Units of Instruction

Lines, Angles, and Quadrilaterals

Standards: CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.1 Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right,
acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.2 Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence
of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size.
Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.
In this unit we wanted the students to learn what lines, angles, and quadrilaterals were. They
needed to be able to identify, label, and give the definitions for each one of the previously
stated topics.
Our plan to teach the students came from our pre-assessment. We first determined how much
each student knew of the topic and then went from there. During the pre-assessment we found
that all of the children were about on the same level. They knew what a square was and what a
line was. We decided to first teach the children lines and angles because the characteristics of
quadrilaterals are easier to understand if you know the different types of lines and angles.

Isosceles Equilateral Acute Obtuse Scalene Right

Natasha
Sammy x x x
Robert x x x x x
Barry x x x x
Josie x x
Lina x

Quadrilateral Square Rectangle Rhombus Parallelogram Trapezoid

Natasha x x x
Sammy x x x x
Robert x x x x
Barry x x x x
Josie x x x x x x
Lina x x x x
Triangles
Standard: CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.2 Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence
or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified
size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.

In this unit we wanted the students to be able to categorize right, obtuse, acute, isosceles,
equilateral, and scalene triangles.

Our plan to teach the students came from our pre-assessment. We found that most of the
children knew what a triangle was, but they did not know the difference between the different
types. We wanted to teach this lesson after the students learned about lines and angles
because it would be much easier for them to identify the different types of triangles after
knowing what an obtuse, right, and acute angle are.
Pre-assessment
The goal of our pre-assessment was to determine how much the children knew on the following
subjects: lines, angles, quadrilaterals, triangles, and symmetry. We did not need to teach
symmetry, but we decided to do an informal test with it just in case our students knew more
and we needed extra material. We gave the pre-assessment on March 17, 2017 at 9:30am on
the stage in the library. They were given 15 minutes to complete the pre-assessment. The
students were each given a worksheet to complete, and after they complete that worksheet
they went to either Jamie or I to do an informal assessment on quadrilaterals and triangles or
symmetry. After they went to one of us they then switched and went to the other person. We
did this for the whole time, and by the time everyone was finished we had about one minute of
class left. Each student was sitting on the ground as they took the test and they were sitting
away from their peers. All of the students finished within minutes of each other and there was
not much sitting around.
I feel like our test was pretty reliable and valid, but it could have been more so. I don’t feel like
our worksheet assessed everything that it needed too, and I had a lot of students ask me
questions about what they were supposed to do, so some questions were unclear. I did notice
that, even though they were sitting away from each other, there was some cheating going on
and that definitely reduces the validity of the test because we aren’t getting each individual
students knowledge. I noticed that many of the students who got questions wrong on the test,
go the answers right during the informal group observations with either Jamie or I. I think the
reason for this is because the wording of the test was poor. I don’t think the test was biased.
We scored each student the same, and there were no questions on there that would
discriminate between race or gender.
 Pre-assessment Reflection
I felt like the Pre-assessment went well. I was incredibly lucky because all of the
students in my group seemed to be about on the same level. We decided to do several different
things for our pre-assessment. First, we gave them a worksheet to do that had to do with
shapes, lines, and angles. Then, when the students were done, they would come to either me
or Jamie to do a little bit of individual/group work. I had the students sorting shapes and Jamie
had the students working on symmetry. We didn’t tell them if they got the answers right or
wrong, but instead just watched them to see how they did. One thing I do wish we had done
better was assess their knowledge of angles more. We had a few questions that implied
knowledge of angles, but nothing that directly showed whether or not they knew it. We also
could have done a better job at writing the instructions on the worksheet. I thought they were
clear, but I got a lot of questions about what to do, so they were obviously not as clear as I
thought. We could see during the pre-assessment which students were really good friends and
who talked a lot so that’s what determined which groups we put the students in. It seemed like
Sadie, Amelia, and Natasha were really good friends because they all sat together and helped
each other on the pre-assessment worksheet. We split them into two separate groups. We also
saw that Barry and Tristan seemed to cause a lot of trouble when they were together so we
made sure to put them in two separate groups as well. After I got the pre-assessment back I
noticed that Barry and Robert did not answer any of the questions, but during the shape
matching they seemed to know some of their shapes. This made me think that they did not try
during the assessment.

 Shape matching
o Barry knew what a square and rectangle were.
o Sammy knew what a square and rectangle were.
o Natasha knew what a square and rectangle were.
o Robert knew what a square and rectangle were.
o Josie knew what a square and rectangle were.
o Lina knew what a square and rectangle were.
 Symmetry
o All of the students knew what it meant to have something be symmetrical, but
they struggled identifying symmetrical objects, and the lines of symmetry on an
object.
 Lesson 1 Lines, Angles, and Quadrilaterals
This lesson was a really great learning experience. It was a little rough. For our
anticipatory set the children were supposed to get in a circle and pass the yarn around. Then
we were going to lay the yarn down and look at the shapes and angles that we had made.
During the activity the children, specifically two, were messing around and not paying
attention. Because of this the activity took about 25 minutes instead of 5-7. This really put us
behind on all of our other activities. I think the reason for this was because we did not set
expectations for the activity in the beginning. My co-teacher was in charge of the anticipatory
set and we did not collaborate very well on what my responsibilities were, so I just watched as
the activity fell apart. I interjected a few times when it got to crazy, but I didn’t want to take
over her activity. I definitely should have discussed my responsibilities with her beforehand.
When we split into our groups I taught quadrilaterals, and Jamie taught lines and angles. My
activity went well. The only thing I would change, and did change for the next group, was cut
out their flip charts and write the definitions on them. I had my group create their own flip
charts and I had them write down all of the definitions and draw the quadrilaterals. This took
up way too much time as well. The students didn’t really have an opportunity to learn the
things they needed too. Time ran out before we could really talk about the quadrilaterals. The
next day, instead of going on to the triangles lesson we needed to finish up Lesson 1. I had 5
minutes with my first group of students. We finished writing and drawing our quadrilaterals and
then we discussed them. At the end I gave each student a quadrilateral and had them explain to
their peers the name of the quadrilateral and its properties. This went well. When we switched
groups I gave the new group premade flip charts. I had all of the quadrilaterals on the ground. I
would hold one up and say, “Look at the definitions on the flip chart and tell me what the name
of this quadrilateral is.” Once they found out which type of quadrilateral it was they would then
draw the quadrilateral on their flip chart. This went so much better and this group learned a lot
more than the first group. I noticed that the students tended to just memorize the shape and
the name instead of the properties of the shape, so I made sure to make them each tell me the
properties so that they will remember better. After we finished our groups we decided to just
move onto the Triangles lesson instead of giving the post assessments. We will be giving the
post assessments for lesson 1 and lesson 2 on Monday before we start symmetry. It will be a
good review for them.

 Informal observation assessments: **All of the students who struggled with the
difference between a parallelogram and rhombus could identify them correctly, but
could not tell me what the difference was between each one.
o Lina was gone on the second day, so I was not able to observe her knowledge of
quadrilaterals, lines, and angles.
o When I held up each quadrilateral Barry was able to name correctly which shape
was which. Barry knew the different angles and lines.
o Sammy knew which shapes were which, but struggled with the difference
between a parallelogram and a rhombus. Sammy knew the different angles and
lines.
o Natasha distinguished between all of the shapes, but struggled with the
difference between a parallelogram and rhombus. Natasha knew the different
angles and lines.
o Robert struggled with the difference between a parallelogram and rhombus.
Robert knew the different angles and lines.
o Josie struggled with the difference between a parallelogram and rhombus. Josie
knew the different angles and lines.
 Lesson 2 Triangles
We began this lesson with ten minutes left on the second day of teaching, so we were only able
to partway finish folding our paper airplanes. The students behaved really well for this part of
the lesson though! I was in charge of showing them how to fold their airplanes and I think I set
some good expectations. I printed off extra worksheets and let them know that if anyone
messed around they would all have to give me their paper airplanes and then we would just
work on worksheets for the rest of the time. I let them know exactly what kind of behavior was
and was not allowed. They were not to throw their paper airplanes until I told them too, and
they needed to stay quiet so that everyone could hear. The paper airplane we were making was
a little complex, so the students might not turn out so well when we finish on Monday, but I
have two example paper airplanes already made so when we deconstruct our airplanes to find
triangles in our separate groups Jamie and I will have airplanes that the students can look at.
On Monday we finished up the triangles lesson. The student’s airplanes took a little longer than
I expected it to take. If I were to have them make the airplanes again I would have them watch
the video instead of me. We would watch the video one time through without starting on the
paper airplanes, and then we would watch it again, pausing the video after each step. Once
they threw their airplanes one time we put them into their regular groups and began to
deconstruct the airplanes. This was a very beneficial and hands on experience for all of the
students. I noticed that they were very excited to see what kind of triangles the paper airplane
had in it. Since their airplanes did not look like the example I just had them find a triangle on
their airplane and then explain to the group what kind of triangle they had. I had them draw the
triangles on the flip charts I made for them, but it was difficult for them to draw the triangles
correctly. Even though their triangles weren’t perfect I still feel as though it was beneficial for
them to draw the triangles themselves. If any of them were too off base I had them redraw the
triangle. During this lesson I knew that Barry and Robert would really want to throw their paper
airplanes throughout the whole lesson so I made sure they were not sitting by each other
otherwise they would just feed off of each other’s energy. I also knew that Barry struggled
paying attention in groups, so I had him sit right next to me so that I could give him individual
instruction when needed. There were a few times I just had to clarify a few definitions to him
specifically. He behaved a lot better when he was sitting next to me.

 Informal observations: All students were confused about the difference between an
acute and obtuse triangle because obtuse triangles have acute angles.
o Lina seemed to know equilateral, isosceles, and scalene triangles with accuracy
by the end of the second part of the triangle lesson.
o When I asked for the characteristics of a scalene triangle Barry was able to give
me the correct answer without looking at his flip chart.
o Sammy knew that an obtuse angle was a fat angle and that an acute angle was a
small angle, but she didn’t quite grasp what these angles looked like in a triangle.
 o Natasha distinguished between all of the triangles based on the length of their
sides, but had difficulty classifying them based on their angles.
o Robert struggled with the difference between obtuse and acute angles in
triangles.
o Josie knew most of the triangles except for obtuse and acute.

We did not do the symmetry lesson. That lesson was created in case we taught our students all
of the information on lines, angles, quadrilaterals, and triangles. This was not the case so we
took that lesson out.
We were able to give the lesson assessment worksheets, for both quadrilaterals and triangles,
out to the students on Monday at the end of the triangle lesson. Most students finished on
time, but a few were not able to finish. If I were to do this again I would give them more time to
finish the worksheets. When I looked through my groups worksheets I realized that they did not
understand the difference between obtuse and acute angles, and they still struggled
recognizing the difference between parallelograms and trapezoids. I really wish that we had
been able to get through each lesson on its intended day so that we could have looked at the
lesson assessment data. I feel like that would have allowed us to differentiate our lessons
better. In any case, I learned from the end of lesson worksheets that my students need a
review.
 Post-Assessment
The goal of our post assessment was to determine how much the children knew on the
following subjects: lines, angles, quadrilaterals, triangles, and symmetry. We did not need to
teach symmetry, but we decided to do an informal test with it just in case our students knew
more and we needed extra material. We gave the post assessment on March 29, 2017 at
9:35am on the stage in the library. They were given 10 minutes to complete the post
assessment. The students were each given a worksheet to complete. This worksheet was the
same as the pre-assessment worksheet. Every student was able to complete the assessment
with one minute to spare, so I feel like the time was adequate.
I feel like our post assessment’s reliability and validity were the same as the pre-assessment.
The only thing we changed was the informal observation part. We took that out because we
only used that in the beginning to really get a deeper feel for how much the students knew so
that we could teach them better. The observations asked the same questions as the
assessment, only in a more hands on way, and the students could speak to us and their peers.
We also didn’t need to do symmetry because we did not teach them symmetry. I noticed that
on the post assessment there was a question about polygons and we did not teach about
polygons in any of our lessons. This reduces the validity of the test because it’s not testing
exactly what we taught. However, I feel like our post assessment was reliable because it was
the same test as the pre-assessment.

Isosceles Equilateral Acute Obtuse Scalene Right

Natasha x x x x
Sammy x x x x
Robert x x x x x
Barry x x x x x x
Josie x x x x x
Lina x x

Quadrilateral Square Rectangle Rhombus Parallelogram Trapezoid

Natasha x x x x x
Sammy x x x x x
Robert x x x x
Barry x x x x x
Josie x x x x x x
Lina x x x x
 Post-Assessment Reflection
On Wednesday, the day we were to do a post assessment, I gave a short lesson to the whole
group on triangles and angles, and then Jamie gave a short lesson on parallelograms, rhombi,
and trapezoids. We then made three separate areas. One where students could take the post-
assessment, one where they could study quadrilaterals, and one where they could study
triangles and angles. If students felt like they were ready to take the post assessment they went
to the post assessment area and took their test. When they were done they sat at their table
and quietly made new paper airplanes and found the triangles in those. The students who
needed help understanding quadrilaterals when to Jamie for additional instruction, and the
students who needed help with triangles and angles came to me for additional instruction. I felt
like this was really helpful for the students who couldn’t quite grasp certain concepts and
needed more individualized instruction. It also gave them an opportunity to ask more in depth
questions and voice concerns. When there were about ten minutes left of the day Jamie and I
shut down our stations and sent everyone to complete the post assessment. The only thing I
regret about how we did our review is that we allowed the students to make their own choice
on whether or not they were ready to take the post assessment. There were two students who
chose not to continue to study with Jamie or I, and I knew that they needed extra help. I wish
that I would have quietly pulled them aside and given them additional instruction. On the post
assessment there was a picture of a parallelogram that was so small it was easily mistaken for a
rhombus. Many students who had correctly identified the difference between a parallelogram
and a rhombus got that question wrong, and I’m sure it’s because it was too small. It was hard
even for me to tell if it was a parallelogram or a rhombus. At the very least I wish I had given
them a ruler so that they could measure the sides, or simply made the picture larger.
 Overall Reflection
The unit I was given to teach was “Lines, angles, and quadrilaterals” and “Triangles.” In this unit
I was to help the students identify the different types of lines: line, line segment, ray,
perpendicular, parallel, and intersecting. They needed to be able to identify the different types
of quadrilaterals and define what a quadrilateral is. They also needed to be able to classify
triangles based on their lines and angles. We decided to teach lines, angles, and quadrilaterals
first because they seemed to know those better than triangles. We especially wanted to teach
them lines and angles before triangles because knowledge of those would really help them be
able to identify and classify triangles.
From this unit I learned that using assessment data to drive your instruction is really important.
I have always had this idea in my head that we need to teach to the test, and that has been
really hard for me to get over. This class really helped though. Making the graphs and seeing
what the students know and don’t know really help your lessons to write themselves. I think
that one of the reasons we saw growth in our students is because we took the time to assess
them first. However, since many of the students performed the same it was hard to know how
to differentiate for each student. The only thing we really knew about them was their behavior,
so we provided differentiation to help their behavior, but not so much their academics. By the
end of our teaching I had a much better idea of how I would differentiate for my students, but
it was too late to implement it. I wish that I had more time with them! One thing I always
struggle with is behavior management. I like to have fun with the students and sometimes they
take advantage of that and misbehave. I had to do some serious work to get them to know that
when it’s time to work I mean business and that took up some instruction time that could have
been used to help the students understand more.
I learned from this experience that you cannot teach 4th graders like toddlers. I am in the
toddler labs right now and it was a hard switch to make. You have to get the students attention
right from the very beginning or you lose them. In our first lesson we had some behavior
problems during the anticipatory set, and that really set the tone for the rest of the day. They
were the most rowdy that day and they didn’t seem to want to learn even after we got control
of the situation. That first lesson was a real learning experience, and when I realized that you
have to treat 4th graders like 4th graders, and that you have to expect that they are going to
walk all over you if you let them. I also took up way too much time that day with the
quadrilateral flip charts. I had the students make them completely and that was a waste of
instruction time. The next day I had the charts premade and only had the students fill in a few
parts of it. This allowed me to have more time to actually teach! During the second lesson I
really set the tone for behavior early on. I let them know exactly what was expected of them
and the consequences of not following my expectations. I stated them in a clear way that was
easy to understand. This was really helpful. During the second lesson I had the students make
paper airplanes and then we found the triangles in the airplanes. I loved watching the students
open up their airplanes and find triangles. They would get so excited, and then they would look
in their flipcharts (ones that I premade) to find out what kind of triangle they had found. I think
this was a great hands on experience and it went very well. I love to do hands on experiences
whenever possible because I feel like students learn the best that way.
Like I stated previously, one of my biggest challenges is maintaining proper behavior. I have to
find a way to be the really fun teacher, but also not have the students walk all over me. I don’t
think I’ve quite found it yet. I tend to be super strict and not fun, or really fun and the students
don’t learn anything. This was a good experience to try and find that balance. I felt like I
succeeded in finding it for a little bit during the second lesson when I had a fun activity, but set
clear expectations. Now to continue doing that in all of my lessons! Another challenge was
getting students to pay attention. Most of my students did really well except for one. He really
struggled. I had to keep an eye on him the whole time to make sure he wasn’t eating his paper,
throwing pencils in the air, or drawing in his notebook. I noticed that when he sat next to me he
didn’t misbehave as often, and that he liked answering questions. Keeping him engaged was a
real success for me because it was difficult. I would ask him questions all the time and make
sure he was always a part of the conversation. This helped him to focus a lot better. One thing I
struggled with was differentiating instruction based on academic needs. I feel like I could have
done this better if we were able to keep our lessons within the 45 minute time limit. Since we
didn’t I wasn’t able to collect my data from the end of lesson assignments until it was too late. I
need to work on time management. I am definitely going to use the things I learned from this
experience in my senior practicum. I am going to set clear expectations so that the children
know exactly what they need to be doing. I am going to make sure that lessons are hands on
and interesting whenever I possibly can. I’m going to manage my time better so that I can give
effective lessons and know how to differentiate for my students.
As a person I have learned that I tend to procrastinate my homework and projects. I like to wait
until the last minute to do things, and this causes me a lot of stress. If I managed my time better
I would be able to complete assignments early and cut down on my stress level. I also learned
that I’m a pretty easy going person. We have had a lot of group work this semester and I tend
to take a back seat and let other people take charge. This is not always a good thing. I have
good ideas, and sometimes the people taking charge have bad ideas. I need to learn to speak
up for myself and let my ideas be heard. I really like working by myself instead of in a group, but
I realize that I will be working in groups for the rest of my life, so I need to get used to it.
Another thing I realized is that I am kind. I think that’s one of the reasons I take a back seat in
group work is because I don’t want to be rude or overbearing. I really care about people’s
feelings and I don’t want anyone to be upset with me. This translates over to me teaching. I
love all of my students so much, even if I’ve only known them for one day. I want them all to do
well and I want them to feel loved. I think I need to work a little on giving tough love because
sometimes that’s what students need in order to improve. I need to realize that being kind is
not always giving people what they want. That’s probably going to be the hardest thing for me
to learn how to do. I learned this semester that I love teaching. I love hanging out with children
and helping them learn and grow. It amazes me that I can be such an influence in someone’s
life, and that really motivates me to do better and be better.
I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to teach at the Lincoln Elementary school this
semester. It taught me a lot about who I am as a teacher, and what I need to improve on to
become a better teacher. There was a lot that went wrong while I was teaching, but I took
those experiences and used them to make myself a better teacher. I realize that, while I have a
lot to work on, I also have a lot to admire in myself. Thank you.