Template for Assignment 1: Tiered Lesson

Name & Student Number: Carmen Leung 2096185

Curriculum (Learning) Area of Lesson: Mathematics
Specific Topic of Lesson: Money and Financial Mathematics
Year Level/s: 2

Lesson Context
The concept or big idea in this lesson is Money and Financial Mathematics. This is the fourth
lesson in the money unit for year 2. In the previous lessons, students have explored the
different features of Australian coins including the shape, size, colour, images, and value.
Students have been counting coins and adding them together. This lesson focuses on the
value of coins and students will practice finding different coin combinations for a given
money amount. Students have the opportunity to choose what they want to buy from a
fundraiser stall but they only have coins to pay for it. By the end of the lesson, students
would start to feel comfortable knowing that there are multiple ways to reach a correct
answer. The prior knowledge that is required for this lesson are recognising the different
coins, counting coins, adding coins, and identify the value of coins.

Learning Objectives
The learning objective for this lesson have been adapted from the Australian curriculum
code (ACMNA034) (ACARA, 2017).

Students understand that

There can be multiple coin combinations to make the same amount of money

know be able to (do)

The value of Australian coins
The symbols ($ - dollar and c - cents)
used to describe coins and notes
Money is a real-life concept that is
used to buy goods and services
Essential Questions
Given a supply coins, combine them in more
than one way to make a set amount of
money
Count different combinations of coins to
show the same value
Identify equivalent values in collections of
coins (ACMNA034)
Describe what money is used for

Why do we use money?

How is money used in our daily lives?
Why is it important to know the value of money?

Preassessment of Individual Student Readiness

At the end of the previous lesson, students will be provided with a short worksheet to work
individually on Australian money (Appendix 1). The aim of the worksheet is to check
students understanding, skills and knowledge about money. The reason for completing
the pre-assessment in the previous lesson is so it provides teachers the time to plan for
the following lesson. The information gathered in the pre-assessment will also assist the
teacher in determining each students readiness on the topic of money.

Readiness is used to describes a students existing knowledge and skill in relation to

specific task demands (Tomlinson, 2004). Students readiness will assist in the
development of the 3 tiers necessary to guide, teach and appropriately challenge students
in accordance with their readiness level (Levy, 2008 & Tomlinson, 2004). This is also
known as flexible grouping. Pre-assessment and tiered lesson planning provide students
with the best opportunity possible to engage with the content in meaningful ways (Doubet
& Hockett, 2015).

Students are grouped into the following 3 tiers depending each students readiness. Each
group name is based on the animals on the Australian coins. Names have been chosen
for groups, so students would not feel they are in the dumb group or smart group. Even
though each of these groups involves a different level of complexity, all students engage
in the same learning objectives.

Kangaroo group
Students could identify the value of 1-2 coins, but only without the value covered
up
Students cannot identity which coin is the lowest or highest value
Students could not add 2 coins to make a new value

Platypus group
Students could identify the value of 4-5 coins
Students only correctly identified half of question 2 on selecting which coin has the
lowest and highest vale
Students could add 2 coins to make a new value but did not correctly answer all
the questions

Echidna group
Students could identify the value of all coins
Students could identity which coin is the lowest or highest value
Students could add 2 coins to make a new value and correctly completed the
worksheet

Lesson Plan
Lesson Sequence Explanatory notes

Introduction (5-10 mins) Students sitting in a circle allows for a clear

Class sits in a circle. Recall previous
lesson on what students remember
about money and what was learnt.
Ask essential questions to stimulate
class discussion.
Why do we use money?
view of the speaker and every student has a
good view of the teacher. This makes explicit
teaching effective. It facilitates the flow of ideas
and thoughts and the teacher can easily
control the discussion (Docking & MacGrath,
2013).
How is money used in our daily lives?
Why is it important to know the value of
money?
Explain the aim of the lesson- Students
are at a fundraiser and they will learn
about the different ways to make up the
same amount of money using different
combinations of coins. Thus, students
can understand all the ways people
might use coins to pay for items.
Guided investigation (10 mins)
Show a picture of an item for sale at
the fundraiser with a price of $1
Ask students what coins could be
used to make up $1
Record responses on board
Discuss responses and explain how
different coin combinations can make
up $1
Tiered activity (20-25 mins)
Each student will have a copy of
items for sale at the fundraiser (either
stall A, B or C) (Appendix 2) and play
money to share amongst each other.
Students work independently and
have their faces out on their desks
when working.
Students choose an item. They
record the item and the cost in the
table (Appendix 3)
Students use plastic money to make
different coin combinations that add
up to the values of the chosen item.
Students record combination(s) in
table. Repeat for other items.
Kangaroo group Stall A (tier 1)
Items are smaller value and only
need to do 2 coin combinations.
Platypus group - Stall B (tier 2)
Items are larger value and only need
to do 2-3 coin combinations that
make up the value of the item.
The essential questions have been chosen to
reflect the criteria by Wiggins and McTighe. A
question is essential if it causes genuine and
relevant inquiry into the big ideas of the core
content; provokes deep thought, lively
discussion, sustained inquiry and new
understanding; stimulates vital ongoing
rethinking of big ideas, assumptions, prior
lessons; spark meaningful connections with
prior learning and personal experiences
(Wiggins & McTighe, 2011, p.73)
Students sharing their strategies on how they
worked out coin combinations allow the
opportunity for others to learn to listen and
explore different strategies (Costa & Kallic,
2008, p.224).
Hattie (2012) emphasises the importance of
stating the learning intentions of a lesson so
that students clearly understand the goals of
the lesson and why they are completing the
activity. This would also provide a rich learning
environment as students learn to respect the
expectations of the teacher (Saville, 2011).
The tiered activities are aimed to provide
students with an appropriate level of challenge,
whilst aiming to achieve the same outcome
(Jarvis, 2013).
The traffic light faces are a form of self-
assessment which allows students to think
what level they are at. Red means the task is
too hard and require assistance, yellow means
the task is at a level where the task is still
manageable but is still giving them a challenge,
and green means students are flying through
the task and need more of a challenge. This
will indicate to teachers how students feel
about the task and alter the activity when
necessary.
Flexible grouping has been used in the lesson
so all the needs of all students can better be
met (Jarvis, 2013). In the Echidna group (tier
3), the complexity of the task is increased to
meet the needs of students and to provide an
appropriate level of challenge (Tomlinson,
2004).
Echidna group Stall C (tier 3)

Items are larger value and need to

find as many coin combinations that
make up the value of the item.

Teacher walks around the classroom

during the activity.
Formative assessment checklist
(Appendix 4) and observation. See
who can represent the same value in
different ways and who requires more
assistance.
Take note of the traffic light faces
(student self-assessment) (Appendix
5)

Conclusion (share/reflect) (10 mins)

See below on lesson closure/check for

understanding

Lesson Closure/ Check for Understanding

Students come back together in a circle and share what they bought at the fundraiser.
Compare coin combinations on same item bought.
Discuss the strategies that were used to make different coin combinations. How did you
go about selecting which coins to use?
Discuss what students enjoyed and what they found challenging
Discuss why it is important to make groups of coins that equal the same amount
Students use their thumbs to indicate to the teacher on how confident they feel about
making different coin combinations to equal the same amount. Thumbs down means
they would like some more help, thumb in the middle means they are beginning to
grasp the idea but need more practice, thumbs up mean they are confident and do not
need any help (students all close their eyes when they do this as they are sitting in a
circle to avoid changing responses when they see each others thumbs).
Since there would not be enough time for the teacher to thoroughly check each
students progress during the lesson, the thumb method comes in handy.
The concluding discussion is to check what has been learnt in the lesson, what went
well, what requires more work so the teacher can plan for future lessons (Doubet &
Hockett, 2015)

Explanation:
Jarvis (2013) outline student readiness as one of three key factors that determine learner
differences. The tiered activities are aimed to provide students with an appropriate level of
challenge while still aiming for the same outcomes (Jarvis 2013). The activities in each tier
only differ slightly but the overall structure remains the same. All students still make coin
combinations to make up the value of their chosen purchases at the stalls. In the activity,
there are a variety of items available at the stalls at the fundraiser. The variety and choice
the students have of selecting what they want to buy, engages and adds interest to the
activity. The flow state has been described by Csikszentmihalyi (1997) as when an
individual engages with a task characterised by just the right amount of challenge, with clear
expectations for success, with timely and continuous feedback, and in a domain of interest,
he or she can become engrossed to the point that the activity becomes its own reward. This
highlights that interests and readiness are factors that teachers need to consider when
planning to provide learning opportunities for all students.

In the activity, all students use manipulatives (plastic coins) when they are working out the
coin combinations. Using coin manipulatives provides an engaging and hands on learning of
mathematics and is relevant to students everyday lives. It also leads to conceptual
understanding which enhances cognitive development of students (Ojose & Sexton, 2009).
Students who are in the Echidna group (tier 3) may choose not to use the coin manipulatives
if they feel confident they can make coin combinations from just the value of the coins. The
activity is differentiated by process (Sousa et al, 2011, p.108) as tier 1 and 2 are encouraged
to use the coin manipulatives. In the lesson, students will be encouraged to adopt a growth
mindset (Dweck, 2010). By having a growth mindset, it will empower students to enjoy
learning and to work towards their full potential. Students need to view their work as a
process of development and to step outside their comfort zone, instead of accepting a final
outcome that cannot be further developed (Dweck, 2010).

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2017). Australian

Curriculum: Mathematics. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-
curriculum/mathematics/

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow. The Psychology of engagement with everyday

life. New York: Basic.

Costa, A., & Kallic, B. (2008). Learning and leading with habits of mind. Alexandria, Va.:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Docking, J., & MacGrath, M. (2013). Managing behaviour in the primary school. Routledge

Doubet, K. J. & Hockett, J. A. (2015). Differentiating according to student readiness, in

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Dweck, C.S. (2010). Mind-sets. Principal Leadership, 10(5), 26-29.

Hattie, J. (2012), 'Flow of the lesson: the place of feedback', in Hattie, John, Visible learning
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Jarvis, J. (2013), 'Differentiating learning experiences for diverse students', in Hudson, Peter
(ed.), Learning to teach in the primary school, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne,
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Ojose, B & Sexton, L (2009). The effect of manipulative materials on mathematics

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Sousa, David A & Tomlinson, Carol A 2011, Differentiation and the brain: how neuroscience
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Saville, K. (2011). Strategies for using repetition as a powerful teaching tool.

Music Educators Journal,98 (1), 69-75

Tomlinson, C. A. (2004). The how to's of planning lessons differentiated by readiness, in

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Wiggins, Grant & McTighe, Jay 2011, 'Essential questions and understandings', in Wiggins,
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