05+Math-%20Slope


 * Slope**


 * Summary:** We began our lesson study by exploring linear equations, but quickly decided the topic was too broad. We narrowed our view to look at perpendicular lines. This investigation lead us into slope. As we studied slope we went in several directions, even creating an assessment game called "Slopeinoes". We had the opportunity to analyze video from Andrew Lee's classroom which gave us insight into student responses. Although we learned a lot in this process we still did not feel that we were truly implementing lesson study and we eventually moved on to another topic in order to have a fresh start.


 * Rationale:** Since we were teaching courses at different levels, we felt that we needed a topic that would permeate through a typical high school curriculum. In attempting to design a 3-day unit, we found that the topic of linear equations was too rich for such a short time frame. We wanted to pick an interesting subject under the umbrella of linear equations that we knew our students struggled with and that lead us to perpendicularity. We created a lesson plan with multiple tiers so that we could teach the lesson in a variety of courses. In the end we realized that in the scope of our courses we could not justify spending three days on perpendicularity. Because perpendicularity and slope are so closely related, the topic naturally transitioned into a study of slope.


 * What We Learned:**
 * It is important to take a step back and think about your goals for student learning (an important concept in backward design).
 * Choosing a topic for lesson study that is too narrow can lead you to focus on the details rather than the concepts you are trying to teach.
 * Just because a topic is interesting does not mean it is a good lesson study topic.
 * Games can be designed to engage students and assess their understanding; they aren't just for entertainment.
 * It is important to connect lessons/projects to examples from students' experiences as it would tap into their prior knowledge.
 * We need to anticipate student responses and design questions to help address misconceptions.


 * Resources:**

As we worked on our lesson study we kept a detailed log of our progress. Below you will find a link to each document preceeded by a short summary.The file names indicate the date on which we last edited the document (year.month.date).

--Initial brainstorm about linear functions

--Focusing on lesson of first day of 3-day sequence (Parallel lines)

--Parallel lines worksheet to go with first day of 3-day sequence

--Shift to just perpendicular lines

--Brainstorm of perpendicular lines worksheet tailored to all math levels

--Shift to slope

--Developing ideas for 3-day sequence on slope

--Intro of using ramps as common goal for lessons, initial draft of "Slope-inoes"

--Details for lesson plans for 3-day sequence

--Continuing to refine details of lessons and logistics of "Slope-inoes"

Slope Logarithms Proportional Reasoning Differentiated Instruction
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