Problem Based Enhanced Language Learning

iTeachELLs, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University

Teacher: Brittanie Campos Grade/Subject: 8th Grade, Math

Title of Experience/Topic: Functions

Problem (framing words + person + action + audience1):

Students will imagine a scenario in which they would like to travel the city, they can take a uber, a cab, or a
lyft. The three charge different rates, students job is to find which one they should call to travel to their
destination and which would be the cheapest. Students will have to be given a descritption, graph, or table
for the uber, a cab, or lyft They must identify the initial fee and the rate from each one. They will then label
which has the cheapest minimum fare, which one has the cheapest rate, which one has the most expensive
minimum fare, and which one has the most expensive rate. Then they will generate a function for each ride-
share, plugging in the number of miles of the distance of their destination, and then finding which one is the
cheapest for their destination. Then they will decide which one they should use to travel by whichever one
was cheapest.

❏ Relevant to students
❏ Addresses real-world problem
❏ Allows for multiple solutions

Time Frame: (number of sessions and length of sessions) 3 days

Content Standard(s): (must put code and verbiage)

- 8.F.B.4: Given a description of a situation, generate a function to model a linear relationship between
two quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the function from a description of a
relationship or from two (x,y) values, including reading these from a table or a graph. Track how the
values of the two quantities change together. Interpret the rate of change and initial value of a linear
function in terms of the situation it models, its graph, or its table of values.

Integrated Language Arts Standard(s):

- CCSS.ELA-LiteracyCCRA.L.6: Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-
specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and
career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when
encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.

English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standard(s):

Reading:
Standard 4: The student will analyze text for expressions, enjoyment, and response to other related content
areas.

1Buck Institute for Education (2011). Driving Question. Tubric 2.0. Retrieved from
http://www.bie.org/object/document/driving_question_tubric
 - B-3: Predicting what might happen next in a reading selection.
- B-21: Applying understanding of content area vocabulary within math, science and social studies
text.
- B-22: Folowing a set of written multi-step instructions to perform routine procedures and answer
questions.
Writing:
Standard 1: The student will express his or her thinking and ideas in a variety of writing geners:
- B-3: Taking notes using a teacher selected and student created graphic organize or cloze notes.
Standard 3: Students use the steps of the writing process as a writing piece moves toward completion.
- B-3: Using a pre-writing plan (e.g. graphic organizer, KWL chart, log) to develop a draft with main
ideas.
Speaking/Listening:
Standard 1: The student will listen actively to the ideas of others in order to acquire new knowledge.
- B-6: Following multi-step instructions/directions, procedures and processes which contain specific
academic content vocabulary.
- B-8: Responding to questions and statements in an academic discussion by using key vocabulary in
complete sentences.

❏ Assessed
❏ Not Assessed

Content Language Objective (Language Function + Content Stem + Supports2): (verbs should be in bold)
Students will be able to...
- Interpret word problems and create a graph for them
- Identify relevant and nonrelvant information, also what to find.
- Discuss with their classmates about how they found their answer.
- Predict how a function will behave given several properties of the function
- Memorize academic content vocabulary words.
Sub-Objectives: (steps to achieving main objective – verbs should be in bold)
- Categorize information into their K-N-W-S chart.
- Explain how they created a function from given variables using proper content related terms.
- Write problems and their personal experiences involving mathematics into their math journal.
Materials:
- Chromebook
- Paper
- Pencil
- Math Journal
Vocabulary taught prior to the experience Vocabulary developed during lesson:
(Background):
- Variable - Initial Value
- Parameter - Constant Rate of Change
- Independent variable - Linear Relationship
- Dependent variable
- Dx

2 World Class Instructional Design and Assessment Consortium (2012). Model Performance Indicator. Retrieved
from https://www.wida.us/downloadLibrary.aspx
 - Dy
- Slope
- Linear function

Lesson Planning Considerations:

Academic Conversation:
What language function will students have the opportunity to practice? How will this language be explicitly
taught? How will this language be applied and practiced?
They wil be practicing their reading and writing skills mostly as that is the area they need help in the most. I
will be using the vocab strategy, The Frayer model, in order to teach them the new vocab, and they will be
using previous learned vocab in their Frayer model. I will also try to provide opportunities for writing as I
would like them to write on a K-N-W-S chart as they read word problems and then write about their personal
experiences and learning process in math in their Math Journal, which is basically a response journal in
which students will describe their feelings and prior experiences as math lelarners, these journals can include
exploratory writing activities, summaries, letters, student constructed word problems, and theorem
defintions, descriptions of mathematical processes, calculations and solutions to problems, and feelings about
the course. The math journal is where he will be putting most of his notes and activities, basically, I want
him to practice writing as much as he can. So the students will be using their math journal and putting the
frayer model in it, also be writing problems and the procedures to solve them, not to mention the K-N-W-S
chart in order to identify information in that problem, and also a visual of that problem. In addition, they will
write about summaries, how they feel they could apply what they learned to the real world, and their general
feelings about today’s lesson.

Establish the Problem:

How will prior knowledge be accessed? How will the problem be introduced to students? How will students
inquire about the problem (optional planning tool attached) How are students using language (reading,
writing, listening, and/or speaking) and how are they being supported?
Prior knowledge should be accessed by first doing a review. Perhaps a warm-up, or a assessment to see how
much prior knowledge they have as well, maybe a game on vocabulary, like a kahoot or quizlet.live. The
problem will be given on a powerpoint, students will be put into groups of three. They will use a K-N-W-S
chart as they discuss with their group and write down details of the problem into their chart. In addition, for
charts, tables, and graphs, students will instead fill out a process log of how they determined the rate and
initial value. Thus supporting, reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking.

Creating the Experience:

How will students work together to develop and present solutions? How are students using language
(reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking) and how are they being supported?
Students will be working together on breaking down word problems and tables to turn them into graphs.
They will also be working together as they fill out their K-N-W-S and Process logs. So there would be
multiple discussions in how to create a graph for a given function and how to create a function from given
information. They will also be writing this all out in their math journals afterwords.

Evaluate:
When and how will you use formative and summative assessments to measure student progress and
learning (content and language)?
The formative assements I would probably use are exit and enter tickets. I would base the exit tickets off of
the given problems that students did to see if they met the objectives at the end of the day, and then use enter
tickets to promote discussions of previous knowledge. Then for a summative assessment I would have
students create a word problem of some real-world situation and then create a table, model, and a process log
and K-N-W-S chart of the problem. So that the class may work on each group’s problem. Students would
then be graded on the presentation of their problem and their completion of their classmate’s problem.
Lesson Plan Step-by-step instructions:
Engage:
How will you introduce the lesson/engage the learners to either build background knowledge and/or build
on background knowledge? *NOTE: There should be as many as or more student actions than teacher actions –
use this table to ensure students are doing more of the work to support learning
Teacher will: Student will:
Day 1: - Play Quizlet.live as a warm up
- Have students take out their chromebooks,
then have them sign onto quizlet.live.
o Then have students play a quick
round in order to activate prior
knowledge, so they will be tested on
whether or not they remember the
definitions of: Variable, Parameter,
Independent variable, Dependent
variable, Dx, Dy, linear function,
linear relationship, constant rate of
change. Then there will be a quick
re-cap of what they actually mean.

Explore:
How will students explore the problem/concepts to find a purpose for learning the content vocabulary?
Teacher will: Student will:
- Ask astudents if they ever had to save - Discuss and answer questions
money for some video game or some - Use their chromebook to find out how much a
purchase. How did they go about saving for product is.
it? - Write down their work and problem solve
- Talk about those whose strategies were to through the prompt.
save some constant amount of money - Create a graph
weekly, monthly, etc. Then talk about how
by using this method they can predict how
much money by a certain amount of time.
Consider how much money they usually get
once a week or once a month. Then multiply
it by a random number of months or weeks,
then tell them by that the product will be the
amount of money they have at that certain
number of months or weeks.
- Ask them to think about something they
want to buy, and then have them look up the
price on their chromebook. Then have them
think of how much money they will put
away in a week, in order to save for that
product. Then have them figure out how
long it will for them to have enough money
to buy the product.
 - Ask them to create a graph as well, and have
them put time as the independent variable,
and amount of money they have as the
dependent variable.
- Have them plot the random numbers they
used and the products they found onto the
graph, and then ask them to draw through
those points. They should have gotten a
straight line.
Explain:
How will students learn the key vocabulary? This is the direct instruction part of the lesson to ensure all
students have access to all the content and key vocabulary to support the understanding of the content
Teacher will: Student will:
Note: Allow students to use non-academic language - Answer questions
during the explaining process. - Takes notes on the constant rate of change.
- Ask them what a linear function is, what is a - Write notes in their math journal as they
property of linear functions? (Linear follow along with the lesson.
relationship) - Write the new terms in the form of a frayer
- Ask them what a linear function looks like? model into their math journals.
(Straight line) What does that straight line
represent? (Constant rate of change)
- Show them a example problem: You are
using your car’s control to travel 7 mph
along a flat smooth highway. What is the
meaning of 70 mph, the constant rate?
(Every additional hour means an additional
70 miles traveled)
o Prompt them:
o 2 hours? 140 miles
o 5 hours? 350 miles
o ½ hour? 35 miles
o 1/10 hour? 7 miles
o Dy = 70 Dx (The change in distance
is 70 x the change in time for any
change in time)
- Show them a program file of constant rate
of change, have them discuss at their tables
what they believe constant rate of change?
- After they are finished discussing at their
tables, have them come back as a class to
discuss.
o Give them a hint to think in terms of
dy, dx and slope. Prompt them with
visuals if needed, until you have
that: The change in y is m times the
change in x for any change in x.
- Then ask them what if the change in x is 0,
what is the change in y then? (The change in
y is zero) Since there has been no change,
 what is the value that we originally started
with when there has been no change? (Initial
Value)
- Have them write the terms, have them use
academic language for the written part,
linear relationship, constant rate of change,
initial value into their math journals in the
form of a frayer model.

Ellaborate:
How will students move the learning from short term to long term memory to ensure they KNOW the
content?
Teacher will: Student will:
Day 2:
- Give them several examples, a word - Write down the several examples in their math
problem, a table, and a graph. journals
o Word Problem: A babysitter charges - Either use a K-N-W-S chart or process log in
a flat fee of $3.00 and $8.00 per order to solve the examples and put it in their
hour. Create a graph for this math journals
situation. - Discuss with their table on how to solve the
o Table: You have $3, and you get an several word problems and examples.
allowance of $5 a week. Let t - Volunteer and answer questions.
represent the number of weeks and
m represent the amount of money
you have. Determine the rate of
change and the initial value.

t m
1 12

2 21
3 30

o Graph:
Determine the rate of change and the initial value.
- Have them in their groups discuss and
use their K-N-W-S charts/process logs
(whichever they prefer) in order to solve the
problems.
- Go over the several examples and pick out
student volunteers to solve the examples.
Evaluate:
How will you use formative and summative assessments to measure content and language objectives?
Teacher will: Student will:
- Exit and Enter Tickets. - Complete Exit Ticket
o Exit ticket will be online and it will - Write in their Math Journal a summary and
measure: ther vocab knowledge personal reflection
and whether or not they met the - Start planning for the final project.
objectives.
- Have students write a summary of today’s
notes in addition, write about their
experience with today’s lesson or a personal
reflection on today’s lesson in their Math
Journal.
- The next day in class, students will turn in
their math journal at the beginning of the
hour, Teacher will then respond to student’s
reflection during independent time and
return it back to the students.

Post teach instructions: (can be done after teaching this lesson in your classroom OR as a microteach)
Day 3:
- Explain the directions of the Problem,
- Final Project: Students will imagine a scenario in which they would like to travel the city, they can
take a uber, a cab, or a lyft. The three charge different rates, students job is to find which one they
should call to travel to their destination and which would be the cheapest. Students will have to be
given a descritption, graph, or table for the uber, a cab, or lyft. They must identify the initial fee and
the rate from each one. They will then label which has the cheapest minimum fare, which one has the
cheapest rate, which one has the most expensive minimum fare, and which one has the most
expensive rate. Then they will generate a function for each ride-share, plugging in the number of
miles of the distance of their destination, and then finding which one is the cheapest for their
destination. Then they will decide which one they should use to travel by whichever one was
cheapest.
- Students will turn in sheet when they are finished by the end of class.