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Math Participation Power-Up

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Lesson Plan

Math Participation Power-Up

Students will actively participate in Math 1 by utilizing diverse, low-stakes strategies to share their thinking and engage with peers.

Active participation helps students solidify understanding, develop critical thinking skills, and build confidence in their math abilities. This lesson provides practical tools to make participation less intimidating and more enjoyable.

Audience

7th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, quick activities, and modeling participation strategies.

Materials

Smartboard or Projector, Markers or Whiteboard, Participation Power-Up Slide Deck, Think-Pair-Share Warm-Up, Math Chat Activity, and Two Cents Cool-Down

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Think-Pair-Share

5 minutes

  • Begin with the Think-Pair-Share Warm-Up displayed on the board.
    - Instruct students to silently think about the prompt: 'What makes you hesitant to participate in math class?' (2 minutes)
    - Ask students to pair with a neighbor and share their thoughts. (2 minutes)
    - Briefly open up to the whole class for 1-2 volunteers to share one thing they discussed. Emphasize that all feelings are valid and normal.

Step 2

Introduction to Participation Power-Up

5 minutes

Step 3

Math Chat Activity

15 minutes

  • Display Slide 2: 'Participation Strategies' from the Participation Power-Up Slide Deck.
    - Introduce each strategy: 'Asking Clarifying Questions,' 'Sharing Your Process,' 'Building on Someone's Idea,' and 'Summarizing Key Points.' Briefly explain what each means and provide a quick example.
    - Organize students into small groups (3-4 students) for the Math Chat Activity.
    - Present a math problem relevant to current learning (e.g., 'Solve for x: 3x + 7 = 22').
    - Instruct groups to discuss the problem, encouraging them to use the participation strategies.
    - Circulate among groups, listening for examples of the strategies and offering gentle prompts if needed. (e.g., 'Can someone build on what Sarah just said?' or 'What's a clarifying question we could ask about this step?').

Step 4

Wrap-Up & Reflection

5 minutes

  • Bring the class back together.
    - Display Slide 3: 'Your Participation Pledge!' from the Participation Power-Up Slide Deck.
    - Distribute or display the Two Cents Cool-Down.
    - Ask students to reflect on one participation strategy they commit to trying in the next math class.
    - Collect the cool-downs as an exit ticket. Reiterate the value of their contributions and encourage them to use their newfound 'Power-Ups'!
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Slide Deck

Unlock Your Math Voice!

Ever felt shy in math class?
We're here to learn how to speak up and share our amazing math brains!

Today, we'll:
- Discover easy ways to participate.
- Practice new strategies.
- Feel more confident in math!

Welcome students and introduce the idea that participation isn't just about knowing the 'right' answer, but about engaging and learning. This slide sets the stage and briefly outlines what they'll learn.

Your Participation Power-Ups!

1. Ask Clarifying Questions
"Could you explain that step again?"
"What does that term mean?"

### 2. Share Your Process
"I started by adding 5 to both sides."
"My first thought was to multiply."

### 3. Build on Someone's Idea
"I agree with [name] and would add..."
"That makes me think that we could also..."

### 4. Summarize Key Points
"So, the main idea is to isolate the variable."
"To recap, we used inverse operations."

Introduce each participation strategy. Explain what each one means with a brief, simple example. Emphasize that these are low-stakes ways to contribute.

Your Participation Pledge!

Which Power-Up will YOU try next?

Think about one new way you can participate in our next math class.

Let's make our math voices heard!

This slide is for the cool-down/reflection. Encourage students to pick one strategy they feel comfortable trying next time.

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Warm Up

Think-Pair-Share Warm-Up: Your Math Voice

## Think (2 minutes)
Silently reflect on the following prompt:
What makes you hesitant to participate in math class?
(e.g., fear of being wrong, not knowing how to explain your ideas, feeling shy)






## Pair (2 minutes)
Turn to a partner and share your thoughts. Listen to each other respectfully.






## Share (Brief Whole Class)
We'll have a couple of volunteers share one idea their pair discussed. Remember, all feelings are valid!

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Activity

Math Chat Activity: Solving Equations Together!

Objective: Work with your group to solve the problem below. As you discuss, consciously try to use the participation strategies we just learned (Asking Clarifying Questions, Sharing Your Process, Building on Someone's Idea, Summarizing Key Points).

The Math Problem:

Solve for x in the following equation:

$$4x - 9 = 27$$

Group Discussion Guidelines:

  1. Everyone participates! Even if it's just asking a question.
  2. Refer to your "Participation Power-Ups" from the slides.
  3. Explain your thinking, don't just give answers.
  4. Listen actively to your teammates.

Use this space to show your group's work and note down examples of participation strategies used:













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Cool Down

Two Cents Cool-Down: My Participation Pledge

Name: ____________________________

Before you leave, please answer the following question:

Question:

Out of the participation strategies we discussed today (Asking Clarifying Questions, Sharing Your Process, Building on Someone's Idea, Summarizing Key Points), which one will you commit to trying in our next math class?

Explain why you chose that strategy.












(Optional: What is one thing that still makes you nervous about participating?)




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