Curriculum Analysis McCormack

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Anjanette McCormack
Dr. Turner
May 1, 2014
MIAA 360

Curriculum Analysis
The Overland Trail
The Overland Trail Curriculums major mathematical focus is the use of
equations, tables, and graphs. The curriculum designed is to describe
what it might have been like during the westward migration in wagon
trains. Students work though a number of real life situations and
scenarios that can affect their wagon train.
1. Alignment of the unit to the CCSSM and MPS
Standard
and Grade
Level
Standard and Grade Level
Data and Decision Making
M1.S-ID.1-9
M2.S-MD.6-7
M3.S-ID.4
M3.S-IC.1
M3.S-IC.2
M3.S-IC.4
M3.S-MD.6-7


Graphs and Modeling
M1.A-REI.10-12
M1.F-IF.4
M1.F-IF.6-7
M1.F-LE.2-3
M1.F.LE.5
M2.A-CED.1-2
M2.F-IF.7

Algorithms, variables and notation
M1.A-CED.1-2
M1.A-REI.2-3
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M2.A-CED.1-2
M1.N-Q.1-3
M1.A-SSE.1A
Focus
Standard
Creating Equations/Graphing: M1.A-CED.2
Data and Statistics: M1.S-ID.5-6
Linear Functions: M1.F.BF
Supporting
Standards
Numbers and Quantity: M1.N-Q
Graphing: M1.F.IF.7
Reasoning: M1.A.REI
MPS for
Activities
MPS
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving
them
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the
reasoning of others
4. Model with mathematics
5. Use appropriate tools strategically
6. Attend to precision
7. Look for and make sure of structure
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated
reasoning

Activity 1:
Planning for the Long Journey
Page 40 (TE) Page 207 in book
MPS addressed:
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the
reasoning of others

In this lesson, students must start to plan their journey
along the Overland Trail. The skills they are using are in
Curriculum Analysis McCormack
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reasoning. Students have to reason and decide how much
of each supply they will bring on their trip. Students
need to make sense of the problem and understand the
units used in order to decide what supplies to bring.
Students need to come up with logical thinking and
express them to their group members to come up with
the best possible solution for the entire group. During
this activity, it is important for students to make a plan,
question their own reasoning, and persevere in solving
the problem.

Activity 2:
Graphing Calculator In-Outs?
Page 146-147 (TE) Page 253-254 in book

MPS addressed:
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
5. Use appropriate tools strategically
7. Look for and make sure of structure
Students learn how to graph using a graphing calculator
in Activity 2. Students are still expected to make rules for
situations so they need to decontextualize words to
numbers before they can begin to use the graphing
calculator as a useful tool. By using the graphing
calculator, students will deepen their math
understanding of graphs and their characteristics.

Activity 3:
Getting the Gold
Page 209 (TE) Page 284 in book

MPS addressed:
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively

In Activity 3, students learn how to make the transition
into a new situation of the Gold Rush. This activity has
many aspects of the first problem presented in the book,
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granted it is a new situation. Students must
decontextualize words into numbers as before to gain
meaning in solving the problem. In order for the students
to be successful they will need to be able to explain the
problem, make a plan in solving it, persevere in solving it,
check their work and evaluate if they found the best
possible solution.






2. Development of a Learning Trajectory

K-3
K: K.CC.4

1: 1.OA
1.MD4
1.NBT4

2: 2.OA.1
2.OA.3
2.OA.4
2.4 NBT
2.7 NBT
2.10 NBT

3: 3.OA1
3.OA2
3.OA8
3.OA9
3.MD3
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4-7




















4: 4.OA.1
4.OA.2
4.OA.3
4.OA.5
4.NBT (2-6)

5: 5. MD.B.2
5.OA.A.2
5.OA.B.3

6: 6.SP.1-2
6.EE.1-2
6.EE.2
6.EE.2.C
6.EE.5-7
6.EE.9
6.RP.2
6.RP.3.B

7: 7.RP.2-3
7.NS.1A
7.EE.1
7.EE.3
7.SP.1
ALGEBRA
1
8: 8.SP.1-4
8.EE.5
8.EE.8
8.EE.8A
8.F.1
8.F.2
8.F.4
8.F.5

A1: A.CED.1-4
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3. Discourse for Increasing Learning
Cognitive
Demand
5 Tasks:
1. Ox Expressions (TE) page 66
Higher Level-Making Connections and attach
meaning. Students have to work with algebraic
expressions and write summary phrases for them.

2. Around the Horn POW 9 (TE) page 57
Higher Level- Write Up and Evaluation questions.
Student must read the scenario and then write up a
response that follow a certain format. The students
write the problem statement, Process, which includes
diagrams or materials used to solve, solution,
extensions, and evaluation of work and how well
thinking was explained.

3. Situations, Graphs, Tables, and Rules (TE) page 99
Multiple Representations-
Students have to use three different ways to
A.REI. 1,3,10,11,12
F.IF. 1-7,9
F.BF 1-3
F.LE. 1-3,5
F.ID.1-3, 5-9
H.S. A-CED 1-4
A-REI 2, 3.1,11
F-IF 4-9
F.BF 1,2
S.ID 4

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represent a situation. Students must show their
work on a graph, an in-out table, and a rule for the
table.

4. The Big Buy (TE) page 188
Complex Solution- Students are expected to write
two separate equations for the problem, graph both
equations on the same set of axes, and explain
reasonableness of answers.

5. Out Numbered: page 95-96 This task has students
looking at graphs and reading them. They make
connections between the graphs, the relationships,
and in-out tables. There is a small do factor which
involves creating in-out tables and finding rules.
Mostly, the task asks questions that help them apply
or relate to reading the graphs. This task mostly falls
in the B Quadrant since they build, interpret, and
produce in-put tables for the graphs.
Pre-Planned
Questions
5 Examples
1. The Family on pg. 14-19 has preplanned questions
for the teacher to ask students while they are
creating their families. Possible questions include Is
this possible? How might this be setup? What
restrictions does this condition create?

2. Sharing Families page 25-27 has preplanned
questions while students are sharing their family
data and putting the whole classes together.
Questions include What are the smallest and the
largest sizes you got for each type of family? What
assumptions can you make? How many men,
women, and children in each of your families? What
assumptions did you make? How many adults are
there in all of the classs families combined? How
many children? I feel like many more questions
can be created like this one during this conversation.


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3. The General Shoelace page 47-50. During this topic,
students are presenting their answers to homework
from last night, Homework 6: Shoelaces. This lesson
has a ton of preplanned questions that ask students
to apply the situations in the homework to their own
families. Some questions also lead the students to
abbreviating verbal descriptions to that they use
variables.

4. The Discussion of Homework 22: Fair Share for
Hired Hands on page 172 has many preplanned
questions within the book. These questions are
essential to ask since in the next task, students will
discover on their own how to solve systems of
equations. Teachers need to ask these preplanned
questions to ensure that students have the tools to be
successful in the upcoming task.

5. During Day 27, Compatible Rates on page 197
201, the book has preplanned questions for the
teacher to ask to have students realize how the
results will change when the family sizes change. The
teacher questions help guide the students to realize
the general formula. It also has pre-planned
questions that help students see the real life
considerations.

Student
Configurations
5 Opportunities:
1. The Family on page 14-19 has students in the
configuration of groups of 4. Students
responsibilities are determined by who ever is sitting
in the club, diamond, heart, or spade seat. This has
your classroom set up with each chair having a role.
In this activity, the card suite randomly decides
students family types.


2. All Homework All homework assignments from
the book can be presented in a variety of ways. Some
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days, individual students can be asked to explain
homework while other days could be the whole table
present or only certain suits from the cards will
present. There are so many different ways to have
students grouped to present the homework. This also
helps keep kids on their toes cause they never know
what day they might have to present.


3. Presentation of POW 8: The Hay baler Problem
during this presentation, the teacher only picks 3
students to present their answers. Depending on the
results of the students answers, a varied amount of
questions and conversations can be had. By pick 3
different students, you can create a situation where
they have all the same answers to tackle more
complex issues or you
can pick 3 students where answers will vary and a
conversation can be had about the ways of solving
and how this affected their work.

4. More Fair Share on Chores page 174-174 Has
students working in their groups to discover, without
them knowing, how to solve system of equations.
Students work together and teachers are encouraged
to not help since major Aha moments will happen.
When these Aha moments happen the teacher edition
suggests having two or three groups present their
methods. This has students configured in groups but
only a few are chosen to present.

5. Most of the IMP book has students working in
groups but sometimes, when skills are gaining more
practice, it is important to have individual work so
that teachers can assess where students are. In Water
Conservation on page 186-187 Students are
configured to work individually.


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4. Assessments
Formative Assessments
Many of the HW assignments
can be used as formative
assessments. The HW
assignments are an extension to
the lesson they just experienced.
HW could be presented or
collected to monitor students
progress.
In Hats for the Families on
page 23, students will use
the descriptions from the
lesson , The Family. They
need to find out the
minimum and maximum
number of hats that might
be needed for each family
type and wagon train.
More Fair Share on
Chores on page 174 -176
has students working in
their groups to discover,
without them knowing,
how to solve system of
equations. Since its a
continuation of their work
from the previous day, it
can be used to see how
students are processing
making equations,
graphing, and finding a
solution.
In Water Conservation on
page 186-187 Students are
configured to work
individually. As a teacher, I
Summative Assessments
The Summative assessment for
Overland Trail consists of a test
and a portfolio.

In the portfolio, students write a
cover letter to describe the main
mathematical ideas of the unit.
This helps the kids understand
and prove what they learned.
They then must select specific
papers from the unit that help
prove that they understood the
main concepts. This
demonstrates their understand
on graphing, making tables, and
rules. They also have to select a
few assignments on their own to
support understanding variables,
rates, POW and any other quality
work. Finally they reflect on their
learning of graphing calculators
and how this tool can be helpful.

All of the proof that the students
provide all supports the
embedded math standards and
math practices. The portfolio also
gives students a chance to
rework some homework to show
that they fully understand the
content. I feel that the portfolio
helps balance the final (test)
assessment. It gives students a
chance to show their learning in
a less stressful way instead of
solely relying on memory for a
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would collect this
assignment to see where
students stand on writing
rules for situations and
finding a common solution
in a pair of equations.

test. This can be very helpful for
SPED students.

Apart from the Portfolio,
students also take a Final where
they are given a very similar
problem to the one in the
Overland Trail to solve. Since
students are familiar with the
situation, I feel that they
assessment is very fair to all
types of students, especially ELs,
since they are used to the
language and what is being
asked. The final is laid out in 4
questions that each
demonstrates one of the main
standards of learning.




5. Intervention and Differentiation for all
Learners
EL Strategies 5 Examples
1. Communication Practices and Cooperative Group
Work-Day 1 Form groups that will last throughout the
unit.
When students are introduced to the story, it is
important to provide real life materials so students
understand the situation. A US map should be posted
and historical background should be given. This is
very important for ELs to understand the new
vocabulary.

3. Story Reenactment-Planning for the Long Journey
Day 5.
Students begin to plan for the journey by making
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supply lists. This is another important area for some
differentiation for students. Students are allowed to
brainstorm together making a safe environment for
ELs to listen to ideas and talk about different
situations before making decisions.


4. Preview/Review- Homework assignments
Presenting the homework assignments the next day
is very helpful to EL students. They get to hear the
vocabulary verbally and get to correct their own
work. It is powerful to have ELs present, (as well as
all students) because deeper meaning can often be
discovered when they have to explain their thinking
to their peers.

4. Vocabulary Development/Dictionaries-Glossary
and background reading
During HW presentations, students can use this time
to fill out their own personal dictionairies when they
are exposed to new vocabulary. The curriculum also
provides some background reading that the teacher
can look at ahead of time to find words or phrases
that might be difficult for an EL student to
understand. Doing this will help develop a deeper
understanding of the lesson and unit.

5. The final portfolio is very powerful for EL students
because it gives them an opportunity to display their
learning through writing. This provides great
practice of vocabulary and deepens understanding
since the mathematical learning must be shown
through a description in words.

Special Ed &
GATE
Example:
1. During Day 27, Compatible Rates on page 197
201, the book has preplanned questions for the
teacher to ask to have students realize how the
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results will change when the family sizes
change. When students discover the formula, it
says that you may want to have students graph
the function this is a modification that can be
done for Special Ed to make sure students
really see the correlation before the formula is
given.

2. I would also use Day 27, Compatible Rates on page
197 201 to make a GATE assignment. The
discussion of the previous nights homework has
some real-life considerations built in to the
assignment in regards to how much water supply
they need. I would create an extend assignment
where students need to research how much water is
in our local reserve and have them determine how
much water is kept in reserve for each resident in the
area.

3. All the homework is helpful to SPED students
because it almost always direct correlates to the class
learning and does not introduce new topics. Students
are familiar with what is being asked since it was
dealt with in class. Homework can also be easily
modified by the amount of work assigned.

4. GATE students can be further engaged on a few
different homework assignments by adding an
extend part. For example, I would add the Sketching
Graphs from Words hand out (given by Sylvia
Turner in class) to the GATE students if they finished
early or as an additional assignment after they learn
how variables affect graphs. This helps extend their
thinking and strengthens their graph understanding.

5. Finally, the end portfolio allows for many ways for
both GATE and SPED students to display their
learning. For SPED students, teachers could assign
certain assignments to be displayed instead of
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allowing the students to choose. For GATE students,
you could add an extension part where they have to
write their own word problem situation/homework
that ties into the Overland Trail. The modifications
are endless!!