CURRINS-332-001 Teaching of Mathematics: Middle School ... · Teaching of Mathematics: Middle School ... Department of Curriculum and Instruction ... Elementary and Middle School

Teaching of Mathematics: Middle School (Currins-332-001 Spring 2015) 1

CURRINS-332-001 Teaching of Mathematics: Middle School Department of Curriculum and Instruction

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Course Syllabus

Spring 2015 Tuesdays 12:30-3:10

Enderis 384

Instructor: Shelli Daigle Office location: Enderis 329

Phone: (414)229-4530 (office) Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:15-4:15 E-mail: [email protected] and by appointment

Course Description: Methods and curriculum for teaching mathematics in grades 1-6. Emphasis on whole numbers,

computing devices, fractions/decimals, geometry, measurement, statistics, and problem-solving.|Prereq: jr st; admis

to SOE; CurrIns 306(P) & Math 176(P) with grade C or better; or cons instr

Course Objectives

Students will:

1. Analyze the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics for grades 5-8 in order to develop knowledge of children’s natural progression in mathematical development.

2. Demonstrate understanding of student engagement and problem solving approaches to teaching mathematics with middle level students.

3. Describe and illustrate pedagogical content knowledge for development of operations, rational numbers, data analysis, and proportional reasoning.

4. Demonstrate the ability to use varied instructional methods in order to build mastery and automaticity in identified skills and knowledge in a variety of learners.

5. Summarize and discuss the philosophy, development, structure, components, approaches, and mathematics in middle grades instruction materials.

6. Select, plan, adapt, implement, and evaluate instructional activities and lessons with middle level students that emphasize mathematical problem solving, reasoning, and communication as a basis for the development of mathematical content knowledge, reasoning, and skills.

7. Reflect on and evaluate one’s own beliefs, conceptions, strengths, and weaknesses regarding mathematics and the teaching of mathematics.

mailto:[email protected]


Required Course Materials Van de Walle, J. (2013). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. Eighth Edition.

MA: Pearson Education. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, pgs. 1-8 and pgs. 33-56. Bring either a hard copy or

electronic version with you to all class sessions. This document is accessible via D2L or at

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdf. Common Core Progression Documents: Note—If printing, see specific pages needed for each document.

o 3-5 Progression on Fractions (Print all) o 6-7 Progression on Ratios and Proportional Relationships (Print pages 2-4 only) o 6-8 Progression on The Number System (Print pages 5-15 only)

Bring either a hard copy or electronic version with you to all class sessions. This document is accessible via D2L or at http://ime.math.arizona.edu/progressions/.

Selected articles, handouts, videos, and websites. You must download articles and handouts from D2L and/or from specific web sites (links will be provided via e-mail or in-class). The list of articles is detailed below.

Reference List of Required Course Readings

Please note: Additional readings may be assigned during the semester as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

Clark, D. M., Roche, A., & Mitchell, A. (2008). 10 tips for making fractions come alive and make sense. Mathematics Teaching in the

Middle School, 13(7), 372-380.

Dixon, J. K., & Tobias, J. M. (2013). The whole story: Understanding fraction computation. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School,

19(3), 156-163.

Gregg, J., & Underwood Gregg, D. (2007). Measurement and fair-sharing models for dividing fractions. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle

School, 12(9), 490-496.

Howse, T.D. & Howse, M.E. (2014). Linking the Van Hiele theory to instruction. Teaching Children Mathematics, 21(5), 304-313.

Langrall, C. W., & Swafford, J. (2000). Three balloons for two dollars: Developing proportional reasoning. Mathematics Teaching in the


Little, C., Hauser, S., & Corbishley, J. (2009). Constructing complexity for differentiated learning. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle

School. 15(1), 35-42.

Lovin, L., Kyger, M., & Allsopp, D. (2004). Differentiation for special needs learners. Teaching Children Mathematics. 158-167.

Newton, K. J., & Sands, J. (2012). Why don't we just divide across?. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 17(6), 340-345.

Petit, M. M., Laird, R., & Marsden, E. (2010). They "get" fractions as pies; now what?. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 16(1),

5-10.

Pierce, R., & Adams, C. (2005). Using tiered lessons in mathematics. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 11(3), 144-149.

Scaptura, C., Suh, J., & Mahaffey, G. (2007). Masterpieces to mathematics: Using art to teach fraction, decimal, and percent equivalents.

Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 13(1), 24-28.

Siegler, R., Carpenter, T., Fennell, F., Geary, D., Lewis, J., Okamoto, Y., Thompson, L., & Wray, J. (2010). Developing effective fractions

instruction for kindergarten through 8th grade: A practice guide (NCEE #2010-4039). Washington, DC: National Center for Education

Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from whatworks.ed.gov/

publications/practiceguides.

Sims, L. (2008). Look who's talking: Differences in math talk in u.s. and chinese classrooms. Teaching Children Mathematics, 120-124.

Suh, J. M., Johnston, C., Jamieson, S., & Mills, M. (2008). Promoting decimal number sense and representational fluency. Mathematics

Teaching in the Middle School, 14(1), 44-50.

Sullivan, P., & Lilburn, P. (2002). Good questions for math teaching: Why ask them and what to ask. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions

Publications.

Thompson, C. S., & Bush, W. (2003). Improving middle school teachers' reasoning of proportional reasoning. Mathematics Teaching in the


Wu, Z. (2001). Multiplying fractions. Teaching Children Mathematics, 174-177.

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdf

http://ime.math.arizona.edu/progressions/


University Policies and Procedures http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/SyllabusLinks.pdf

1. Students with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of this

course, please schedule an appointment with the instructor by the second week of class. Verification of disability, class standards, the policy on the use of alternate materials and test accommodations can be found at

the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/sac/SACltr.pdf

2. Religious observances. Policies regarding accommodations for absences due to religious observance are found

at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S1.5.htm

3. Students called to active military duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of reserves to active

military duty are found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/current_students/military_call_up.cfm

4. Incompletes. The conditions for awarding an incomplete to graduate and undergraduate students can be found

at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S31.pdf

5. Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment). Definitions of discrimination, harassment, abuse of power, and the reporting requirements of discriminatory conduct are found at the following:

http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S47.pdf

6. Academic misconduct. The university has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. Policies for addressing students cheating on exams or

plagiarism can be found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm

7. Complaint procedures. Students may direct complaints to the department chair in which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be directed to the department chair in which the complaint occurred or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy. See

http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S49.7.htm for more information.

8. Grade appeal procedures. Procedures for student grade appeal appear at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S28.htm

9. Final examination policy. Policies regarding final examinations can be found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S22.htm

http://www4.uwm.edu/current_students/military_call_up.cfm

http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S49.7.htm


Policies, Procedures, and Requirements Specific to This Class

This is a highly participatory class. A demonstration of productive, supportive, and professional interactions, in both large and small cooperative groups, is important to your learning and success in this course. General Course Expectations: As a developing teacher of mathematics, you are expected to:

• Conduct yourself in a professional and collaborative manner during each class session. This includes not texting or using social media while the class is in session.

• Be well-prepared for each class session by completing all assigned readings and tasks prior to each class.

• Use your assigned UWM email account regularly for course information and instructor communication.

Communicate with your instructor in a proactive and timely manner about any issues that arise in the field that may impact the quality of your assignments.

Devote numerous hours to professional reading (assigned readings) to establish a knowledge base for teaching mathematics.

ATTENDANCE: Attendance is required and includes being on time for every class and staying for the entire class. Late arrivals or early departures will negatively impact the class attendance component of your grade (see page 5 of this syllabus). More than three absences will require a meeting with the instructor. It is necessary to contact the instructor by email prior to class if you are unable to attend. Absences will only be considered “excused” (e.g., medical, emergency, illness, death, etc.) if written documentation is provided. Points will not be lost for absences with written documentation. Emails do not count as written documentation of your absence.

If you are absent, make arrangements with a class member to collect handouts and to share notes. Each assignment is due on the designated due date at the designated time, even if you are absent (excused or unexcused). You are responsible for in-class work and readings when you are absent. You have 1 week to complete any in-class work (e.g. in-class journal), and all assignments must be posted to the “absent work” dropbox on D2L within that 1 week to receive credit. Any assignment not completed within that window will earn 0 points.

ASSIGNMENTS: All assignments should be word processed unless otherwise stated in the syllabus or in class. Each assignment should be presented in a neat, organized, and clear manner. The body of all papers should be typed using Times New Roman 12 or Calibri 12 and double-spaced. Keep a copy (hard copy or electronic copy) of assignments for your record keeping purposes in case questions or discrepancies arise. All assignments are due on the designated due date whether or not you attend class. See the schedule of assignments at the end of this document for specific due dates and times. All late assignments MUST be posted on D2L in the “late assignments” dropbox to document when it was submitted. For late assignments, the grade or assigned points/percentage will be lowered for each day that the assignment is late (not to exceed 5% of overall grade per day late). Hard copies of late assignments will not be accepted. No extra credit assignments will be granted or re-write of assignments allowed.


CURRINS 332 Course Requirements

COURSE WORKLOAD: This is a three-credit course, so the expected time commitment from students is approximately 144 hours. Although the exact breakdown will vary by student and by week, my expectation is that students will spend approximately 25% of that time in class, 35% of the time reading and reviewing course material, and 40% of the time working on lesson plans and other class assignments. Please note that this workload is an estimate and you are assessed on your performance and not on the time put into the course. FINAL GRADE COMPONENTS The following components and weights will be used in determining your grade for this course. Please carefully read the detailed description of each grade component below. Graded Component Percent of Grade Class Attendance 15 In-Class Tasks 15 Homework Assignments 15 Midterm Exam 10 Final Exam 15 Preparing and Presenting a Micro-lesson in Class 10 Instructional Unit Project 20 Grades will be assigned on the following scale: A 93-100 B- 80-82 D+ 67-69 A- 90-92 C+ 77-79 D 63-66 B+ 87-89 C 73-76 D- 60-62 B 83-86 C- 70-72 F 0-59 Class Attendance (15%) Attendance is vital to achieving the goals of this course. You are expected to attend all class sessions and are expected to arrive on time and stay the entire class session. If you do miss a class for any reason, an email prior to class is expected. Excused absences must be documented through written verification, such as a note from a doctor’s office or an obituary/funeral program. Verbal or email excuses for absences are not documented and thus will not be considered. You may earn up to 10 attendance points for each class. Arrive on time and stay for entire class = 10 points Arrive late or leave early = 7 points Unexcused absence with email sent prior to class = 3 points Unexcused absence with no email sent prior to class = 0 points Excused absence (documentation required) with email sent prior to class = 10 points Excused absence (documentation required) with no email sent prior to class = 7 points


In -Class Tasks (15%) Due: On the day it is assigned in the syllabus You are expected to participate in discussions, small group, and individual work in a professional manner that contributes to the engagement and learning of all class members toward course goals. Class experiences provide the opportunity to participate in dialogue that is crucial to the learning process. The reflection on what others share is an important aspect to your learning in this course. You are expected to contribute to complete in-class tasks, such as written reflections, mathematical tasks, and analysis of student work or video segments. Homework Assignments (15%) These are due at the beginning of each class period and typed unless otherwise noted. There are some assignments that will be turned in on D2L. See the course schedule for further information. If you are missing class, you must do one of the following: 1. Give your assignment to a classmate to submit for you OR 2. Submit your assignment PRIOR to the start of class in the D2L “absent work” dropbox. Your homework will consist of assignments which demonstrate the important ideas you have learned from this course regarding the teaching and learning of middle school mathematics. They will also demonstrate your ability to translate those ideas into practice in the middle school classroom. Please note that there may be a need during the course of this semester to modify course assignments and assessments as well as due dates. Midterm Exam (10%) The midterm exam will be given on March 10. The exam contains topics covered to that point of the semester. All examination questions are short answer or short essay. Final Exam (15%) The final exam will be given on May 13. It contains topics covered throughout the semester. Two hours are allowed for the exam. Questions are short answer and short essay. If you have an unexcused absence, you will not be allowed to take the exam at another time. If an excused absence occurs, the instructor must be contacted prior to the exam administration to make alternate arrangements Preparing and Presenting a Micro-Lesson in Class (10%) You will be assigned a lesson to be taught in a 20-minute mini-lesson to a group of your peers on a specified day. This lesson will be taught as if you were teaching a group of middle school students and will be videotaped for analysis and reflection. More information will be provided on February 17. Instructional Unit Project (20%) Final Project due: NO LATER than April 28th The purpose of this assignment is to plan, implement, and reflect upon a cohesive sequence of lessons in mathematics to a whole class of students that deepens and enriches students’ conceptual understanding of mathematics. You will assume the responsibility to plan and teach a 5-consecutive day sequence of lessons to the whole class. You will need to construct the lessons for classroom teacher approval in advance, prepare materials, engage in instructional decision making and planning on a day-to-day basis, and conduct ongoing assessments as well as keep records of students’ learning. Criteria for this project will be provided on March 3rd.


Tentative Course Schedule

Dates Topics Readings Completed

Prior to Class Weekly assignments due

Class Session #1 January 27

1. Introductions 2. Course Syllabus 3. Teaching middle school students 4. Creating a positive and productive

learning environment 5. Common Core State Standards

review 6. Teaching through problem solving 7. Introduce Problem Solving

Assignment

Course Syllabus (Come to class with any questions) Van de Walle Chapter 3

Class Session #2 February 3

Fractions 1. Common Core and Fractions 2. Representing Fractions 3. Fractions as Quantities

4. Introduce Comparing and Ordering

Fractions Assignment

VdW Chapter 15 Siegler et al. (2010) Developing effective fractions instruction for kindergarten through 8th grade: A practice guide, pg. 6-8, 12-18, and 19-25. Note: Use the page numbers on the document itself, not the PDF numbers. Clarke, Roche, and Mitchell (2008) 10 Tips for Making Fractions Come Alive and Make Sense article

Problem Solving Assignment due on D2L by 11:59 P.M. on February 3.


Fractions 1. Reasoning with Fractions- Maximum

Chocolate Party

2. Fraction Operations (Addition and Subtraction

3. Introduce Adding and Subtracting Fractions Strategies Assignment

VdW Chapter 16, pages 315-325 Petit, Laird, and Marsden (2010) They “Get” Fractions as Pies; Now What? article Dixon and Tobias (2013) The Whole Story: Understanding Fraction Computation article

Comparing and Ordering Fractions Assignment due at the beginning of class.





Fractions 1. Fraction Operations (Multiplication) 2. Introduce Micro-lesson Assignment

VdW Chapter 16 Pages 325-335 Wu (2001) Multiplying Fractions article

Adding and Subtracting Fractions Strategies Assignment due on D2L by 11:59 P.M. on February 17th


First week in the

field

Fractions 1. Fraction Operations (Division) 2. Overall Fraction Instruction 3. Collaborative work time for micro-

lesson assignment

Newton and Sands (2002) Why Don’t We Just Divide Across? article Gregg and Underwood Gregg (2007) Measurement and Fair-Sharing Models for Dividing Fractions article

Class Session #6 March 3

Instructional Unit Project 1. Introduce project requirements

Micro-Lesson Assignment 1. Micro-lesson presentations


MIDTERM EXAM

Study guide for the midterm will be available no later than March 3rd on D2L.

Micro-lesson plan with reflection due on D2L by 11:59 P.M. on March 10th

March 17 NO CLASS SPRING BREAK





Elements of Quality Math Instruction

1. Communication in math class 2. Questioning techniques

Differentiation 1. Why differentiate? 2. Ways to differentiate 3. Practice planning a

differentiated lesson 4. Introduce Miss Toliver video

analysis assignment

Sims (2008) Look Who’s Talking: Differences in Math Talk in U.S. and Chinese Classrooms article Sullivan and Lilburn (2002) Good Questions for Math Teaching book excerpt Little, Hauser, and Corbishley (2009) Constructing Complexity for Differentiated Learning article Lovin, Kyger, and Allsopp (2004)

Differentiation for Special Needs

Learners article

Pierce and Adams (2005) Using

Tiered Lessons in Mathematics

article


Decimals and Percents 1. Decimal understanding through

place-value 2. Decimal computations 3. Converting fractions, decimals and

percents 4. Strategies for teaching decimals and

percents

5. Common Core Connection

VdW Chapter 17 Suh, Johnston, Jamieson, and Mills (2008) Promoting Decimal Number Sense and Representational Fluency article Scaptura, Suh, and Mahaffey (2007) Masterpieces to Mathematics: Using Art to Fraction, Decimal, and Percent Equivalents article

Miss Toliver video analysis assignment due on D2L by 11:59 P.M. on March 31st




Class Session #10 April 7

Proportional Reasoning

1. Ratios

2. Proportional Reasoning in problem

solving

3. Proportional Reasoning with

dinosaurs

4. Proportional Reasoning Analysis

VdW Chapter 18 Thompson and Bush (2003) Improving Middle School Teachers’ Reasoning About Proportional Reasoning article Langrall and Swafford (2000) Two Balloons for Three Dollars: Developing Proportional Reasoning article


Integers

1. Understanding negative numbers

2. Adding and Subtracting Integers

VdW Chapter 23, pg. 480-484

April 21 NO CLASS FULL WEEK IN THE FIELD


Last week in the

field

Integers

1. Multiplying and Dividing Integers

Geometry

1. The development of geometric

thinking (Van Hiele levels)

2. 2-Dimensional Shapes: Definitions,

Attributes, and Interrelations

VdW Chapter 23, pg. 484-485 VdW Chapter 20, pg. 402-419 Howse, T. & Howse, M. (2014). Linking the Van Hiele theory to instruction

Instructional Unit Project due at the beginning of class April 28th (if not submitted earlier)

Class Session #13 May 5

Geometry

1. 2-Dimensional Shapes (Continued) 2. 3-Dimensional Shapes 3. Transformations

Course Wrap Up

1. Math resources

2. Discuss final reflection

3. Course evaluations

VdW Chapter 20, pg. 419-431 Final Reflection due on D2L by 11:59 P.M. on May 9th.

May 13 FINAL EXAM 12:30-2:30

Location TBA