Professional Literature Content

Note: I had to use an article older than 5 years, because we were required within the rubric to
use one of the journals listen on the professional literature sheet (I needed to use the math
journal section for my lesson), and I was unable to find a more recent article specifically
focusing on the content of place value. This should not affect the grading of this assignment,
because I was simply following the teachers instructions to use a journal on the literature sheet,
and I should not be at fault if my article could not be more recent, especially if we required to
use these references.
The content of my unit revolves around the importance of place values in math. The
article I read is written for educators looking to expand their personal content of place value
curriculum. This article shows educators striving to renew their practice the importance of taking
the concept of place value, and using it to build connections between mathematical ideas
(Hiebert & Wearne, 1992). For example, place values are not only important in understanding
the patterns between numbers, they are extremely valuable for solving deeper math equations,
such as multiplication and division. Students must be able to utilize their knowledge of place
value in order to make the necessary connections to advance their math skills when confronted
with more difficult math problems. Hiebert and Wearne (1992) emphasize the need for students
to accurately, “represent place value physically, pictorially, verbally, and symbolically”. This is
one of the goals of my lesson plan, because within their workbook’s, students must demonstrate
different ways to correctly produce various forms of place value. They will learn where the
tenths, hundredths and thousandths values are located. In addition, I will show them how to
illustrate the 3 main forms of place value: expanded, word, and standard form. My students need
to learn that place value is an abstract theme, but still contains the necessary means of concrete
representations (e.g. writing out the place value of numbers, describing the place value,
understanding the value of the digits, etc.).

When discussing the content of place value, Hiebert and Wearne (1992) support the idea
of using, “different forms of representation for quantities, such as physical materials and written
symbols, highlighting different aspects of the grouping structure”. I agree that physically using
hands on items such as cubes, or even drawing out the structure of quantities can help students
understanding of place value. If students are asked to group 10 cubes of 5, they should have the
materials they need to demonstrate how this should be represented, and can see how grouping
structure varies based on place value. Conceptions need to be made clear in concrete,
manageable forms when working with place value in the classroom (Hiebert & Wearne, 1992).
Place value can be a confusing theme to explain to students, but they will be able to understand
how it works as long as they are given a solid context of “what exactly is” place value. I plan to
use various manipulatives within my lessons to provide my students with different ways of
viewing place value. My students will utilize their place value charts, rounding decimals posters,
greater than and less than sticks, etc., to develop their skills and provide an answer to the
question, what exactly is place value and how can we represent it?

The main topic of this lesson is developing a sense of quantity between numbers and how
they are linked together. In order to achieve this, students must understand decimal points. The
use of decimal points divides the value of the numbers, making it easier for students to see the
breaks in between the number as a whole (Hiebert and Wearne, 1992). Content should always be
broken down into various structures to compensate for different individual learning styles of the
students. This article helps to shape my content/planning by providing multiple means for
teaching place value. It also stresses the need for students to understand values (e.g. 10ths,
100ths, 1000ths), decimal position (how it has the power to change the number), and written
expression of the digits. I think this article has helped me integrate the most important themes of
place value into my lesson, and provides me with opportunities to expand the content once a
foundation has been built for my students.

References

Hiebert, J., & Wearne, D. (1992). Links between Teaching and Learning Place Value with
Understanding in First Grade. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 23(2), 98-
122. doi:10.2307/749496
 Professional Literature Teaching Strategy

Math teaching strategies are important for the engagement of students. My article speaks
about how parent influence, state standards (common C.O.R.E), and lack of creativity in the
classroom in concrete subjects causes a disconnect among students and their interest in math
(McLaughlin & Talbert, 2016). It is written for other math teachers who wish to renew their
student’s enthusiasm for math, and provides possible strategies in how to accomplish this feat.
The most important aspect in teaching strategy for mathematics is making sure the instructor has
a concrete understanding of the content and how to teach it (McLaughlin & Talbert, 2016). If a
teacher does not have a clear-cut explanation for how he/she got from “point a to point b” in a
math problem, then it’s most likely the students will not be following along either. Their margin
of error will increase as a result, because they won’t know how to fix their mistakes for next
time, or how they even made an error to begin with. Teachers need to grasp the material,
understand the most common errors that can be made, and be willing to go over concepts several
times (McLaughlin and Talbert, 2016). In order to accomplish this in my unit plan, I will review
the content firmly in Ms. Z’s Go Math book and examine which specific problems I will go over
with my students as a class. I will also complete each of the questions within my unit plan, and
show my work along the way, so that when students ask questions, I can show them how I got
my final answer. By mastering the content of my own unit plan, I will be able to look at student
work and notice where a student went wrong, or if the student followed the correct steps to
achieve the right answer. If I expect my own students to become experts, I need to become one
myself.

In addition, the article discusses the importance of having resources in the classroom for
providing multiple means of learning how to solve mathematic problems. McLaughlin and
Talbert (2016) state, “we can no longer accept the unequal student outcomes that have
characterized American schools for generations, with advantaged students achieving more
academically than students with fewer resources to support their learning”. This includes items
such as math books, computer math programs for teaching, kinesthetic materials (whiteboards,
cubes), and technology. The more resources a classroom provides for its learners, the more the
students will achieve. I think this is important in my classroom, because the article goes on to
discuss the importance of being hands on in math lessons. I want to supply my students with
these means of engagement, so that they will be more inclined to take interest, and comprehend
the math material in which I am presenting them with. In my lessons, I have incorporated several
hands-on resources to help students grasp the material. For example, I created individual student
charts and packets with the guidelines clearly stated in each lesson, made place value charts,
designed a rounding decimal jeopardy game to play on the overhead board as a whole class, and
provided whiteboards to all my students so they can show their work using different means of
representation. All of the activities I included in my lessons are to ensure a balance in my
classroom where students can have fun, but be focused on the content as well. I knew I needed to
use resources so there would be less room for behavioral issues when I was attempting to teach.
I was intrigued by this teaching strategy article, because it addresses students in urban schools,
and focuses on the inequalities that are visible between districts. I think the students at my school
struggle with math because they have never been given what they truly need to succeed in this
subject. They are passed on from grade level to grade level without mastering the content in
meaningful ways that will improve their learning.

Another teaching strategy discussed in the article is student-based collaboration. Once

students have been given proper instruction, they should attempt to work with partners and solve
the problems to the best of their abilities so they can see where they went wrong. Also, by
pairing a weaker student up with a strong student, there is more 1 on 1 individual help while the
teacher is still there to supervise (McLaughlin and Talbert, 2016). Obviously, I would step in
when needed (or if I could tell my students were not quite ready to separate into partners), but I
do enjoy the idea of allowing my students to help each other first, and go over questions with the
whole group after they have collaborated among themselves. I think students struggle with math,
because the teacher simply gives them the answer, but by incorporating this strategy into my
lesson, the students will have to apply their higher order thinking skills and solve the problems
on their own first. In my unit, I want to use the strategies listed above, such as manipulatives
(resources), teacher enthusiasm and understanding of the material, solid explanations, proper
means of engagement, and student collaboration to improve my students mastery and
comprehension skills of math.
 References

McLaughlin, M. W., & Talbert, J. E. (2016). Building school-based teacher learning

communities: Professional strategies to improve student achievement (Vol. 45). Teachers
College Press.