Tiered Lesson

Name & Student Number: Jessica Hoepner (2136134)

Curriculum (Learning) Area of Lesson: Mathematics
Specific Topic of Lesson: Area
Year Level/s: 4/5

Lesson Context (1 paragraph)

This lesson comes from a unit plan of 10 lessons. It is number 6 of the unit and goes for 50 minutes. The
students are required to work in small groups to work out the area of 10 wooden shapes. The overall aim of the
lesson is that students are able to work out the area of shapes using scaled instruments to measure and solve
problems using length and area ("Mathematics Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum by rows - The Australian
Curriculum v8.3", 2017). There have been multiple introductory lessons prior to this lesson so the students are
familiar with the area formula for squares and rectangles.

Learning Objectives
As a result of engaging with the lesson, students will:
understand that (Concepts, principles, big ideas. No more than 1 or 2 for a single lesson. Make sure
your objectives are statements that work in the form, Students will understand that)

- Students will understand that standardised units of measurement are used in everyday life.
- Students will understand that there are a variety of methods of measurement.

know (e.g. facts, vocabulary, dates, be able to (do) (Skills, processes)

information)
Vocabulary; area, length, width, multiplication
Standardised units of measurement: cm2, mm2,
m 2.
Formula for regular shapes; L x W
Students will also know how to use the formula to
work out the area.
- Calculate the area of rectangles and squares.
- Use the appropriate formula to calculate area.
- Measure shapes accurately.
- Choose appropriate units of measurement.
- Explain the difference between perimeter and area.
- Compare objects using familiar metric units of area
(ACMMG290)
- Choose appropriate units of measurement for length
and area (ACMMG108)
- Calculate perimeter and area of rectangles using
familiar metric units (ACMMG109) ("Mathematics
Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum by rows - The
Australian Curriculum v8.3", 2017)

Essential Questions (1-3 only; these should help students engage with the big ideas or
understandings)

- Why do we need standardised units of measurement?

- What can we measure?
- Why do we measure? (Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions Mathematics K-12, 2017).

Pre-assessment of Individual Student Readiness

Students will complete an exit card (see appendix 1) at the end of the previous lesson to allow the teacher to
see how they are progressing. The students are required to work out the answer for the 2 questions and then
rate themselves on whether they found the task too easy, good challenge or too hard. Having the students
provide answers and their own rating of the work, in conjunction with the teachers own observations during
class, allows the teacher to make a judgement about the students progression. The answers for this exit card
will provide the 3 tiers for this lesson.
For students who are struggling with the concept of area, they will be assigned to tier 1 where they are
provided with 10 shapes, all squares and rectangles that include the measurements and the formula.
For students who are finding the concept at an appropriate level of challenge, will be assigned to tier 2 which
consists of 10 shapes, all squares and rectangles with the formula, however, they are not given the
measurements.

For students who are confident with the concept and finding the work too easy, will be assigned to tier 3. This
tier involves 10 shapes including squares, rectangles and triangles. They are given the formula for both
squares/rectangles and triangles, However, same as tier 2, they are not given the measurements.

The importance about pre-assessment is that through the use of a quick activity or quiz, the teacher is
informed of the students current readiness and ability levels. Without the knowledge of where the students are
at in the beginning, the teacher is unable to make meaningful feedback and push the students in the direction
that they need to be heading in (Jarvis, 2017, Module 3). The reason behind choosing exit cards as the pre-
assessment for this particular unit is that it is a really quick activity that allows enough information of the
teacher to determine the readiness levels of their students. It also gives a quick overview of the students
ability levels and whether they are improving their skills.

Lesson Plan
Lesson Sequence
Explain task.
Sort students into their tiers before
forming small groups.
Provide each group with the correct bag
of shapes.
Students have 30 minutes to work out
the area of the shapes before coming
back as a class to share their findings.
(Teacher can wonder around and assist
students, paying particular attention to tier 1).
Explanatory notes
In groups, students are required to work in small groups to
calculate the area of the shapes that they have been
given. Each bag of shapes contains 10 shapes with
different areas. Students record their working out and
answers in their maths books.
(For full details on tiers, see explanation).
Tier 1: 10 wooden shapes, all squares and rectangles,
given formula and measurements
Tier 2: 10 wooden shapes, all squares and rectangles,
given formula, no measurements.
Tier 3: 10 wooden shapes, squares, rectangles and
triangles, formulas but no measurements.

Students share their findings to the
class and discuss whether they found
any patterns or interesting ideas when
completing the task.
Students will complete a 1, 2, 3 finger
confidence activity.
(If the students are requiring help, they are to talk to their
group members first and then proceed to ask the teacher
if they still dont understand).
1 finger: confident
2 fingers: confident but need practice
3 fingers: need more practice and not confident yet

Lesson Closure/ Check for Understanding

Firstly, through the use of the class discussion and sharing time at the end of the lesson, the teacher can get a
rough idea of which students have grasped the concept and which students may need some extra help and
guiding. The students will also be required to participate in a quick activity where they hold up their hand with
1, 2 or 3 fingers raised. 1 finger meaning they are confident at working out the area of squares and rectangles.
2 fingers meaning they are confident but still need some practice and 3 fingers meaning they still need
practice and arent confident yet. This will allow the teacher to get a rough idea of who is still in need of some
assistance and which students need some more challenging areas to work out.

The reason behind choosing the 1, 2, 3 finger strategy to check for understanding allows the teacher to see
how their students are travelling after the particular lesson. The importance of checking for understanding after
the lesson is that some students will start with the same readiness level, however, some students may
progress and gain understanding quicker than others (Jarvis, 2017, Module 4). Through the 1, 2, 3 finger
strategy, the teacher can quickly glance over the students and see which students believe they are still
struggling with the concept. Through the use of this strategy, the students are also participating in self-
assessment as they are evaluating how they believe they are going with the concept.
Explanation:
This lesson plan is split into the following 3 tiers:

Tier 1 is provided with 10 different sized, wooden squares and rectangles. Each of these shapes have the
measurements and formula provided. The teacher will also be required to pay particular attention to this tier and
assist students when needed. Due to the tiering throughout this lesson, the main focus for this tier is that students
become more familiar with using the formula. This is the reason behind including the measurements as instead of
the students spending majority of the lesson measuring, they are able to focus on using the formula.

Tier 2 is provided the same shapes as tier 1 with the formula included, however they do not receive the
measurements for the shapes. It was understood that the students in this tier were confident with the formula,
however still needed some practice and found it was the appropriate challenge for them. The students in this tier
are still focussed on the same outcome of calculating the area, however, they are also required to do the
measuring of the shapes in order to do so. This means that the students are having to measure accurately in
order to get the same answers as the other tiers.

Tier 3 is provided a few of the same shapes are tier 1 and 2 however, they also have the challenge of some
added triangles. Both formulas are included but no measurements are given. The students that have been
assigned to this tier, identified themselves as finding the set work too easy. As a result, they are still working
towards the same outcome of calculating area, but they are given the challenge of using triangles. Prior to this
lesson, they have had no experience with calculating the area of triangles, let alone the formula for doing so.
They will be required to apply their current knowledge of rectangles and squares to assist their investigation. This
will act as a lead in activity to the next lesson where students will be explicitly taught the formula for triangles and
how to use it.

Through the use of the 3 tiers, the differing readiness levels between students are addressed. Each tier has the
same learning outcome, but the main focus differs slightly from tier to tier. For some students, particularly in tier
1, they may have the knowledge and understanding of the area content but lack the skills to apply the knowledge
and calculate the area of shapes (Tomlinson, & McTighe, 2006). Through the use of tier 1, these lower readiness
levels are addressed and students are required to focus on the skills through calculating area using the formula.

This lesson is an example of a tiered lesson in that it provides multiple tiers which allow the students to reach the
same learning outcome, in relation to their own readiness levels. With the use of the pre-assessment, the
readiness levels are attained and the students can be sorted into their tiers. Although the tiers are all somewhat
different, the main activity is engaging and hands-on as high-engagement classroom environments appear to
have a significant impact on student achievement, (William, 2011). So while each student is in their particular
tier, they are all achieving the same learning outcome. Differentiating by readiness allows the students to work at
their own pace and can also somewhat allow students to have some choice over their tasks, (Jarvis, 2017,
Module 5).

References
Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions Mathematics K-12. (2017) (1st ed.). Retrieved
from https://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/uploaded/Curriculum/MATH_K-
12/Math_K_12_Enduring_Understandings_and_Essential_Questions.pdf

Jarvis, J. (2017). Module 3: Ongoing Assessment to Inform Differentiation. Lecture, Flinders

University.

Jarvis, J. (2017). Module 4: Addressing Differences in Student Readiness. Lecture, Flinders

University.

Jarvis, J. (2017). Module 5: Differentiation in Response to Different Interests and Learning Profile
Preferences. Lecture, Flinders University.
Mathematics Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum by rows - The Australian Curriculum v8.3. (2017).
Australiancurriculum.edu.au. Retrieved 16 March 2017, from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/mathematics/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level4

Tomlinson, C., & McTighe, J. (2006). Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms. In
C. Tomlinson & J. McTighte, Integrating Differentiation Instruction & Understanding by Design:
Connecting Content and Kids (1st ed.). Heatherton, VIC: Hawker Brownlow Education.

William, D. (2011). Eliciting, evidence of learners' achievement. In D. William, Embedded Formative

Assessment (1st ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Checklist of assignment components:

Completed lesson context explanation
Completed clear learning objectives and essential questions for the lesson
Complete, step-by-step lesson description, with brief notes explaining how
the lesson represents an example of a tiered lesson to address readiness
Explanatory 1-2 paragraphs clearly linking your lesson planning decisions to
the topic content (and citing sources as appropriate)
Supplementary materials (e.g., copies of directions, handouts, etc. provided
to students)
Copy and/or description of preassessment task used to assign individual
students to appropriate tiers
Evaluation/ assessment criteria (e.g., rubric or checklist used to guide
evaluation of student work)
EDUC4720/1 EDUC9406 2017. Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)
 APPENDIX
Appendix 1 Completed at the end of the previous lesson.

Exit Card
Question 1: What is the area of the square?

4 cm

4 cm

Question 2: What is the area of the rectangle?

5 cm

10 cm

Circle the correct answer for each question.

I found question 1 was: Too easy A good challenge Too hard
I found question 2 was: Too easy A good challenge Too hard