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STEM Activity - Creating 3D Models using Recycled Materials.

Standard: 2.G.A. 1
I can identify and describe three-dimensional shapes according to the number of faces, sides and vertices.

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STEM Activity - Building 3D Models using Recycled Materials

Standard: 2.G.A. 1
I can identify and describe three-dimensional shapes according to the number of faces, sides and vertices.

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Be the first to share your work and WIN A PRIZE!  🏆​

1. Plan for and use a children's book in your math lesson.  Share your Lesson Plan and photos under "Student Engagement."

2. Create a Math Choice Board for your class.  Share your Choice Board and examples of your students' work choices under "Student Work."

3. Share an example of Mathematical Practice Starter Questions you have written for use with your students under "Talking in Math Class."

Be sure to label your post with you name and class.

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Pi Day activity with explanation by Alaa Muayad, 2D.

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Pi Day activity with explanation by Alaa Muayad, 2D.

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Beautiful Alaa enjoyed making her crown and filled it with 3 digit addition questions.

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Beautiful Alaa enjoyed making her crown and filled it with 3 digit addition questions.

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3 digit addition with and without regrouping activity

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3 digit addition with and without regrouping activity

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A new lesson with a challenging task, and Maysam did a great job writing about time.

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Humaidah -grade1 E

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Khedija Seid - grade 1E

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Mohamed Rayan - grade1 E

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Abdul Majid - grade1 E

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Mohammed Khizar - grade1 E

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Standard: 1. NBT.B.3
Learning Objective: I can compare numbers using symbols.
Nearpod Report for student engagement activity.

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Standard: 1. NBT.B.3
Learning Objective: I can compare numbers using symbols.
Discussion through Padlet.

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My clock⏰⏰

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Aleen from 3B created a Pi symphony by assigning a short sound to numbers from 1 - 9.

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NIzar 3B created a Pi Symphony by assigning a sound to numbers from 1 -9.

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Be the first to share your work and WIN A PRIZE!  🏆​

1. Post a picture of class Pi Day Activities on the Math for Families Padlet​.

2. Update your Bulletin Board to reflect your current unit of work.  Be sure to include Math Vocabulary and visuals.​  Post a photo under Learning Environments on this padlet.

3. Use an online tool like Nearpod or Padlet to engage and document your students’ work.​Post a photo under Student Engagement on this padlet.

Be sure to label your post with your name and class.  Good Luck!

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Lamar from 2D has done a great Stem Project  making a lovely hat, and stuck on it 3 digit addition problems with and without regrouping. NBT.B.7

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Lamar from 2D has done a great Stem Project  making a lovely hat, and stuck on it 3 digit addition problems with and without regrouping. NBT.B.7

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Nai in 2D has participated in the Math thru Art Competition. 🎨💖

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Nai in 2D has participated in the Math thru Art Competition. 🎨💖

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Abdelrahman in 2D has completed the Math Calendar for March. 👏👏👏

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Abdelrahman in 2D has completed the Math Calendar for March. 👏👏👏

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Grade 1A - Different ways to  represent a number

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Grade 1A - Different ways to  represent a number

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Standard: (1.NBT.A.1)
Learning Target: I can read and write numerals to represent a number of 100 to 110 objects.

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Effective Math collaboration for distance learning  

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Effective Math collaboration for distance learning  

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Adapting for student collaboration

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An instructional coach and math teacher who developed a powerful model for student collaboration have tweaked it for the pandemic.

Cooperative learning has been highlighted by educational researchers John Hattie and Robert Marzano as a high-yield strategy that "adds value to whole-class instruction and to individual work" by boosting both engagement and collaboration. Last year, I leveraged Hattie and Marzano's research to partner with high school math teacher Kathleen Janysek in creating a cooperative learning strategy we called Try It, Talk It, Color It, Check It.

When we implemented the strategy, we used the three components that Hattie and Marzano indicate are essential to success-structure, small groups, and explicit instruction on how to work effectively in groups-and the results were dramatic in terms of the look, sound, and feel of Kathleen's Algebra 1 classroom. Silence turned into discussion and debate, and the students' dependence on their teacher transformed into independence. Ultimately, Kathleen and I created a new approach that replaced traditional whiteboard practice and engaged all students rather than most.

When distance learning became widespread, however, we needed to revisit the Try It, Talk It, Color It, Check It model to see if we could adapt it for a virtual classroom. Our approach involved anticipating the emotional and academic needs of our students and thinking through, step by step, how the activity could unfold, from presenting a problem to soliciting feedback.

Planning the Transformation

Kathleen and I started by looking at tools that could foster strong student discourse and incorporate the structure, small groups, and explicit instruction Hattie and Marzano recommend. We landed on Jamboard to create a structured space that was clear and effective and used breakout rooms for small group settings.

To guide students to work effectively in groups, given the isolation our students are facing, we turned to social and emotional learning (SEL) prompts to infuse that component with intentional building of relationship skills. We also aimed to make expectations for student participation clear.

The Process

In a virtual setting, the Try It, Talk It, Color It, Check It process began with independent work time. We displayed a problem and gave students one or two minutes to try to solve it on their own. This independent Try It work time was essential to give students an opportunity to generate their own ideas and/or questions about the problem.

When time was up, we assigned students to breakout rooms with an SEL-focused prompt (e.g., "What makes you feel happiest?"). The prompts we selected, examples of " listening circles," were supported by CASEL's research on helping students develop their social awareness and relationship skills.

Many of the students in the class were in the routine of having their cameras off and microphones muted during class time; we also faced the challenge of students going into breakout rooms and not engaging with each other unless we showed them the way. Incorporating SEL prompts broke down these barriers in several ways.

First, students had an entry point for speaking right when they went into the breakout rooms, and they were more energetic in their discussions-more so than when we didn't use SEL prompts at all. Furthermore, because the prompts were tied to SEL competencies, discussing them in breakout rooms moved beyond the idea that they were just for fun, and we began seeing the conversations as purposeful student interactions, reinforcing the notion that all voices are heard and valued in this process.

Once students were comfortable sharing with each other in each breakout room, they started the mathematical problem-solving process of explaining their strategies and solutions with each other-the Talk It phase of the model. When they agreed on an answer, they were directed to use a speaker and scribe structure: the scribe dragged the problem to a specific spot on Jamboard and the speaker explained their steps for the scribe to type up. Finally, students discussed how confident they were in their solution, which the scribe then noted with a color-coded sticky note (Color It) on the Jamboard (green = "We got it and can teach others;" yellow = "We have ideas but are a bit uncertain;" pink = "Our answer is probably wrong and we need help.").

After about five minutes, students returned from breakout rooms to the main session, and Kathleen debriefed by sharing a selected group's Jamboard page and asking a member of that group to share out. The color coding helped us pinpoint areas of need for further instruction and discussion, and it was exciting to hear students share their thinking and group's process with added confidence.

After each problem, we repeated the process of Try It, Talk It, Color It, Check It, and while that was happening, Kathleen and I bounced among breakout rooms. As coaching partners, Kathleen and I listened to and supported student dialogue and would quickly confer together to identify which group we would select to explain or clear up misconceptions-the Check It phase.

Wrapping Up

In debriefing the process with students, we sought their feedback using the last page of the Jamboard to measure their engagement and confidence in their understanding of the content. Kathleen explained that this feedback would help inform our instructional practice and enable us to also follow up with any students who needed additional support. I loved how this part of the process provided a safe space for students to reflect on the activity and give honest feedback-and take ownership of their learning.

We were excited to see students become highly engaged-one student unmuted to say how much fun they had during this activity. Seeing and hearing their feedback confirmed how powerful this strategy is, even in a virtual setting, and how collaboration and rich mathematical discussion can take place anywhere if we intentionally use tools to enhance learning.

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Adapting an Effective Math Collaboration Activity for Distance Learning

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An instructional coach and math teacher who developed a powerful model for student collaboration have tweaked it for the pandemic. Cooperative learning has been highlighted by educational researchers John Hattie and Robert Marzano as a high-yield strategy that "adds value to whole-class instruction and to individual work" by boosting both engagement and collaboration.

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How to guide students to a deeper understanding of Math

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How to guide students to a deeper understanding of Math

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Using the right building blocks can help develop a lifetime of abstract thinking

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How to Guide Students to a Deep Understanding of Math Concepts

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Using the right building blocks at the start of students’ mathematical learning can support a lifetime of abstract thinking.

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A great resources with information for teachers of Math.

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Mr Elementary Math - Making Math Clear & Simply Fun

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Math Playground has lots fun ways to practice math facts.

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Practice addition, multiplication, fractions and algebraic reasoning with our popular math games. Discover fun learning games kids love to play.

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Engage students in lessons and at home with simple-to-use, everyday learning activities.

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Silver Spring, Md. (Tuesday, July 21, 2020) Discovery Education -the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms-today announced the acquisition of Spiral. Based in the United Kingdom, Spiral provides educators a multiuse platform that supports collaborative learning and formative assessment both in the classroom and the remote environment. Terms were not disclosed.

Discovery Education's acquisition of Spiral supports the company's efforts to keep students connected to learning wherever it is taking place. Spiral's product features compliment Discovery Education Experience's curated high-quality content and existing assessment and student collaboration tools. The addition of Spiral's features to the company's flexible K-12 learning platform will give educators even more ways to facilitate instruction, deepen student engagement, and create high-impact student learning experiences.

"Discovery Education is focused on providing school systems outstanding digital services that connect students to learning in and out of the classroom," said Discovery Education Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy Philip Nanney. "The acquisition of Spiral aligns with our strategy of adding features to our digital services that save educators time and increase student engagement. We look forward to welcoming Spiral to the Discovery Education team."

Spiral is a past winner of the prestigious Common Sense Education Best EdTech Award. Recognized for empowering teachers to create interactive learning experiences either in advance or on the fly, Spiral also enables teachers to probe class understanding in real time through digital multimedia content.

Spiral is the latest acquisition by Discovery Education. In August of 2019, Discovery Education announced the purchase of Inspyro, a provider of leading virtual reality and augmented reality content also based in the United Kingdom.

"Spiral's team is incredibly excited to join Discovery Education," said Hamish Kennedy, Spiral's Founder and CEO. "Discovery Education shares our commitment to connecting students to learning no matter where they are, and we look forward to working closely on that mission with our new colleagues."

For more information about Discovery Education's digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.

###
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
Contact:
Discovery Education
Stephen Wakefield
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com
Phone: (202) 316-6615

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Discovery Education Acquires Award-Winning Interactive Learning Platform Spiral

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Discovery Education Acquires Award-Winning Interactive Learning Platform Spiral

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Edulastic is a complete assessment dashboard. Teachers can create and track assessments, and even align with CCSS.

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Teachers and admins love Edulastic because it makes

Formatives

Distance Learning

Interims

Benchmarks

Diagnostics

Remediation

Math practice

Science assessment

Distance Learning

Data analysis

Progress monitoring

State test prep

Tracking growth

easy.
Assess at school. Reinforce at home.

Use all of your data to track learning and growth.

Quickly identify learning gaps with diagnostic and formative assessments

Give students differentiated assignments to remediate, reinforce or challenge

Monitor progress towards standards mastery to ensure students stay on track

Engaging technology-enhanced assessments for benchmarks, the classroom, or distance learning

Easily administer district common or classroom formative assessments using high-quality item banks, diagnostic or curriculum-aligned assessments, create your own questions or mix and match.

80,000+ standards-aligned questions from trusted sources

Try one of our 10K free pre-built assessments

Keep students learning at home when school is closed or limited.

Create self-paced lessons by embedding video, links and articles. Check for understanding with quiz questions and watch student engagement soar.

Propel each student with personalized, data-driven recommendations

Fill learning gaps with practice for struggling students and challenge advanced students to move ahead.

Bring all of your key performance data together in one place - from engagement with online learning to discipline to diagnostics to state test scores - along with your classroom assessments and district benchmarks for a holistic view of each student, or of the whole district.

Integrates seamlessly with the technology you already use

Easy sign on through Google, MS365 or Clever. Sync class rosters and share assignments in Google Classroom or your LMS system and push grades back to your gradebook.

" We love the relationship we have with the people behind Edulastic. It's really easy to get in touch. We get the answers we need in a timely fashion, and it seems really clear that the team cares about whether or not their product is working for us. "

Easy enough to learn on your own, but you don't have to

From basic how-tos to advanced assessment creation, we've got you covered with online training, how-to videos and articles, and self-paced courses for all levels and roles.

See how Edulastic can make a difference at your school

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Edulastic: Interactive Formative Assessment for classroom or distant learning

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Online assessment tools with technology-enhanced items, help students learn and measure growth all in one easy system in the classroom and at home.

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Choose a video, give it your magic touch and track your students' comprehension.

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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Number Pieces helps students develop a deeper understanding of place value while building their computation skills with multi-digit numbers. Students use the number pieces to represent multi-digit numbers, regroup, add, subtract, multiply, and divide.

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Place Value with Number Pieces Number Pieces now includes share codes that allow teachers and students to send saved number pieces workspaces between devices. Try a problem about place value.

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Every kind of math topic is available to learn and practice. These lessons are prepared keeping in mind the difficulty level and learning potential in students.

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Online Math Practice - Free Math Help | iPracticeMath

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iPracticeMath provides free online math practice, help and worksheets. Try our math problem for 4th,5th,6th,7th,8th,9th grade!

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Math is Fun combines modeling with student practice opportunities. It is geared to serve ages Pre K through Grade 10 in all math domains.

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Math explained in easy language, plus puzzles, games, worksheets and an illustrated dictionary. For K-12 kids, teachers and parents.

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This database of teacher lessons and materials is aligned to the Common Core, and offers complete lessons to address each skill with some interactive activities.

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Illuminations Home - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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A great sources for math games and skills practice!

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Math Games, Math Worksheets and Practice Quizzes

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Math games online that practice math skills using fun interactive content. Over 1000 free skill testing apps and games - tablet and chromebook friendly.

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It is perfect for teachers or parents searching for meaningful activities for their students or children.

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Over 2,000 original math games, workshops, interactives, and printables for grades K-8.

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Grade 4 C using Mentimeter as a plenary.

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SWBAT identify three dimensional shapes.

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2.OA.C.4

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Lara Omar 2D Repeated Addition 2.OA.C.4

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2.OA.C.4

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Grade 2D Repeated Addition Activity 2.OA.C.4

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Grade 2D MAP Scores Wall

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Knowledgehook - An Instructional Guidance System for Math Teachers

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Leaders support math teachers by providing a digital instructional guidance tool.

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National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

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National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

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National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

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A digital library containing Java applets and activities for K-12 mathematics

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Excellent teaching games for all grade levels

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Can be used for both ELA and Math practice. Has adaptive learning for students and follows CC standards.

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Freckle by Renaissance - Differentiation Platform for K-12

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Accelerate literacy equitably with differentiated resources.

K-12 coverage of standards and skills

Over 1,000 nonfiction and fiction passages that adapt to each student's level

Teachers can assign a specific standard for some or all students to practice

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Freckle by Renaissance | Reach Every Student at Their Level

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Freckle helps K-12 teachers differentiate instruction and reach every student at their own level across Math, ELA, Social Studies and Science.

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These can be embedded in your lessons!

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Hands-On Math Goes Digital In and Beyond the Classroom!

Explore Our Collection of FREE Virtual Manipulatives

From Number Lines to Base Ten, Pattern Blocks to Place Value, Disks our collection of free Virtual Manipulatives gives educators and families access to visual and hands-on digital resources that lead to understanding. Students can use these resources in class and at home to practice math concepts, reinforce their growing math understanding, technology they love in the process.

Free Resources & Instructions for Teachers and Families

We've developed these resources for easy access and easy use:

How-To Videos

There's a short video for each of the Virtual Manipulatives in our collection so teachers can use these digital materials easily and confidently with students.
Watch Now

Activities

Activities from the Didax books that teachers use most for easy download. Engaging challenges address core math operations, concepts and skills, from early numeracy all the way to introductory geometry and algebra.
Access Now

FAQ

Download this document of FAQ's to answer your Virtual Manipulative questions.
Download Now

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Demonstrate key math concepts in your classroom using our new virtual manipulatives!

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Printable Manipulatives | Mathematical Practices

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MathArticles.com provides relevant articles from renowned math journals. The articles are coordinated to the topics of Larson Calculus. Visit MathArticles.com to access articles from:

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Discover math on geogebra.org, the home of our free online graphing calculator, geometry calculator, 3D calculator, spreadsheet, CAS, probability calculator and classroom activities

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Stretch virtual bands around pegs to form line segments and polygons.

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Visual Fractions Searching Games

Find Grammy Help Grampy find Grammy. Grammy hides herself better than Grampy and Grampy uses only two words to help you find her.

In-Between is a strategy game that asks you to find a decimal position on a number line by guessing minimum and maximum amounts. Blinky is lost on an unknown planet. Help find him.

Visual Fractions Cookies and Cakes Games

Cookies for Grampy See how fast you can put whole cookies together.

Egyptian Barley Cakes demonstrates how Ancient Egyptian fractions might have been used to pay workers. Reward your workers the Ancient Egyptian way with slices of barley cake.

Visual Fractions Weighing Games

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Visual Fractions Searching Games Find Grammy Help Grampy find Grammy. Grammy hides herself better than Grampy and Grampy uses only two words to help you find her. In-Between is a strategy game that asks you to find a decimal position on a number line by guessing minimum and maximum amounts.

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Manipulatives

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Online manipulatives bring all of the learning and fun without the mess. Our math virtual manipulatives help students grasp abstract concepts through modeling. Literacy virtual manipulatives create a fun space for practicing spelling, rhyming, and more!

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Virtual Manipulatives | Mathematical Modelling | Toy Theater

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Original teaching tools aimed at supporting teachers in the elementary school classroom. Two color counters, 3D dice, probability spinners, graph builders, fraction bars, base ten blocks, and more!

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Use these five strategies to encourage meaningful classroom discussions.

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Math.3.NBT.A.2

Common core State Standards

Math: Math

3: Grade 3

NBT: Numbers & Operations in Base Ten

A: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic

2:
Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. How does Ms. Saul create an environment in which students are comfortable sharing their thinking?

2. What are the advantages of having students share different strategies for solving problems?

3. Why does Ms. Saul ask students about the importance of mental math?

Teachers

English Language Arts Math Science Social Studies Arts / 3 / Teacher

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Math.3.NBT.A.2 Common core State Standards Math: Math 3: Grade 3 NBT: Numbers & Operations in Base Ten A: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic 2: Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

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Talk about math. Talk about anything you like about math. Talk about it anywhere, with anyone. Tell them why it's great. Tell them how you think. Tell them how it surprises you, how it charms you, and how it all fits together.

Kids Love to talk! We talk about our reading, our writing, our science, our personal lives. Admit it, people LOVE to talk! We should be talking in our math classes as well! The key however, is to ensure that the talk is productive and leads to deeper mathematical understanding. In the math classroom we can promote higher order thinking by engaging our students in productive and guided math talks.

I am a K-5 collaborative special education teacher and a Masters student focused on Elementary Mathematics Specialist. In my studies two ideas and philosophies have emerged that have changed my life, and thus my student's lives. Those two ideals are constructivist learning and productive math discussions. Of course I have gained unmeasurable knowledge through collaboration and discussions with my fellow learners and together we have grown through our readings and research.

Following are a few of the readings we have utilized and then three presentations I have developed, and one developed by one of my favorite math nerds of all time, Moriah Widener. I would love it if you would use these resources for your personal growth, and please, feel free to share them with your colleagues or in staff development sessions. It is through support and collaboration that we all grow as teachers!

Happy Mathing!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Although we no longer use the Common Core Standards, there is valuable information in these presentations! Click here to see our current Oklahoma Academic Standards.

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Talk about math. Talk about anything you like about math. Talk about it anywhere, with anyone. Tell them why it's great. Tell them how you think. Tell them how it surprises you, how it charms you, and how it all fits together. Kids Love to talk!

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Engaging in Productive Struggle: Number Talks

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Engaging in Productive Struggle: Number Talks

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Math.Practice.MP1

Common core State Standards

Math: Math

Practice: Mathematical Practice Standards

MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Mathematically proficient students start by explaining to themselves the meaning of a problem and looking for entry points to its solution. They analyze givens, constraints, relationships, and goals. They make conjectures about the form and meaning of the solution and plan a solution pathway rather than simply jumping into a solution attempt. They consider analogous problems, and try special cases and simpler forms of the original problem in order to gain insight into its solution. They monitor and evaluate their progress and change course if necessary. Older students might, depending on the context of the problem, transform algebraic expressions or change the viewing window on their graphing calculator to get the information they need. Mathematically proficient students can explain correspondences between equations, verbal descriptions, tables, and graphs or draw diagrams of important features and relationships, graph data, and search for regularity or trends. Younger students might rely on using concrete objects or pictures to help conceptualize and solve a problem. Mathematically proficient students check their answers to problems using a different method, and they continually ask themselves, \"Does this make sense?\" They can understand the approaches of others to solving complex problems and identify correspondences between different approaches.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

|

Math.Practice.MP3

Common core State Standards

Math: Math

Practice: Mathematical Practice Standards

MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

Mathematically proficient students understand and use stated assumptions, definitions, and previously established results in constructing arguments. They make conjectures and build a logical progression of statements to explore the truth of their conjectures. They are able to analyze situations by breaking them into cases, and can recognize and use counterexamples. They justify their conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to the arguments of others. They reason inductively about data, making plausible arguments that take into account the context from which the data arose. Mathematically proficient students are also able to compare the effectiveness of two plausible arguments, distinguish correct logic or reasoning from that which is flawed, and--if there is a flaw in an argument--explain what it is. Elementary students can construct arguments using concrete referents such as objects, drawings, diagrams, and actions. Such arguments can make sense and be correct, even though they are not generalized or made formal until later grades. Later, students learn to determine domains to which an argument applies. Students at all grades can listen or read the arguments of others, decide whether they make sense, and ask useful questions to clarify or improve the arguments.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

|

Math.2.NBT.B.5

Common core State Standards

Math: Math

2: Grade 2

NBT: Number & Operations in Base Ten

B: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract

5:
Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. What tools does Ms. LaCour use to support her ELL students?

2. What are the benefits of having students lead the number talk?

3. How do number talks encourage students to try new math strategies?

School Details

Acorn Woodland Elementary School
1025 81st Avenue
Oakland CA 94621

Data Provided By:

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Engaging in Productive Struggle: Number Talks

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Students in Monique LaCour's second grade class explore subtraction strategies through student-led number talks. Class begins with a review of number talk roles and sentence frames. Then, students break off into small groups for the number talk, where they share and try new strategies to solve a subtraction problem.

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Open-ended Questions to Encourage Conversation

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Open-ended Questions to Encourage Conversation

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. How do open-ended questions empower students, especially English Language Learners?

2. What advice does Ms. Gelormino have for using open-ended questions?

3. How do you use questions in your own classroom?

School Details

Think College Now School
2825 International Boulevard
Oakland CA 94601

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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Open-ended Questions to Encourage Conversation

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Julia Gelormino shares how she uses open-ended questions to empower her students. She explains how using open-ended questions builds trust and leaves room for students to share their academic thinking. She gives tips for how you can remember to use them.

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Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers from Scholastic

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So, I'm starting out today with a pop quiz. Ha ha. What do the following number sentences have in common? NO calculators!

They all equal 120, don't they? Do you see why? Each of the expressions is really just another way to write 15 x 8. The numbers 15 and 8 have been broken down into smaller factors in each of the expressions. Rich problem sets such as this one are the basis for number talks in the classroom.

Our district purchased Number Talks: Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computation Strategies as a professional development resource for the campus instructional coaches. What a gem! Now, it doesn't appear to be a friendly book at first glance. In fact, several coaches said they found it intimidating. That's why I would suggest starting with the DVD-look at some of the video clips and you'll be hooked! I have been modeling number talks in our 3-5 classrooms, and it's a blast. Click on the picture below to view a video clip of a number talk.

Number talks, as described in this particular book, are short-10-15 minute- warm-up activities focusing on mental math strategies. The book includes a great section describing what number talks are and how to use them in the classroom, and then the rest of the book is organized by grade levels-explaining what number talks look like at each grade level and providing pages with problem sets that can be used to promote certain strategies.

Now, I want you to think carefully about the title of the book-Number TALKS. Who is doing the talking? If you said the teacher, you'd be wrong! The kiddos are the star of this show. Basically, this is another one of those situations where you don't teach-the kiddos discover! Your job is to plan problem sets that will lead them toward a particular strategy (and they're included in the book), scribe their thinking, and facilitate new learning.

Here's my testimonial. You might think your students won't have the strategies that the kids in the video use. Let me tell you, they will surprise you! I have never seen students more engaged and excited about math than I have when I'm doing number talks. And the speed of the results shocked me! In just a couple weeks time, students became much more confident in their strategies and grew in their ability to explain their mathematical thinking. A teacher in one of the video clips states that she has walked through a door, and she will never go back. I can guarantee that you will feel that way, too!

Can you tell I like number talks? 🙂

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Who's Doing the Talking? Number Talks - Math Coach's Corner

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So, I'm starting out today with a pop quiz. Ha ha. What do the following number sentences have in common? NO calculators! They all equal 120, don't they? Do you see why? Each of the expressions is really just another way to write 15 x 8.

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8 Ways to Pose Better Questions in Math Class

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8 Ways to Pose Better Questions in Math Class

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Have you ever taught a math lesson that seemed to be going well-with students active, engaged and producing the right answers-but when you ask kids to explain the reasoning behind their work, they clam up or veer off on a tangent?It happens to the best of us, which is why it's so important to be intentional with our questioning and to think about not only the types of questions we are asking but also the pattern in which we're asking them.

Below we've rounded up eight tips to help you focus your questioning and, by doing so, deepen students' mathematical reasoning.

Don't let "information gathering" questions dominate your lesson.

These are answer-seeking questions such as "What is the formula for finding the area of a rectangle?" "When you write an equation, what does the equal sign tell you?" While these questions have their time and place (they help to establish what students know), they don't reveal higher-order thinking or reasoning.

Ask probing questions that require students to explain, elaborate or clarify their thinking.

This includes articulating the steps they took to solve a problem or complete a task. For example, "As you drew the number line, what decisions did you make so that you could represent seven-fourths on it?" "Can you show and explain more about how you used a table to find the answer?"

(Source: Minds in Bloom)

Give students adequate time to respond.

Research has shown that we often give students less than five seconds to answer a question in math class! When we move so quickly, we lose the chance to see how students are making sense of mathematics.

Ask students to make the mathematics visible.

By this we mean discussing the connections between mathematical ideas and relationships. For example, "How does that array relate to multiplication and division?" "In what ways might the normal distribution apply to this situation?"

Encourage reflection and justification.

These questions reveal deeper understanding of students' reasoning and actions, including making an argument for the validity of their work. For example, "How might you prove that 51 is the solution?" "How do you know that the sum of two odd numbers will always be even?"

(Source:@TEACHHEATH)
Avoid "funneling" the conversation.

This means landing on a desired conclusion in advance and giving little attention to student responses that veer from the desired path. You may be focused on students arriving at a particular answer, for example, or using a certain strategy to the exclusion of others. In a funneling question pattern, the focus is often on information gathering with one or two higher-order questions at the end.

Try "focusing" your questions instead.

While funneling question patterns are rigid and preset, focusing questions attend to students' needs and are open to being investigated in multiple ways. A focusing question pattern blends information gathering, probing, reflection and justification. It involves asking students what they notice and encouraging them to communicate their thoughts clearly.

This video case study shows the difference between funneling and focusing questions in action.

Encourage students to ask questions of one another.

It is much easier to facilitate a focusing question pattern when you are not the only one in the room directing conversation. Encourage students to support, challenge and question one another. For example, "Why do you think that?" "Could you have solved the problem in a different way?"

You may find that students' own questions take the conversation to a level you never imagined reaching!

(Source: Making Shift Happen)

This article is adapted from the NCTM publication Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All.

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8 Ways to Pose Better Questions in Math Class - We Are Teachers

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It's so important to be intentional and to think about not only the types of math questions we are asking but also the pattern in which we're asking them.

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