Write a Lesson Plan to Teach Long Division
1. In your groups, discuss ways to explain long division.
Consider the
use of manipulatives. Assume that your target audience is okay with
smaller division questions like 20/4, but not 4521/3 or 4840/11.
2. Write an outline of what you would present to a class of students.
Include examples. Be purposeful about your examples. Do they have
stories (not necessary)? Why did you pick the numbers you did? Are
they meant to make the questions harder or easier? What will the role
of pictures or manipulatives be?
3. Your lesson plan will most likely explain "How to use the long
division algorithm." Try to make it also explain "Why the long
division algorithm works" or "How we could invent the algorithm."
4. Make an outline of your lesson plan on the large butcher paper.
You do not have to write on the butcher paper why you picked certain
numbers, but be prepared for the other groups to ask.
5. Present your lesson plans to the other groups. Present them teacher to
teacher, not teacher to student. Outline (briefly) the strategies
employed and compare with the other groups.
6. As homework for Monday: Give typed responses to the following.
a) Should we teach long division in grade school? Why or
why
not?
b) Can long division be taught with manipulatives? Briefly
explain your reasoning.
c) Submit a typed copy of your lesson plan. It should include
at least two examples with 2 to 4 digit numbers. It should
explain the "how" and the "why" of long division for individual
steps. Please assume that your target audience is comfortable
with non-long division problems, like 20
4 and
63
7.
If you lesson plan is aided by pictures or layouts you cannot easily type,
please type what you are able to and fill in the rest by hand. Consider this
the sort of writing assignment that may take multiple drafts.
