Maths Lesson Observation Year 4 Ideas?!

[naughtynancys]

I have a job interview on Thursday for my dream school. I’m currently undertaking my PGCE (Primary) and this really would be my ideal place to work.

As part of the interview I need to plan and teach a 40 minute maths lesson to a mixed-ability Year 4 class (15 pupils). Maths isn’t my strongest subject, which is probably why I’m overthinking everything!

I can choose any topic and I’ve gone with perimeter. I’m planning to introduce/revise what perimeter is (as they’ll definitely have covered it in Year 3), then move on to a more creative task where they design a zoo and calculate the perimeter of different enclosures.

My worries are the practical bits:

• It’s a prep school; I don’t know what their attainment levels will be.
• Should I prepare three levels of worksheet (lower/core/greater depth)?
• How do I pitch it right when I don’t know the children?
• Is perimeter too safe/too basic for a prep setting?

The teaching itself doesn’t scare me; it’s getting the differentiation and pitch right when I’m going in blind.

How do I asses what child will need what when I know zero about them? I am probably over thinking this!

For a quick starter/warm up could I go for times bingo perhaps?

Any advice from Year 4 teachers or anyone who has interviewed in a prep school would be hugely appreciated!

An open-ended task is good for interview. It allows you to show your questioning skills and means you're able to adapt to the students in front of you

The zoo task could have scaffolding:

• for pupils who have motor difficulties, you could have them drawn already for them
• pupils who struggle with the concept could use cocktail sticks or similar to build cages that have a perimeter of x units

It could have challenge:

• pupils could be asked to draw enclosures of different shapes and measure the perimeter to the nearest mm
• give them a perimeter. Can they draw an enclosure with that perimeter?
• give them a perimeter and an area. Can they draw an enclosure to that specification?

Your biggest issue here could be their ability to measure. My feeling is that it could go wrong, if they are "designing their own zoo", (and therefore drawing their own enclosures / lines?) as they might not be able to draw shapes, they might not be able to measure, they might find it hard to add up four measurements and they might create compound shapes which isn't a year 4 objective, if I remember rightly.

If they are drawing their own enclosures, they could end up with sides measuring 11.4, 9.44, 16.93 etc and it would potentially be too hard for them to work out the perimeter. My experience is that children find it hard to measure and then draw an exact line, and the measurements could be all over the place, meaning that they don't end up finding the perimeter.

The idea seems good, and perimeter is a good lesson to teach, but if it was me, I would have some already drawn quadrilaterals that they have to find the perimeter for.

LA - Shapes drawn with measurements written.
AA - Shapes drawn, with some missing lengths.
HA - Shapes drawn where they also have to measure.
Something like that.
Have an extension for those who finish - Can you find the zoo enclosure with the largest perimeter?

Good luck!

Thank you @TeacherPrimaryabc

I was going to start with just counting the squares on grid paper to measure? To see if they get the hang of it.

My other option is inverse operations… but I don’t know again the ability. I could start with double digits and then increase to 3, or even 4. I think because it’s a prep school, I’m probably thinking they are excelling!

This is good. I'd use lolly sticks not cocktail sticks as cocktail sticks have a sharp point.
15 pupils though, if only that was the class size in state schools ...

I got the job! So excited for September x

Well done!