Key Elements in Planning a Unit of Work Presented by Bern Long

The following are some key elements when planning a unit of work. Deciding exactly what proforma is best for your school is a school based decision. The following are only suggestions of some key elements to consider when planning a unit of work

Key elements in planning a unit of work Choose topic Look at the key ideas Look at research, what problems misconceptions might we expect to see when teaching this unit Look at VELS and National Curriculum Plan a pre-test for unit, including enabling prompts and challenging prompts Look at the pre-test. What has the pre-test told us about our students - strengths -weaknesses Plan a unit of work looking at -key concepts - key ideas, - key understandings -vocab etc Plan the lessons- keeping in mind misconceptions/likely difficulties Evaluate at the end of a unit

Choose a topic Look at National Curriculum/VELS

Topic: Fractions What are we expected to cover? Year 3 Model and represent unit fractions including 1/2, 1/4, 1/3, 1/5 and their multiples to a complete whole (ACMNA058) Year 4 Investigate equivalent fractions used in contexts (ACMNA077) Count by quarters halves and thirds, including with mixed numerals. Locate and represent these fractions on a number line (ACMNA078) Recognise that the place value system can be extended to tenths and hundredths. Make connections between fractions and decimal notation (ACMNA079)

VELS Level 3 Develop fraction notation and compare simple common fractions such as 3/4 > 2/3 using physical models. Determine the size and order of decimals to hundredths They devise and use algorithms for the addition and subtraction of numbers to two decimal places, including situations involving money. They add and subtract simple common fractions with the assistance of physical models

Read through the literature and research on Fractions E.g. Booker, Reys, Van de Establish what are some of the common misconceptions or difficulties students face when looking at fractions e.g. not dividing parts equally,relating whole number knowledge to fractional parts, 1/3 must be bigger than 1/2 because 3 is bigger than 2 Design a pre-assessment task -List possible enabling prompts -List possible challenging prompts

Analyse results from pre-assessment What do students know? What misconceptions do they already have? Am I going to need/be able to cover all the all the things mentioned in VELS/National Curriculum?

Plan unit of work: Key elements What are the key ideas in teaching fractions partitioning fraction as part-whole quantity (understanding ‘manyness’, size) equivalence definition of numerator, denominator link fractions with decimals

Key Understandings We can find a fraction of a whole or a fraction of a group of things When we divide a whole or a group of things into equal parts these parts are called the fractional parts The denominator tells me how many equal parts my whole or group is divided into The numerator tells me the number of fractional parts I have A fraction is another way of writing a division equation Fraction and decimals are found on a numberline A decimal is another way of writing a fraction

Skills What skills are you trying to develop? Can divide a whole or a group of things into fractional parts Can compare the size of fractional parts Can count by halves, quarters, fifths, tenths Can count by decimals Can use the triad for fractions and decimals Can see the relationship between decimals and fractions Can place fractions and decimals on a numberline etc…

Vocabulary What vocabulary do I need to use in this unit of work e.g. equal parts, equivalent, numerator, denominator, numberline, more than, less than, fraction wall,halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, decimal point etc

What other dimensions might I bring in? division, time, measurement

Assessment How and where will I assess? -beginning of unit -during unit -end of unit

Plan lessons I like to always include these 3 lessons in all of my units: - a couple of open-ended problems that take the whole lesson with enabling prompts and challenging prompts - worded problems that focus students attention on how we use this topic in the real world - Naplan questions on the topic N.B. I will have some open-ended questions and worded problems scattered throughout my lessons but I still include them as stand alone lessons as well, as research tells me it is the multi-step problems that cause students the most difficulties