Scaffolding Comprehension Lesson

Teacher: Rebecca Pachuta           Date: July 31, 2014

Subject:  Exploring Volume          Student Level: High School Geometry

Text:  The Perfect Fit 

1	This reading is intended for 9th or 10th grade geometry students. It is an activity that gives students the opportunity to take what they have learned in class and apply it somewhere else which is the ultimate goal of my instructional plans. In general, before this activity/reading the students should have learned general volume formulas. After the reading students can be directed to the bonus activity which involves using the volume formulas backwards, (for example, given the volume and height but need to solve for the radius).
2	"The Perfect Fit: Take-Home Activity 3." Teachers. Scholastic Inc., 2014. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/smp/actuarial/ actuarial4 _activity3.pdf>. This reading describes a take-home activity in which students analyze items they have at home and apply volume formulas. One example is having the students calculate the volume of their bedroom and closet. There is even a bonus activity included at the bottom that has students working backwards to find the height of a can of juice if they are given its radius and volume. Using Story Toolz I found that the readability of this text averages about a 6th grade level. While the reading is easy, the students will find this text more challenging if they are not properly focused and aware of the geometry/volume references being asked of them. On a personal scale I rate this a 3 for similar reasons to my 4th text above. Students are going to need some prior knowledge about calculating volumes before they can complete the problem set on their own. If I were to choose a grade level for this text to be used I think it would be best suited for a high school geometry class - so around 9th or 10th grade as mentioned above - because of what is being asked of the students. There are some visuals in the text which is helpful for giving the students an idea of what to do. The text also provides formulas for the students to use which helps to make it less complex than if the volume formulas were not given.
3	Guiding Questions: Why do we need to know volume formulas? Where do you think we could apply volume formulas in the real world? Think about how we might apply these ideas to finding the volume of our classroom.

LESSON

4	Time:	What teachers do…	What students do…
	Before (Day 1)	·         Have students complete a taxonomy of terms related to volume as a warm-up. Individual work first followed by small group work. ·         Review different volume formulas with students using the volume formula handout9 and the volume formulas YouTube video7 visualizations. ·         Discuss different measuring methods and how a conversion chart11 may be useful. Go through examples of conversions and give students time to work on a few by themselves.	·         Complete taxonomy of terms as a Think-Pair-Share activity to discuss what they came up with and build their vocabulary with the help of others. ·         Take time to go over the different volume formulas – handout and YouTube video. Follow along with teacher and keep for future reference ·         Practice converting and understanding how to use the conversion table in the right way. Follow along with teacher and then try a few examples on their own.
	During (End of Day 1: front-loading of the activity that is to be completed at home in 1-2 nights)	·         Discuss the components of the take-home activity and clarify student questions. Teacher asks volunteers to read the text10 allowed. ·         Guiding Questions: “Why do we need to know volume formulas? Where do you think we could apply volume formulas in the real world? Think about how we might apply these ideas to finding the volume of our classroom.”	·         Ask questions and ask for clarification on the activity. ·         Have students discuss the guiding questions and make a list of possible real-world volume formula applications as a writing-to-learn activity.
	After (Day 2)	·         Once students have had a chance to complete the assignment they will bring their findings to class and share with small groups. A few individuals can share with the class if they want. ·         Go over the bonus question step-by-step to prepare students to work backward with the volume formulas in the future.	·           Share with groups and potentially the class. Discuss findings (peer collaboration). ·           Active listening and note-taking (perhaps use the double-entry note taking method with “knowledge” as one column and the other being “explanation/strategy”).

Bibliography

.      1   Daniels, Harvey, Steven Zemelman, and Nancy Steineke. Content-area Writing: Every Teacher's Guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007. Print.

2   Hibbing, Anne N., and Joan L. Rankin-Erickson. "A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Visual Images to Improve Comprehension for Middle School Struggling Readers." The Reading Teacher 56.8 (2003): 758-70. Print.

3     Hillman, Ann Marie. "A Literature Review on Disciplinary Literacy." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (2013): PDF.

4   Lattimer, Heather. Reading for Learning: Using Discipline-based Texts to Build Content Knowledge. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2010. Print.

5   Moje, Elizabeth Birr. "Foregrounding the Disciplines in Secondary Literacy Teaching and Learning: A Call for Change."Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 52.2 (2008): 96-107. PDF.

6    Moore-Russo, Deborah, and Lynn E. Shanahan. "A Broader Vision of Literacy."Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 57.7 (2014): 527-32. PDF.

7     Pachuta, Rebecca M. "Blog 3 Screencast: Exploring Volume." YouTube. YouTube, 16 July 2014. Web. 20 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke8n2ep4tc8>.

8    Smith, Antony T., and Robin L. Angotti. ""Why Are There So Many Words in Math?": Planning for Content-Area Vocabulary Instruction." Voices from the Middle 20.1 (2012): 43-51. PDF.

9  "Solid Geometry Wiki." Web log post. Solid Geometry Wiki. William K. Bradford Publishing Company, 2005. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://solid-geometry.wikia.com/wiki/Solid_Geometry_Wiki>.

 10     "The Perfect Fit: Take-Home Activity 3." Teachers. Scholastic Inc., 2014. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/smp/actuarial/actuarial4_activity3.pdf>. 

1   11     "Volume Conversion Table." Volume Conversion Table: Milliliter Liter Cubic Feet Pint Quart Gallon Barrel Cubic Meter. GlobeFeed, 2009. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://metricunitconversion.globefeed.com/Volume_Conversion_Table.asp>.