Foundational Goals and Major Objectives
I will attempt to frame my objectives with both the 7 th Grade California State Content Standards and Common Core State Standards in mind. Briefly, both documents expect a student to extend their previous understanding of operations with fractions and analyze proportional relationships. To reach the three major objectives below, I have decided to take a few steps back to build a stronger foundation. I will first focus on two goals that will help address student misconceptions by presenting a method to look at the placement, order and value of whole numbers and fractions on a number line. I will also be looking at equivalence and basic operations in this alternative way. The Foundational Goals are as follows:
Foundational Goals
- Learn to use the number line to place, add and subtract whole numbers with measureable precision.
- Learn to multiply using a number line and gain a deeper understanding of this operation.
Major Objectives:
The Major objectives of this unit will be the focus of most background, strategies and lessons to follow.
- Students will understand what unit and general fractions are.
- Students will learn to compare fractions and determine equivalence while working with measureable, quantifiable precision on a number line.
- Students will learn to add, subtract and multiply fractions by using number lines and arrays.
While the major objectives represent the lion's share of my unit, many other content areas that will come up. Concepts such as place value, scaling, measurement, factors, multiples and 2 dimensional geometry to name just a few. The spiraling nature of a deeper curriculum is something to be embraced. Very little math happens in a vacuum, so we must acknowledge and encourage children to explore and question connections and tangents. We must take the time necessary to solidify long term connections. As we take a step backwards, we open up the possibility to cement so much more that seems to only hold a superficial place in the children's understanding of mathematics.
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