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This simple 10-15 minute routine builds number sense across many grade levels and content areas. Use organized images below (under Examples) for inspiration as you plan your Choral Counting. Check out this book for detailed support.

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Steve Wyborney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission.

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Welcome to Splat! You are only moments away from a VERY POWERFUL, highly interactive number sense strategy that can be used at any grade level!

This post includes 50 (fifty!) free, downloadable PowerPoint math lessons!

Watch the video, download some (or all) of the lessons, and experience what happens when you unleash this resource in your classroom!

I've been excited to click the Publish button on this post for several weeks! It's time!
UPDATE: The Fraction Splat! Series (with 20 more downloadable lessons) is now available!
After reading this blog post, take a look at THE 12 MOST POPULAR MATH STRATEGIES AND DOWNLOADS ON THIS BLOG.

Splat Through 10
How many dots are under the Splat?

Splat Through 20
How many dots are under the Splat?

Multiple Splats
(Note: Splats that are the same color must cover the same number.)
Splat 3.1 - multiple splats Splat 3.2 - multiple splats Splat 3.3 - multiple splats Splat 3.4 - multiple splats Splat 3.5 - multiple splats
Instant Multiple Splat
(Note: An additional feature of this level is the opportunity to ask, "What could the total be?")

Splat 4.1 - Instant Multiple Splats Splat 4.2 - Instant Multiple Splats Splat 4.3 - Instant Multiple Splats Splat 4.4 - Instant Multiple Splats Splat 4.5 - Instant Multiple Splats
2-Color Splat
(Splats of different colors must have different values.)

Splat 5.1 2-color Splat Splat 5.2 2-color Splat Splat 5.3 2-color Splat Splat 5.4 2-color Splat Splat 5.5 2-color Splat Splat 6.2 Instant 2-color Splat Splat 6.3 Instant 2-color Splat Splat 6.4 Instant 2-color Splat Splat 6.5 Instant 2-color Splat
Instant 2-Variable Splat
(Splats of different colors must have different values. Splats of the same color must have the same value.)
Splat 7.1 Instant 2-variable Splat Splat 7.2 Instant 2-variable Splat Splat 7.3 Instant 2-variable Splat Splat 7.4 Instant 2-variable Splat Splat 7.5 Instant 2-variable Splat
Number Splat
(Note: Only the numbers circled on the screen may be used.)
Splat 8.1 - Number Splat Splat 8.2 - Number Splat Splat 8.3 - Number Splat Splat 8.4 - Number Splat Splat 8.5 - Number Splat Splat 9.1 - Instant Number Splat Splat 9.2 - Instant Number Splat Splat 9.3 - Instant Number Splat Splat 9.4 - Instant Number Splat Splat 9.5 - Instant Number Splat
Instant Number Splat with 2 Variables
(Note: Only the numbers circled on the screen may be used, and Splats of different colors must have different values.)
Splat 10.1 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat Splat 10.2 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat Splat 10.3 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat Splat 10.4 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat Splat 10.5 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat
NOTE: I wrote each of these lessons using PowerPoint, so I recommend playing them in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint, you may want to download the PowerPoint viewer so that you can play the lessons.

UPDATE: The Fraction Splat! Series (with 20 more downloadable lessons) is now available!
Other Posts and Resources Which May Be of Interest Tiled Area Questions The Maze Hundreds Chart
Introducing Cube Connectors
Provide Massive Space to Notice
Primary Tile Questions
3 Powerful Tile Strategies (and 40 new downloadable pages)
Please take a moment to subscribe to the blog so you'll be notified each time new resources are posted!

I would treasure hearing about your experiences using Splat! to promote number sense in your classroom!

All my best,
Steve

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Splat! - Steve Wyborney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission.

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Welcome to Splat! You are only moments away from a VERY POWERFUL, highly interactive number sense strategy that can be used at any grade level!

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51 Esti-Mysteries - Steve Wyborney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission.

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How are number strings designed? Typically, people tend to describe number strings as having the following structure

Entry problem

Helper problems

Challenge problem (or clunker)

This post from Math Coach on Demand (which also has a bunch of addition and subtraction number strings) describes the structure like this:

Again, the concept of helper problems. But is there just one "formula" for a number string?

Many number strings have this helper problem structure, such as strings that develop jumps of ten (and multiples of ten) in addition and subtraction, like the number string above, as well as number strings that develop the use of the distributive property of multiplication such as:

Again, you can see the series of helper problems that scaffold increasingly difficult problems. But what about this string for early multiplication?

Here, the number string is designed with equivalent problem structure. The first four problems are all equivalent, allowing students to think through why doubling one factor and halving the other results in an equivalent product. Other number strings with equivalent problem structure are constant difference in subtraction strings, such as:

Here the first four problems are equivalent to illustrate how constant difference can make a seemingly difficult problem like 131 - 66 simpler to solve, by shifting the difference up the number line to 130 - 65.

There are also number strings that have a compare structure, such as this number string which asks students to consider whether to add on or remove in subtraction

This distinction matters when you are designing strings, and also when you are facilitating them. When you are facilitating the number string above with a compare structure, you want to make sure to draw out a discussion of which strategy works for which set of numbers, and why. Much like a compare discussion in Elham Kazemi and Allison Hintz's Intentional Talk, the structure of the mathematics leads to a particular structure for discussion. For a number string with an equivalency structure, you want students to be talking about the equivalency and proving that these problems are truly equivalent. For a number string with a helper problem structure, discussion can focus on which simpler problems helped you solve a more challenging problem. For all the problems, discussion can center around the patterns that they notice in the number string. But for different problem structures, those patterns are different.

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How are number strings designed? Typically, people tend to describe number strings as having the following structure Entry problem Helper problems Challenge problem (or clunker) This post from Math Coach on Demand (which also has a bunch of addition and subtraction number strings) describes the structure like this: Again, the concept of helper problems. But is...

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Launch is how we use the first 5-15 minutes of our math block for purposeful, discussion-rich number sense routines in our classrooms. Learn more!

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ASKING STUDENTS TO CHOOSE A PATH AND JUSTIFY IT WITH MATH