Overview

This part is focused on connecting area measurement activities drawn from curriculum materials with levels of the Learning Trajectory. The discussion will also focus on ways to modify tasks in order to target particular levels.

Key Points

The work of analyzing and modifying tasks from curriculum materials is intended to support the development of analytic skills that can be used with any curriculum materials. Further, it illustrates the utility of the Learning Trajectory in supporting instruction. Modifying tasks so that they target particular levels is a skill that helps meet the needs of different learners in the classroom.

There are multiple reasons tasks from curriculum materials may need to be modified:

• Some of the “area” tasks in curriculum materials do not require an understanding of area to solve. These kinds of tasks need to be modified if they will be used for the purpose of helping advance students’ understanding of area.
• Students in a class are never all “on grade level”, so teachers must always work to modify “grade level” tasks in order to meet students where they are and to ensure that they have experiences that will be productive for pushing their thinking forward.