Scaffolding a 4th Grade Math Lesson

Scaffolding a 4th
Grade Math Lesson
Big Ideas
Lesson Objectives
Key Factors
- SWBAT provide and explain the area and perimeter formulas
- SWBAT to the fine area and perimeter of any given rectangular shape, building, or room.
- SWBAT apply the area and perimeter formulas to work backwards and find the lengths of missing sides when provides with a given area or perimeter.
- SWBAT use the area and perimeter formulas to solve real world problems
- Grade Level: I carefully selected the scaffolding strategies based on the age of the students. Its important to choose age appropriate strategies that will keep students engaged and on task.
- Prior Knowledge: Most of the strategies allow me to build on prior knowledge, and even give me a place to quickly review prior concepts.
- Level of Readiness: Each student is different and is at a different point in their academic life. The scaffolding strategies selected give me flexibility to meet the needs of all students.
- Understand and apply the area formula
- Understand and apply the perimeter formula
- Use the formulas to find the areas and perimeters of real life objects
- Understand the practical use area and perimeter in real life
Scaffolding Strategies
- Show and Tell
- I will show students what I am doing rather than just talking
about it. As I explain area and perimeter, I will be measuring an
object and physically showing them what that looks like, and how
to use those measurements to compute area and perimeter.
- Think Aloud
- Model thinking out loud. While working through a problem, I
will say all of my thoughts out loud so that students can have a
model for how to think about a problem as they work through
- Pre-teach Vocabulary
- Review definitions of important words for this
standard, including: Area, Perimeter, Unit,
Centimeters, Inches, Length, Width
- Visual Aids
- Provide a diagram/picture on a posterboard that shows area
and perimeter, and how to find it. Keep these
diagrams/visuals up throughout the course of teaching this
- Guided Notes
- Create and fill out guided notes as a class. This can be an
ongoing note sheet that includes concepts taught over the
course of several days. The notes will help students to remember
the formulas and will also include examples.
- Small Groups
- Before moving to independent work, students will work in
small groups or partners to get comfortable with the
material and have a chance to discuss their ideas and
- I Do, We Do, You Do
- I will explain and show studetnts how to do a
problem. We will do a problem together.
Students will complete a problem on their own.
- Prompting
- When working one-on-one with a student, i will use prompting. For example, if a
student is struggling with an area problem, I can provide them with a prompt
by saying, "Okay, so can you tell me what area means?" student answers
"Great, so you are saying that area is all the space inside the shape. So how can we figure out how much space is inside this rectangle?"
- White Boards
- This will be a whole class activity, where students have personal white
boards. A problem will be given, and students will complete the problem
on their board, then hold up the board to give their answer. Its a quick way
for me to check how students are doing and I can provide extra help where