Sarah Anderton
NET-S Project
05/06/09

Direct Instructions

Grade Level: K-5 (But I will be focusing specifically on 4th Grade)


Lesson Title/Focus: Making Money from Lemons/Mathematics: Numbers and Operations, Measurement
 

Input: This unit is teaching about numbers and operations, as well as measurement. During this lesson students will work with numbers and measurement when deciding how many cups of sugar, how many lemons, and how many ice cubes will be put in a pitcher/or cup of lemonade. The students will also be using numbers when deciding how much to charge his or her customers for a cup of lemonade at their virtual lemonade stand.
 

Instructional Materials Needed:
-    Overhead Projector
-    One computer for each student
-    Excel program
-    Microsoft Word program
-    Internet connection
-    Student direction sheets


Lesson Objective (Learning Targets):
a.    Instructional Objective
-Students will use higher level thinking skills to manage a virtual lemonade stand, while trying to make a profit.
-Students should be able to use mathematical terms and draw conclusions from their recorded data.
-Students will use technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

b.         Informational (student friendly) Objective
-Students will purchase ingredients for making lemonade
-Students will determine cost and ingredients for a cup of lemonade

EALR’s (Mathematics):
-4.4.F Describe and compare the likelihood of events.
4.5.D Determine whether a problem to be solved is similar to previously solved problems, and identify possible strategies for solving the problem.
4.5.I Summarize mathematical information, draw conclusions, and explain reasoning.
4.5.J Make and test conjectures based on data (or information) collected from explorations and experiments.

NET-S:
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
 
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
After students have completed the first few days of their virtual lemonade stand on the internet, they will be able to use their previous knowledge ( what ingredients  used gave them the most popularity and customer satisfaction, and what prices set gave them the most profit) to help them decide what works best in the process of selling lemonade and making a profit.

c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
Students are using the lemonade stand simulator to learn about money, measuring, and how to make the biggest profit possible.

d. identify trends and forecast possibilities.
Students will use the past days experience at the lemonade stand to help them predict/forecast what they think will happen when they change the ingredients, supplies, and price used to sell the lemonade.

3. Research and Information Fluency
d. process data and report results.
Students are using excel to process their data for each day of running the lemonade stand. They will include information on the ingredients used, the weather forecast, price per cup, total cups sold, potential customers and their satisfaction, popularity, and the end of the day profit/losses. They are also using word to help report some of their findings.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
 
c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
Students are using excel to collect and analyze the data from the lemonade stand. As they are recording data they should be making decisions on what the best way is to get the most profit based on their past success and failures. Analyzing this data will help them come up with a solution to how to make the most money at the lemonade stand.
Grouping Students for Instruction:
Students will first stay at their desks for instruction. Then when it is time for the students to practice using the virtual lemonade stand, I will have each of them go to a computer. If there are not enough computers for each student to use one, then I will break the students up into partners. For the classroom discussion on the student’s experience as well as the questions on the student directions sheet, I will have the students come back to their desks.

 
Anticipatory Set: To begin this lesson I will hand out the student directions (attached to this lesson plan). I will tell the students that they will be running their own business. They will be working at a virtual lemonade stand where they will have to decide what ingredients to use, what supplies to buy, how much lemonade to make, and how much to charge for their lemonade. I will tell the students that the weather forecast and the amount they are charging for lemonade will decide how much money they will lose or gain in the end.

 
Modeling (Show): I will go to the website with the lemonade stand simulator and display it on the projector for the entire class to see. Once I’m there I will demonstrate how the virtual lemonade stand works by buying my supplies and setting the ingredients, and price the lemonade is to be sold at. Then I will let the students watch how one (virtual) day at the lemonade stand will work, and then I will let them see my results of how I did; if I made any profits or not.

 
Guided Practice (Follow me): After I have shown the students the process on the overhead, I will have them follow the student directions (attached to this lesson plan), which will lead them to http://www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/. Once all the students are at the website I will have them follow me step by step through the first virtual day, which I will have displayed on the overhead projector. I will also show the students how to record all the decisions they make, and their data for day one of ten on an excel sheet in excel. Here is a link for the excel sheet http://www.microsoft.com/education/makingmoney.mspx.
 

Independent Practice: The students will then (on their own) run their lemonade stand for ten days and record everything they are doing on their excel sheets. After the students get done with the tenth day they will click the bankrupt button and that is when they will see their final results.
 

Checking for Understanding/Questions: Throughout this lesson I will be going around the room making sure the students understand, and I will answer any questions they have. After the students have finished the ten days at the lemonade stand and have recorded their data, I will have them open a word document where they will type and answer the questions on their student directions handout:
-    How did you do?
-    Do you think your lemonade stand was successful?
-    What did you learn from playing the game?
-    Looking over your data, do you see any patterns?
-    What advice would you give someone who wants to be successful at playing the game?

 
Closure: Once the students are finished, we will have a class discussion. I will ask the students what their different strategies were. I will also ask the questions above, and as a class we will discuss what they came up with and what they learned during the lesson.

 

Assessment Strategy:
Assesment Instrument: The students will use excel to record their data from the virtual lemonade stand. They will also use Microsoft word to answer questions about their experience they had with the lemonade stand. I will also be going around the classroom and observing how the students are doing. At the end I will have a copy of their answers to the questions as well as their excel data sheet. I will use all these things to help me assess and evaluate the student’s learning and progress.

Self-assessment: If the students all seem to struggle, or I have a ton of questions I will then know that means I need to work on my instruction of the material better. If the students are still confused at the end and have a lot of questions I will know that the subject/material needs to be taught in more depth.

Peer-assessment: I will have the students help each other when answering the questions at the end. Also, during the classroom discussion students will hear their peers talk about their experiences. They will have the chance during discussion to give their peers feedback or ask them questions about the different strategies they used for selling lemonade at their lemonade stand.




Student Directions for Making Money from Lemons

1.    Open Internet Explorer and go to the website: http://www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/.  
2.    Open your Excel data sheet for recording your information.
3.    Before you begin your actual data collection, you might want to experiment with how the lemonade stand runs for a few days. Once you are ready, click on the “Bankrupt!” button to see your results and start the game over.
4.    Record all the decisions you are making in your excel sheet. Also record your results.
5.    Run your stand and record your data for 10 days.
6.    After the 10th day, click on the “Bankrupt!” button to see your final results. Did you make a profit?
7.    Save your Excel data sheet and open up a Microsoft Word document. Write the answers to the following questions:
a.    How did you do? Do you think your lemonade stand was successful?
b.    What did you learn from playing the game?
c.    Looking over your data, do you see any patterns?
d.    What advice would you give someone who wants to be successful at playing the game?