Illuminations: Planning a Trip

Planning a Trip

Unit Overview

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Lesson 7

Lesson 8

Presenting the Plan for a Class Trip

During this segment, student groups present the plans they developed in the previous lesson. This provides the teacher an opportunity to review students’ attainment of the primary unit objectives and to assess students’ current knowledge and skill level. This experience focuses students’ attention on the mathematics needed in planning a short trip. It builds towards the application of these understandings and skills in the remaining segments of the unit.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

display the data they collect
formulate questions based upon the data collected by other groups
defend the choice they made

Materials

Computer and Internet connection
Class Notes Activity Sheet
Trip Comparison Activity Sheet

Instructional Plan

Ask students to gather in the groups they worked in during the previous lesson and to prepare to present their travel plans to the class. Remind students to include their reasons for making the decisions that they did.

As each group reports, display its data in chart form using the Trip Comparison Activity Sheet.

Trip Comparison Activity Sheet
When all groups have reported, discuss with students the ways they collected their data and the decisions they made based on that data. Ask them to explain and defend their choices. Invite students to record the process in journal format. These recordings enable the teacher to see which variables students attended to most often and provide evidence to document student progress toward learning goals.

After each group's presentation, or after all groups have reported, invite the students to reconvene in their individual groups to formulate questions about each of the other groups’ plans. Then compare the trip plans and ask group members how they arrived at their final plan. You may suggest that they specifically focus on how they decided what the distance was to their destination and how they figured the time needed for the trip.

Questions for Students

How did you decide where to go? Did everyone in your group agree? If not, how did you come to an agreement?

How did you determine how long the trip would take? What did you need to take into account as you planned the departure time? The return time?

What helped you plan a schedule during the visit? Why did you choose those items?

Could you have had a different schedule?

How did you find the distance to the attraction? Could you do it another way?

Assessment Options

At this stage of the unit it is important to know:
- which variables students attend to
- whether students can find distances
- if students can find elapsed time
The guiding questions help students focus on the mathematics applied in this unit and aid you in understanding the students’ level of knowledge and skill with them. One of the assessment tools provided is a recording sheet Class Notes. You may find it helpful to record students’ current level of understanding as a way to plan instruction and to monitor and measure their growth toward meeting the learning objectives. Documenting information about student understandings throughout the unit helps you focus on individual student’s needs and strengths, and plan instructional activities to increase student-learning opportunities.
Data on individual students can be used to plan strategies for regrouping students, for remediation, and for extension activities. This information is extremely useful when discussing progress toward learning targets with students, parents, administrators, and colleagues.

Extensions

Ask students to draw a picture or write descriptions of the places they planned to visit. [This activity could address required curriculum goals and objectives such as descriptive writing and social studies topics.]

Teacher Reflection

Which groups worked together most effectively? Would a different grouping strategy work?
Did students in each group contribute equally to the project? Did some students exhibit special strengths? Did some students exhibit reluctance to participate? Why?
Which students met all the objectives of this lesson? What extension activities are appropriate for these students?
Which students did not meet the objectives of this lesson? What instructional experiences do they need next? What mathematical ideas need clarification? What misconceptions did they demonstrate?
What adjustments would you make the next time you teach this lesson?

NCTM Standards and Expectations

Data Analysis & Probability 3-5

Design investigations to address a question and consider how data-collection methods affect the nature of the data set.
Represent data using tables and graphs such as line plots, bar graphs, and line graphs.
Propose and justify conclusions and predictions that are based on data and design studies to further investigate the conclusions or predictions.