Standard Form FIve Step Lesson Plan

Yesterday I explained the steps of the WBT Five Step Lesson Plan. Today I will post a sample lesson I plan on using in my class. These can be adapted for anything. I've come up with five step lessons for classroom procedures on the first days of school. If you'd like to see those, let me know.

Standard Form

Step 1 Question: What is standard form?

Step 2 Answer: Standard form is a way to write numbers using digits. (Gesture: write in the air, then count on fingers to show digits are symbols ranging from 0-9.)

Step 3 Explain: Show examples of numbers written in standard form. Show non-examples of numbers written in standard form. Ask students to point to examples of numbers written in standard form around the room. Ask students to write their personal student number in the air and then on their whiteboards in standard form. Ask students to write their partner’s student number in the air and then on their whiteboards in standard form. Ask the students to write our room number, their age, the number of students in the school, etc. in standard form in the air and on their whiteboards. Repeat with non-examples as necessary.

Step 4 Test: Students respond “Yes” or “No Way” with gestures to the following questions:

(Point to or write out examples.)

Is the daily decimal written in standard form?

Is the number of the day written in standard form?

Are the dates on the American History Timeline written in standard form?

(Write a number in word form on the board.) Is this number written in standard form?

(Write a number in expanded form on the board.) Is this number written in standard form?

Are the numbers on the calendar written in standard form?

If 90% of the class answers correctly, use the QT test with the following True/False statements:

Numbers written in standard form always include spelled out words.

Numbers in standard form only use numerical digits.

Numbers written in standard form include addition signs.

Numbers written in standard form have no spelled out words.

Numbers written in standard form have no addition signs.

The student numbers on your nameplates are written in standard form.

Step 5 Critical Thinking: Students complete one or more of the following exercises:

1. Write a paragraph to your first grade reading buddy to help them understand what a number written in standard form is and what it is not.

2. Create a scavenger hunt for at least five examples of numbers written in standard form around the classroom. Have your partner complete it.

After the lesson, the teacher posts a Power Pix of the lesson. The Power Pix stays up for constant review. You can have the students review all the Power Pix before a lesson, compare and contrast some of them, whatever you want! They have learned the definition and gesture that goes with each of them, so the more they review, the more likely it is for the concepts to become cemented in long term memory. 

This is a screen shot of the Power Pix I created for this lesson. I've made all of the Power Pix for our first unit in math. I laminated them and stuck magnetic tape on the back. The Power Pix will be displayed on the whiteboards in my room.

Questions? Let me know!