Benchmark – Algebra Unit Plan

by | Mar 31, 2023 | Analysis

 

 

Because lessons do not stop when a student leaves the classroom, purposeful collaboration with other teachers, staff, and families can help reinforce and expand the student’s knowledge and skills. Whenever possible, teachers should try to engage families in ways that encourage them to have their child practice the math skills at home. Having both the teacher and parents/guardians on the same page helps to support the student.

Read the case study to inform the assignment.

Case Study: Fiona

Grade: 9th

Age: 14

It is the beginning of the second semester, and Fiona is having a great deal of difficulty in her mainstream algebra class. Prior to this year, she was receiving instruction in the resource setting. At her eighth grade transition IEP meeting, her parents expressed their wishes that Fiona be in the mainstream algebra class, despite her special education teacher explaining that low reading comprehension negatively affects the understanding of math concepts. Fiona understands basic concepts of algebra but has not mastered the skills needed to move to the higher-level concepts her class is now working on. Currently, her math performance has been measured two years below grade level and her reading performance one year below grade level. Fiona’s general education math teacher has spoken with her parents about the possible need for additional support, and her parents have agreed to help at home, as they do not want her being pulled out for resource at this time.

The following goals have been identified by the special education teacher collaborating with the general education math teacher for Fiona:

Simplify addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations [e.g., (2x + 6) + (4x + 7) = 6x + 13].
Solve expressions with variables (e.g., 3x = -24).
Write and solve the algebraic equation in a real-life word problem.
Part 1: Strategies

As the special education teacher, select two researched-based instructional strategies that could be used to help Fiona meet her identified goals.

Instructional strategies should include:

Explicitly teaching related vocabulary
The use of the concrete-representational-abstract strategies
Graphic organizers
Mnemonic devices
The use of assistive technology
In 250-500 words, summarize the recommended instructional strategies, rationalizing their appropriateness for Fiona’s goals and ability to help motivate Fiona to meet her goals. Include specific tips for implementation.

Part 2: 3 Day Unit Plan

Design a comprehensive mathematics unit plan based on the goals identified for Fiona. Outline three sequenced lesson plans, using the “3 Day Unit Plan Template.”

 

Appropriate augmentative and alternative communication systems and assistive technology to make the lesson content more accessible.
Integration of both formative and summative assessments to demonstrate mastery and support the generalization of learning for the student.
Integration of an appropriate ELA writing standard related to Fiona’s third identified goal.
Part 3: Home Connection

In 250-500 words, explain how you plan to involve Fiona’s parents in meeting her goals. Include a specific at-home activity to help in her continued success.

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies and professional standards:
MEd in Special Education ITL/NITL
MEd in Special Education (Nevada)
Understand the central concepts, structures of the discipline, and tools of inquiry of the content areas taught, organize this knowledge, integrate cross-disciplinary skills, and develop meaningful learning progressions for individuals with disabilities. [CEC 3.1, ICSI.3.K1, ICSI.3.K2, ICSI.3.K3, ICSI.3.S1, IGC.5.K3; InTASC 4(a), 5(c); GCU Mission Critical1, GCU Mission Critical 2, GCU

Understand and use general and specialized content knowledge for teaching across curricular content areas to individualize learning for individuals with disabilities. [CEC 3.2, ICSI.3.K2, ICSI.3.K3, ICSI.5.S15; InTASC 4(b), 5(c), 8(n); GCU Mission Critical 1, GCU Mission Critical 2, GCU Mission Critical 4]

Modify general and specialized curricula to make them accessible to individuals with disabilities. [CEC 3.3, ICSI.1.K3, ICSI.3.K2, ICSI.3.K3, ICSI.5.S15, ICSI.5.S21, IGC.5.S23, IGC.5.S24; InTASC 1(a); GCU Mission Critical 1, GCU Mission Critical 2, GCU Mission Critical 4, GCU Mission Critical 5]

Teach to mastery and promote generalization of learning. [CEC 5.6, ICSI.5.S16, ICSI.5.S18; InTASC 8(s); MC1, MC2, MC4]

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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