Subject:
Mathematics
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Level:
Middle School
Grade:
6
Provider:
Pearson
Tags:
  • 6th Grade Mathematics
  • Projects.
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Text/HTML

    Classroom Project Presentation

    Classroom Project Presentation

    Overview

    In this lesson and the next, student groups make their presentations, provide feedback about other students' presentations, and get evaluated on their listening skills.

    Key Concepts

    In this culminating event, students must present their project plan and solution to the class. The presentation allows students to explain their problem-solving plan, to communicate their reasoning, and to construct a viable argument about a mathematical problem. Students also listen to other project presentations and provide feedback to the presenters. Listeners have the opportunity to critique the mathematical reasoning of others.

    Goals and Learning Objectives

    • Present project to the class.
    • Give feedback on other project presentations.
    • Exhibit good listening skills.

    Give Feedback and Be a Good Listener

    Lesson Guide

    Schedule the project presentations based on the length of your mathematics period and the number of presentations.

    Organize project presentations in the way you think best supports your students' growth in these areas:

    • Making choices in math class
    • Doing independent and sustained work
    • Talking about their mathematical thinking to each other and to you

    Tell students that the presentation order will be randomly determined, with each slot filled immediately before the presentation. This arrangement helps students attend to all presenters (rather than counting down the minutes until their own presentation). Randomly select the presenters on your computer or draw papers from a hat—just make sure your students trust that your method really is random.

    Assign a student to be the timer and announce “one minute left” for each presenter. This relieves you of watching the clock, helps all students get accustomed to how quickly the time passes, and lets the presenters make a proper conclusion.

    Project Evaluation

    Students first saw the scoring rubric in Lesson 3 and had a chance to add to it in Lesson 6, so the rubric should now be quite familiar to them. Tell the class that the rubric scores and comments for each presentation will be available after the last presentation on the second day. Students will be able to access their own (and only their own) project evaluations.

    Have a large copy of the project rubric posted in the classroom if it is not posted already.

    Project Feedback Form

    Tell students that listeners will have the chance to provide feedback to the presenters immediately after each presentation. Listeners will have 2 minutes to enter their feedback to one or both prompts on the document. At the end of Lesson 9, all presenters will gain access to the listeners' feedback on their presentation (and can read it then or later).

    Have students access the feedback document. Have students practice completing and saving the document once. Listeners will fill it in after each presentation.

    Listener Checklist

    Review the listener checklist. Explain that you will rate the class on how well they are listening during the presentations. Encourage students to use these listening skills during the presentations.

    Opening

    Give Feedback and Be a Good Listener

    Today and tomorrow you will present your projects.

    • You will fill out a feedback document for each presentation. Look at the feedback document. Practice—just once!—completing and saving it. Note that the project rubric is posted in the classroom for your reference.
    • Look at the listener checklist. Your teacher will rate the class on these listening skills during the presentations, so try to use these skills as you listen to the presentations.

    HANDOUT: Listener Checklist
    HANDOUT: Providing Good Feedback

    Math Mission

    Lesson Guide

    Discuss the Math Mission. Students will present their projects and evaluate other students' projects.

    ELL: Be cognizant that ELLs may encounter difficulties when they have to express themselves in a foreign language. If you hear that they say the right things but use the wrong grammar structure, show signs of agreement and softly rephrase using the correct grammar. Use the student's words as much as possible.

    Opening

    Present your project and evaluate other students’ projects.

    Present Projects

    Lesson Guide

    Treat the presentations like the dress rehearsal of a play: don't interrupt except to avert a disaster. Evaluate the projects and evaluate the listeners. After each presentation, remind listeners to use the feedback document. Support the presenters as unobtrusively as possible. Identify what you'll change for the next project (or, if truly necessary, for later presentations).

    Remind the class that at the end of the second day of presentations, students will gain access to these data:

    • The rubric evaluation of their project
    • Their classmates' feedback on their project
    • Their listener checklist (your evaluation of the student as a listener)

    SWD: All students should be working on speaking and listening skills, but some students with disabilities may be reluctant to speak in front of peers for a variety of reasons. Provide students alternative means of presenting their project. Possible supports/alternatives for presentations are:

    • Students can make a video or audio recording of themselves.
    • When groups are presenting, consider assigning different presentation-related roles to group members (materials management, note-taker, director, etc.) who are less comfortable.
    • Provide additional opportunities to rehearse what will be presented. Have students create cue cards to refer to throughout the presentation in order to lessen anxiety and reliance on memory.

    Performance Task

    Present Projects

    Over the next two lessons you have two jobs. You will present your project, and you will evaluate other students’ projects.

    • Present your project:
      • Share any visuals (diagrams, tables, graphs) you made, and discuss how these visuals illustrate the mathematics in your project.
      • Explain any calculations you made.
      • Discuss any other relevant or interesting aspects of your project—for example, research you conducted to learn more about your project topic, or why you chose your project topic.
    • Evaluate other students’ projects:
      • Complete the feedback document after each presentation.
      • Make your feedback honest, considerate, and specific, because the presenters will read your comments.

    HANDOUT: Listerner Checklist
    HANDOUT: Project Feedback Form

    Reflect On Your Work

    Lesson Guide

    Have each student write a brief reflection before the end of class. Review the reflections to learn what each student's favorite presentation was and why.

    Work Time

    Reflection

    Write a reflection about today’s project presentations. Use the sentence starter below if you find it to be helpful.

    My favorite presentation was _______ because …