Designing Math Lessons for Adult Ed Using OER

Adult Educators do not have a lot of time to dive into dozens of resources spread all over the internet to try to find the essential items they need to create a high-quality lesson for their students. This guide is designed to walk you through each step of creating a math lesson-plan with recommended OER that you can evaluate. With each step of the guide, I create a sample lesson on learning the Pythagorean Theorem. By the end, you have an entire lesson plan example for this concept.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Jason Walker

Rules for Exponents

Laws of Exponents Product and Quotient Rules The Power rule for Exponents Negative and Zero Exponents Simplify Expressions using the Exponent Rules

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Integrating Information Technology to study Mathematics

This course is is a collection of resources on OER Commons curated for Adult Education instructors and students to show the integration of math into the Information Technology Career Sector. Students will analyze and practice specific skills related to being in IT as well as develop math skills. Modules in this curriculum guide can be studied in any particular order as one does not necessarily build upon the other. Each includes the idea of building mathematical and logic skills required for programming and other IT related careers.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Author: Lyn Warne

Exponents: Take your knowledge to a higher power

According to the GED testing service, test takers struggle with “applying rules of exponents in numerical expressions with rational exponents to write equivalent expressions with rational exponents.” (https://www.gedtestingservice.com/uploads/files/09738c12fe4e4accd9a16bab7cb99a3c.pdf ) Students do “fairly well” with simple squares and square roots, but there is a “sharp drop-off” when things get more complicated. These are questions included in the “no calculator” portion of the test. These skills are Mathematics Standards Level D in the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (https://www.educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf ) under “Expressions and Equations.” This curriculum guide will offer opportunities to build the deeper understanding necessary to understand the rules of exponents such as (xm)n = xmn . Write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents. (6.EE.1) Know and apply the properties of integer exponents to generate equivalent numerical expressions. (8.EE.1)

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Susan Jones

Classifying Solutions to Systems of Equations

This lesson unit is intended to help teachers assess how well students are able to classify solutions to a pair of linear equations by considering their graphical representations. In particular, this unit aims to help teachers identify and assist students who have difficulties in: using substitution to complete a table of values for a linear equation; identifying a linear equation from a given table of values; and graphing and solving linear equations.

Material Type: Assessment, Lesson Plan

Solving Linear Equations in One Variable

This lesson unit is intended to help teachers assess how well students are able to: solve linear equations in one variable with rational number coefficients; collect like terms; expand expressions using the distributive property; and categorize linear equations in one variable as having one, none, or infinitely many solutions. It also aims to encourage discussion on some common misconceptions about algebra.

Material Type: Assessment, Lesson Plan

OER Curriculum guide: Adult Secondary level: Algebra and functions

Based on the College and Career Readiness Standards in Action- 25% of higher level math instruction should be spent on Algebra and Functions. This includes Interpreting quadratic equations, using their structure to rewrite them in equivalent forms which serve a purpose. Also creating and solving quadratic equations to solve problems, both algebraically and graphically. They are to be able to re-arrange formulas involving quadratics and highligh specific quantities. (Guide to Effectively Managing Higher-Level Content Standards in Mathematics.)The amount of OER material available to assist instruction in higher level EFL math for adults is numerous, but searching for it often gets one tangled in the pedigogical instruction, with simplistic "real-life" examples, whereas adults with REAL "real-life" experience can appreciate the topics applied to broader world examples. This curriculum guide will give suggestions  for pre-lesson activities to stimulate prior knowledge, walk you through a lesson example, and hopefully whet your appetite for using OER's in your regular instruction. 

Material Type: Module

Author: Lori Lundine

Area of a trapezoid. Definition and formula

A web page and interactive applet showing the ways to calculate the area of a trapezoid. The user can drag the vertices of the trapezoid and the other points change automatically to ensure it remains a trapezoid. A grid inside the shape allows students to estimate the area visually, then check against the actual computed area. The text on the page gives three different ways to calculate the area with a formula for each. The applet uses one of the methods to compute the area in real time, so it changes as the trapezoid is reshaped with the mouse. A companion page is http://www.mathopenref.com/trapezoid.html showing the definition and properties of a trapezoid. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

Material Type: Reading, Simulation

Author: John Page

Area of a triangle (conventional method)

An interactive applet and associated web page that explain the area of a triangle. The applet shows a triangle that can be reshaped by dragging any vertex. As it changes, the area is continually recalculated using the 'half base times height' method. The triangle has a fixed square grid in its interior that can be used to visually estimate the area for later correlation with the calculated value. The calculation can be hidden while estimation is in progress. The text page has links to a similar page that uses Heron's Formula to compute the area. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

Material Type: Reading, Simulation

Author: John Page

Area of a parallelogram. Definition and formula

A web page and interactive applet showing the ways to calculate the area of a parallelogram. The user can drag the vertices of the parallelogram and the other points change automatically to ensure it remains a parallelogram. A grid inside the shape allows students to estimate the area visually, then check against the actual computed area, which is continuously recomputed and displayed. The text on the page gives three different ways to calculate the area with a formula for each. The applet uses one of the methods to compute the area in real time, so it changes as the rhombus is reshaped with the mouse. A companion page is http://www.mathopenref.com/parallelogram.html showing the definition and properties of a parallelogram Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

Material Type: Reading, Simulation

Author: John Page

Neuron

Stimulate a neuron and monitor what happens. Pause, rewind, and move forward in time in order to observe the ions as they move across the neuron membrane.

Material Type: Simulation

Authors: John Blanco, Katherine Perkins, Noah Podolefsky, Wendy Adams

Acids and Bases: Testing Rocket Cars

A car propelled by the reaction between lemon juice and baking soda has more in common with rockets and jet aircraft than one might think. In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, two cast members demonstrate the power of rocket-propelled vehicles and how to exploit the force produced by the carbon dioxide gas. Grades 3-8.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Volcanoes

In this lesson, students investigate the processes that build volcanoes, the types of rocks they create, the factors that influence different eruption types, and the threats volcanoes pose to their surrounding environments. They will also create a notebook of volcano characteristics and use what they have learned to identify physical features and eruption types in some real-life documented volcanic episodes.

Material Type: Interactive, Lesson Plan

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Minnesota Literacy Council Curriculum and Lesson Plans

The Minnesota Literacy Council provides a wide variety of professionally written curriculum for adult ESL, adult literacy, and GED classes. The ESL Curriculum includes six months of comprehensive, life-skills based curriculum for pre-beginning and beginning level classes. The units in these curricula are based on themes that are applicable to adult ESL learners, aligned with the CASAS standards, and incorporate the ACES Transitions Skills Framework. Each unit includes explicit teacher instructions, a grammar focus, and printable handouts. GED Science and Mathematical Reasoning curricula are also available, as well as curriculum for employment readiness, technology mini-grants, and citizenship instruction. The site also includes curriculum units that were created in partnership with ECHO Minnesota. Topics covered are: voting, domestic violence, community resilience, tornado safety, and health.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

1964 Alaska Earthquake

This video adapted from the Valdez Museum & Historical Archive, explores what happened during the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 through original footage, first-person accounts, and animations illustrating plate tectonics.

Material Type: Lecture

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Causes of the American Revolution

This kit provides teachers and other educators with the materials and guidance to help fourth grade students understand the reasons that the British colonists elected to declare their independence from King George III between the years 1763-1776. As a part of these lessons students will be encouraged to consider the intent and impact of media documents from a variety of points of view including those of the colonists, King George, patriots, loyalists, slaves and Native Americans.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Diagram/Illustration, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Primary Source, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Authors: Amy Eckley, Andrea Volckmar, Chris Sperry, Karen Griffin, Lynn VanDeWeert, Rachel Coates, Sox Sperry, Whitney Bong

United States War research presentation

Students will complete research on the subject of United States Wars using the offline Wikipedia available on their classroom computers. They will create a short presentation in Open Office Impress and share with the class.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Deann Dahl

Responding to Hate and Bias at School

A noose is found hanging from a goalpost on a high school campus. A swastika, 20 feet in diameter, is burned into the pavement at a junior high school. A group of white high school students dresses in banana suits for a basketball game and taunts their majority-black rival with racial slurs. A Sikh student has his turban pulled off and hair cut by fellow students. Your school has plans and protocols in place to respond to fires, severe weather, medical emergencies, fights and weapons possession. But what about school incidents like those listed above that involve bigotry and hate? Are plans in place to respond to a bias incident or hate crime? Too often these plans are created in the moment during the actual crisis. Bias incidents are far too complex for on-the-fly planning; an early misstep can heighten tension and damage chances for long-term success.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

How Trustworthy is the internet?

  Students will spend 3-5 days learning about bias. They must figure out what bias is and how to spot bias in an online article. For the final product students will be asked to create a product that their peers can use to identify bias.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Blended Learning Teacher Practice Network

I’m Not Biased, Am I? Understanding Implicit Bias

Bias is a universal human condition. It is not a personal defect, but it is important to recognize your biases and manage them. We cannot cure unconscious bias, but we can address it. This lesson will provide you the opportunity to identify your personal biases. You have them, even if you think you don’t! You are encouraged to try this lesson so you can be more aware of your personal biases and take the necessary steps to reduce their impact on your life.StandardsCC.8.5.11-12.G Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Tracy Rains