Lesson Plan – “What’s Below Zero?” (Two Days)
Key Content:
· exploring negative numbers
· representing positive and negative integers on a number line
· using a calculator to explore negative numbers
· exploring positive and negative numbers with temperature
· using the internet to gather weather data
Materials:
· scissors, tape, large number line, large thermometer, computers with internet access
Procedures:
Discuss temperature and temperature change with the students. Show temperature charts from the newspaper, and have students calculate change between two temperatures that are above zero. Demonstrate on the whiteboard/overhead.
Introduce the “What’s Below Zero” pages in the student guide. Read and discuss with the students. Have students record the definitions for negative numbers and positive numbers in their math folders.
Have students remove number line pages from their Discovery Assignment Books. Allow time to cut out and assemble their number lines. Use the number line to solve the problems on page 88-89.
*Discuss how we have to go 5 to the right just to get to zero, and then add on the rest of the degrees. *
Distribute calculators and use overhead calculator to do page 90 with the students. Use a “human number line” to demonstrate the answer to problem #5.
Part Two (in the morning during normal math time)
Introduce the “Temperatures Around the World” sheets to the students. Working in groups, have the students first predict which site will be the warmest, down to the coldest. Next, have them predict an actual temperature for each site. Students may use the world map if necessary.
Next, students will log onto www.weather.com. They are to find the current temperatures for the locations listed by entering the location in the highlighted box on the main page.
After recording the temperatures and time of day, the students will use number lines and calculators to find the difference in the temperatures predicted vs. actual temperatures.
Challenge: Students can use calculators and the following formula to convert the Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures.
C to °F
Multiply by 9, then divide by 5, then add 32
°F to °C
Deduct 32, then multiply by 5, then divide by 9
Afternoon – during Science time
Students will rejoin their groups and once again log on and record temperatures. They will calculate the difference in the morning and afternoon temperatures.
When all the data has been recorded, brainstorm as a class ways that we could graph the data. Have each group create a graph to share with the class. Discuss. Relate to variables unit and controlled experiments.
Focus:
This lesson was created out of a lesson in our math curriculum, Math Trailblazers. The key content of the lesson was for students to explore negative numbers, and using the internet to explore temperatures was the perfect “real world” application for this concept.
Procedures: I followed the procedures as outlined in the above lesson plan.
Benefits:
One of the benefits of this lesson was using a meaningful application (weather) to teach the concept of negative numbers. The students were excited about the prospect of using the internet to search for temperatures, and also to use their knowledge of the world to predict temperatures. This kept them engaged with the material, and helped keep them on task.
Challenges:
One of the challenges was that the children had to take turns using the internet, and they wanted to search for more data than what was on the assignment sheet. Because of time constraints, I was unable to allow them this luxury. In addition, students engaged in some heated discussion about the predicted temperatures, which caused them to get behind. I had originally designed this lesson to integrate student learning about the continents, but discovered that it was difficult to find locations with negative numbers using this website.
Use of Technology to Support Teaching and Learning:
Using the internet for this lesson helped me in the instructional phase, because giving students random numbers to compare (even when well presented in data tables) does not have the same impact as them gathering meaningful data and drawing a comparison themselves. Student learning was greatly impacted because they were invested in the outcome of the data for multiple reasons: 1.) to confirm their predictions, 2.) to complete the assignment (get a good grade), and 3.) to compare their data with other groups.
Teaching This Lesson In The Future:
When I teach this lesson again, I will reserve the computer lab for part two so that each student has the opportunity to collect all of the data on their own. I feel this will enhance student learning because each student will have full responsibility for researching and recording the temperatures, doing the calculations, and creating his/her own graph. I would also let students explore weather information at www.wx-now.com, which has links to maps that allow you to scroll with the mouse for a close up view all the way to satellite image. This site also gives listings of locations with temperatures in negative numbers, so it would be more appropriate for this lesson. I would like to explore having the students chart their data in a spreadsheet using Excel, and then printing a variety of graphs to discover which type of graph best represents the data. This will reinforce learning from prior units as well
Key Content:
· exploring negative numbers
· representing positive and negative integers on a number line
· using a calculator to explore negative numbers
· exploring positive and negative numbers with temperature
· using the internet to gather weather data
Materials:
· scissors, tape, large number line, large thermometer, computers with internet access
Procedures:
Discuss temperature and temperature change with the students. Show temperature charts from the newspaper, and have students calculate change between two temperatures that are above zero. Demonstrate on the whiteboard/overhead.
Introduce the “What’s Below Zero” pages in the student guide. Read and discuss with the students. Have students record the definitions for negative numbers and positive numbers in their math folders.
Have students remove number line pages from their Discovery Assignment Books. Allow time to cut out and assemble their number lines. Use the number line to solve the problems on page 88-89.
*Discuss how we have to go 5 to the right just to get to zero, and then add on the rest of the degrees. *
Distribute calculators and use overhead calculator to do page 90 with the students. Use a “human number line” to demonstrate the answer to problem #5.
Part Two (in the morning during normal math time)
Introduce the “Temperatures Around the World” sheets to the students. Working in groups, have the students first predict which site will be the warmest, down to the coldest. Next, have them predict an actual temperature for each site. Students may use the world map if necessary.
Next, students will log onto www.weather.com. They are to find the current temperatures for the locations listed by entering the location in the highlighted box on the main page.
After recording the temperatures and time of day, the students will use number lines and calculators to find the difference in the temperatures predicted vs. actual temperatures.
Challenge: Students can use calculators and the following formula to convert the Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures.
C to °F
Multiply by 9, then divide by 5, then add 32
°F to °C
Deduct 32, then multiply by 5, then divide by 9
Afternoon – during Science time
Students will rejoin their groups and once again log on and record temperatures. They will calculate the difference in the morning and afternoon temperatures.
When all the data has been recorded, brainstorm as a class ways that we could graph the data. Have each group create a graph to share with the class. Discuss. Relate to variables unit and controlled experiments.
Focus:
This lesson was created out of a lesson in our math curriculum, Math Trailblazers. The key content of the lesson was for students to explore negative numbers, and using the internet to explore temperatures was the perfect “real world” application for this concept.
Procedures: I followed the procedures as outlined in the above lesson plan.
Benefits:
One of the benefits of this lesson was using a meaningful application (weather) to teach the concept of negative numbers. The students were excited about the prospect of using the internet to search for temperatures, and also to use their knowledge of the world to predict temperatures. This kept them engaged with the material, and helped keep them on task.
Challenges:
One of the challenges was that the children had to take turns using the internet, and they wanted to search for more data than what was on the assignment sheet. Because of time constraints, I was unable to allow them this luxury. In addition, students engaged in some heated discussion about the predicted temperatures, which caused them to get behind. I had originally designed this lesson to integrate student learning about the continents, but discovered that it was difficult to find locations with negative numbers using this website.
Use of Technology to Support Teaching and Learning:
Using the internet for this lesson helped me in the instructional phase, because giving students random numbers to compare (even when well presented in data tables) does not have the same impact as them gathering meaningful data and drawing a comparison themselves. Student learning was greatly impacted because they were invested in the outcome of the data for multiple reasons: 1.) to confirm their predictions, 2.) to complete the assignment (get a good grade), and 3.) to compare their data with other groups.
Teaching This Lesson In The Future:
When I teach this lesson again, I will reserve the computer lab for part two so that each student has the opportunity to collect all of the data on their own. I feel this will enhance student learning because each student will have full responsibility for researching and recording the temperatures, doing the calculations, and creating his/her own graph. I would also let students explore weather information at www.wx-now.com, which has links to maps that allow you to scroll with the mouse for a close up view all the way to satellite image. This site also gives listings of locations with temperatures in negative numbers, so it would be more appropriate for this lesson. I would like to explore having the students chart their data in a spreadsheet using Excel, and then printing a variety of graphs to discover which type of graph best represents the data. This will reinforce learning from prior units as well