An Inclusive Lesson Plan in math
I am going to be teaching grade 7 maths, the chapter Quadrilateral. This is the lesson where the topic would be introduced. This is a class with special difficulties of language and behaviour. Hence the teaching strategies that I have chosen are ‘sheltered instruction’, ‘flexi grouping’ and ‘co-teaching’.
Rationale
This is a class with 20 students, with a diverse level of learning needs. Some of them are on an IEP and few are with special education needs. Yesterday when I told them that we will be learning about ‘Quadrilaterals’, several of them looked frightened as they could not pronounce the word. 1 of them, with ADHD, acts out when afraid and I can foresee him being difficult today.
The students need to learn about the meaning of the term Quadrilateral and then move on to its properties. This is a tough word to pronounce! If they are afraid of the word itself, I wonder how they will proceed further!
As per (The Hindu, 2012) maths is a subject classified as phobic. Hence, I have decided to start by using rhythm with pronunciation of quadrilateral and write a poem to grasp the meaning of quadrilateral. They would write it using colour pens. The purpose is to use colours and language to calm the students before moving the pure maths. It would also give a creative space for the ADHD students to express themselves and expend the energy. The language integration would give a base for language learners to approach maths as “…mathematical reasoning and problem solving are closely linked to language and rely upon a firm understanding of basic math vocabulary”, (Robertson, 2020).
“Students learn differently and have different bodily-spatial and kinaesthetic needs”, (Petlak, 2015). I believe in having a flow to the class that is flexible. Hence I am going to create collaborative groups, ensuring that each group is diverse in order to have support. However, there would be space for those who wish to work alone or with me or a special friend to not join a group. The special educator would be in the class tomorrow and she and I can help the students who do not wish to be in groups.
I am using colours, poetry and flexible grouping to ensure that as many students are included in the lesson as possible. I will face the ones who are not with the flow of the class on the spot.
Materials needed for lesson
For this lesson I would require: (a) Board and markers, (b) A pack of 24 colour pens, (c) Half of A4 size colour sheets and (d) Pins for the soft board.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson the students should be able to:
1. Tell the word Quadrilateral fluently.
2. Recall the meaning of the word Quadrilateral.
3. Create an original rhyming poem on Quadrilateral.
4. Work in flexi-groups.
Anticipatory Set/Focus
“Chanting primes the neural pathways to imprint in the present moment with a felt-sense of safety and connection to what is arising”, (Medina, 2018).
In order to set the tone and be open to learning, I would use chanting as follows:
(5 minutes)
- I will write QUA-DRI-LA-TE-RAL on the board. The dashes ‘-‘ are for a pause.
- The co-teacher and me would say it aloud emphasizing the pronunciation with clapping sound.
- The class would follow us, as a whole group, in pronouncing the word with claps.
- We would repeat this rhythmic chant in different tones till students are calm and feel ready to learn.
Description of the learning activity
First part of the lesson would see me, using the figure of quadrilateral drawn on the board, discuss the meaning of quadrilateral as 4-sided closed shape. I would ask students to locate quadrilaterals in our surroundings.
(5 minutes)
Second part would be for students to write a rhyming poem to illustrate the meaning of quadrilateral on colour paper with colour pens. This is a free flow exercise. The students can work in groups or a partner or alone.
(15 to 20 minutes)
The co-teacher would be with her small group of students to help them during both the parts. I would observe and respond spontaneously to situations that arise.
Assessment
I would read and assess each poem as it is turned in. This would be based on (a) accuracy of meaning of quadrilateral, (b) quality of poem and (c) creativity using colours. This will be a formative assessment.
(5 to 10 minutes, as it would be continuous)
Closure of lesson
This would entail handing a board pin to each student to put their poem on the soft board. Each and every student’s poem would go up on the board. They would get some time to read others’ poems and give feedback. This would also help absorb the meaning of quadrilateral deeper. (10 minutes)
Instructional principles
I have used several teaching strategies in the lesson such as (a) use of colours, (b) chanting, (c) rhythm and rhyme and (d) collaborative learning. “The way the classroom works and feels” (Olinghouse, 2008) is an important accommodation for me.
However, the main instructional principles that I have used are:
Co-teaching- For planning and execution
“Co-teaching is defined as a specific form of collaboration in which a classroom teacher and a special education teacher (or other support professional) share responsibility for planning, delivering, and evaluating instruction for a mixed group of students”, (Treahy, & Gurganus, 2010, p.3). As this class has several students on IEP and the level of diversity is large, I was happy to have her to help me plan the flexi-grouping and assist in the class.
Flexi-grouping- For writing the poem
“I’ve come to learn something: flexible seating options are lifesavers”. (Petlak, 2015) I agree. For me flexible grouping is in one word: choice. Students of grade 7, teenagers, are at a point where the space for choice is necessary. For me what is important is that the work is done with a well-managed class. Which grouping is used is not a priority. I have sufficient good relationship with the students to know that they would work in a physical space designed by them.
Sheltered instruction-Chanting and Poem writing
According to (Robertson, 2020), “…making sure that students understand math vocabulary and have ample opportunities to use it are very important”. The word in question, quadrilateral, is hard to pronounce and is a foundation for many concepts to be learnt later. Hence I focused on the language part by emphasizing the pronunciation of the word through chanting and meaning through poem writing.
I hope that I have covered it all!
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