3.4 homework.

Q&A over homework.

Q&A over homework.

Lecture (SB): Lesson 3.4

Reiterate reciprocal.
Dividing fractions =
multiplication by
reciprocal.
Show problems with
division sign and as
fractions w/in fractions.
Decimal division
Using calculators & by
multiplying by 1.

Lecture (SB): Lesson 3.6

Solving equations w/
decimals.
Solving equations w/
fractions

Board Work: 2- 5 problems

to practice multiplying by 1.
Assign: 3.4, 24-47 (odd)

Board Work: Lots of

practice solving equations
w/ rational numbers.
Students who are
ready, may move on to
assign. 3.6: 14-19 & 2741 (odd).
Struggling students will
move closer together &
I will continue practice
w/ them.

Assign: 3.3, 1-32 (odd)

No assignment due Friday,
Self-Assess. Exit Slip:
Evaluate responses
from self-assessment to
inform Fridays
differentiated
instruction.

Based upon selfassessment data,

homework scores, informal
assessments during board
work, and student
preferences divide students
into groups by the following
activities:
Independent work:
Students may work on
assignment 3.6. When
finished, work in fluency
thru First in Math or
tutor other students.
Make-up work: Students
with missing or
incomplete assignments
may finish them for
partial credit. Students
w/ D or F assignments
may do a remedial
assignment to improve
their grade up to 70%.
Students who were
uncomfortable in
specific areas may work
on specified practice
problems.
Students struggling
severely will work in a
group w/ the teacher.
Assign: 3.6, 14-19 & 27-41
(odd).

Unit Calendar

Unit: Ratios, proportions, and relationships with rational numbers.

Lessons 3.7, 7.1, & 7.2
Bell Ringer: 3.3 #s 46 & 54,
3.4 #s 28 & 44, 3.5

Correct: 3.7 homework.

Q&A over homework

Patch up
Correct: 3.6 homework.
Q&A over homework.
Lecture (SB): Lesson 3.7
Solving inequalities w/
decimals.
Solving inequalities w/
fractions.
TIPS: How are inequalities
and equalities similar? How
are they different?

3
Assign: 3.7, 14-24 (odd), 45
& 46.

First in Math: Practicing

operations on rational
numbers.
Use progress on skills
modules as formative
assessment.
Reinforcement activities:
Manipulatives to
practice operations of
fractions.
Pie charts and bar
diagrams to visualize
using multiplicative
inverse.
Worksheets to practice
solving for variables
using mirrored
operations.

Lecture: Lesson 7.1

Define ratios and
equivalent ratios.
Finding equivalent
ratios by multiplying by
1.
Concept: looking for
unseen relationships.
Identifying proportions.
Individual Practice:
Problems will be word
problems involving ratios.
These will serve as practice
and models for the creation
of their own word problems.

Bell Ringer: 3.7 #s 16 & 36,

3.2 #s 28 & 40
Correct: 7.1 homework.

Quiz: Sections 3.1-3.7

~10 solution-based
problems.
3 short answer conceptbased questions.

Q&A over homework

Correct: Mid-Chapter quiz.
Lecture: Lesson 7.2
Recall definition of ratio.
Define rate (diff. units).
Define unit rate.
Relate unit rate to unit
price using business
example.
Board Work: Problems from
lesson 7.2

Quick Write: First draft of

student-created word
problems.

Assign: Chapter 3 MidChapter Quiz, 1-33 (odd)

Assign: 7.1, 9-25 (odd), 28,

& 31.

Announce quiz tomorrow

over 3.1-3.7
Self-Assess. Exit Slip:
Evaluate responses
from self-assessment to
inform Fridays
differentiated
instruction.

Small Groups: In groups of

3 students will work out
word problems centered
around rates and
proportions. Groups will
rotate problems when they
finish one.
Quick Write: Edit previous
quick write using individual
feedback given by teacher.
Based upon formative
assessments divide
students into groups by the
following activities:
Make up work or
corrections.
Small group work with
teacher.
Challenge problem
sets pertaining to
current topics.
Announce review day to be
the next day.

Unit Calendar

Unit: Ratios, proportions, and relationships with rational numbers.

Review Activities:
Stations w/ review sets
from different sections
where students may
work in groups.
Individual practice
exercises and word
problems.
Pre-solved word
problems on white
board for students to
analyze and ask
questions about.

Quick Write: Final draft of

word problem.
Assess these overnight
so that if any final
changes are necessary,
they can be made
tomorrow.
Explanation of teaching
experience:
Hand out assignment
sheet.
Hand out and talk about
rubric.
Briefly model teaching
experience with 2
students.

Unit Calendar

Last minute changes to

individual word problems (if
necessary).
Teaching Experience:
Group students by 3s.
Students will take turns
administering their word
problem.
This can take the entire
period if necessary, but
monitor closely to be
sure students are not
cutting corners.
Free Time: Students may
use the remainder of class
to review, work on First in
Math, or work on something
for another class (absolutely
zero games, YouTube,
Facebook, or phones).

Unit Test:
2 or 3 solution-based
problems from each
section covered (3.13.7, 7.1 & 7.2)
3 word problems
pertaining to ratios and
proportionality.
Quick Write: 2 questions
from the pre-unit interview:
What relationships can
you think of in
mathematic?
What is your attitude
towards assignments in
mathematics and why?
Next Unit: Very informal
introduction (if time).

Small Group Teaching Activity

In groups of three you are asked to solve each others word problems which you have been creating over the past week. Each
of you is asked to pre-teach the information that is necessary to solve your problem. The method you use needs to yield the correct
answer, however, it does not necessarily have to be a method which I explicitly taught in class.
To assess your group members understanding, each teacher will present their problem for the other members to solve. As
students, when you work out your group members problems, you need to use the method which they taught to you. If a group
member is not able to solve a problem using the method, the teacher needs to work with that person individually to develop the
understanding.
You will be assessed in a variety of ways on this assignment. Please read the attached rubric carefully so that you understand
what I am looking for in your group work and how you will be assessed.

Criteria

Command
(10 pts.)

Proficiency
(9.25 pts.)

Developing
(7.5 pts.)

Basic
(5 pts.)

Accuracy of solution method

Method yields the

correct answer in all
applicable cases.

Method yields the

correct answer in
most cases.

Method happens to
yield correct answer,
but not in most
cases.

Method does not

yield the correct
answer.

Student explanation
makes skips in
logic, but
demonstrates some
understanding.

Student explanation
is incorrect and may
or may not
demonstrate any
understanding.

Problem can be
solved with the
method. Method
may or may not be
most appropriate to
the problem.

Problem does not

test for the method
taught and/or does
not have a solution.

Student attempts to
scaffold others
learning, but a lack
of clarity or
understanding.

Student does not

address issues and/or
has no patience with
others struggles.

Explanation of/teaching with solution

method

Practice problem

Re-teaching and support

Student explains their

Student explains
method completely
method well for
using examples and particular case with
with evidence of
evidence of
understanding.
understanding.
Problem
Problem is creative
effectively and
and highlights the
appropriately
pros of using the
assesses
particular method
knowledge and
being taught.
ability to utilize the
method.
Student patiently
Student scaffolds
scaffolds others
others learning by
learning through prere-explaining the
prepared and
method.
intentional strategies.

* This assessment is worth 30 points. If no, or little, re-teaching or support is necessary, you will only be assessed over the top 3
categories. If re-teaching and support are necessary, your score on this area will replace the lowest score of the top 3 categories.