Number talks are a great way to start a math lesson with young kids. Proposing a quick daily math question to kids reinforces key concepts.
Using number talks in your classroom to build number sense in just 10 minutes a day!
Having Number Talks in your Middle School classroom doesn't have to be stressful. You can start creating successful learning today. Freebie included!
Set up a learning environment that will support student thinking and math discussions during number talks.
Effective math talk starts with building a classroom environment that welcomes discussions of different math strategies. Enhance your class with math talks!
I've been doing a lot of reading and thinking about how important it is for children to be able to articulate their thoughts when it comes to reasoning and
In today’s blog post, we are learning all about math talk in primary grades! I have 3 different phrases for you to start incorporating in your math block to ramp up that “math talk.” We know that while it is important for students to be able to solve different problems, we also know that it’s just […]
Number talks are a great way to start a math lesson with young kids. Proposing a quick daily math question to kids reinforces key concepts.
Ideas and tips for developing a number sense routine and implementing number talks in the math classroom.
Click HERE for Number Talks: Part I (October 2016) So you've been thinking about trying a Number Talk as part of your classroom instruction? Okay, let's just lay it out there: Get over your fears and all of the excuses and JUST GO FOR IT! I love strategies that transcend specific topics, grade levels, or intelligences. That is why I am in love with Number Talks! There are so many resources out there that can help us begin to craft our Number Talks (and if you're wondering... the Number Talk book by Sherry Parrish is a good resource, but you don't need it to run a Number Talk!). I first posted about Number Talks in October 2016. In that earlier post, I described how to do a Number Talk and included some great links to other resources and shared a video showing a brave teacher who recorded her very first effort facilitating a Number Talk with her young students. Click HERE to see my earlier post. Keep reading to see more links to support using Number Talks in your classroom.... Need to be convinced even more that using a Number Talk is a powerful teaching practice? NCTM has published a set of Effective Teaching Practices. Among those practices, we can easily and strongly support at least two of them through the use of Number Talks: Facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse Elicit and use evidence of student thinking The Common Core Standards contain Standards of Mathematical Practices. Within these standards are three particular ones that align nicely with Number Talks: SMP2 - reason abstractly and quantitatively SMP3 - construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others SMP7 - Look for and make use of structure (Sherry Parrish says that Number Talks were specifically designed to address this one) Our school district uses the PARCC Assessment to measure annual growth. Nearly 40% of the assessment asks students to Model and Reason when answering questions. Number Talks help students learn how to reason about numbers and express their ideas clearly so others can understanding their thinking. Not just a good skill to have for testing, but a great one to have for math in the real world beyond the walls of the classroom! Kathy Richardson is a name we probably recognize. She is a leading contemporary in the field of mathematics education. In our school district, we use her book series Developing Number Concepts in the primary grades to support our early numeracy assessments. Take a look at what Kathy Richardson has to say about Number Talks: STILL not convinced? Check out this 15-minute video from Stanford University Professor Jo Boaler whose work on brain research and Growth Mindset can be seen in many schools across America! I love how this video offers specific mathematical examples and some research to support the use of Number Talks. Jo Boaler, Stanford University, Number Talks https://www.youcubed.org/resources/stanford-onlines-learn-math-teachers-parents-number-talks/ CCPS Educators Only Want a classroom-ready Number Talk that aligns with our CCPS Module 3? Look in your Module 3 Mathematics folder in Schoology ...and EVEN MORE RESOURCES (as promised) to support your efforts to use Number Talks as a regular strategy in your classroom PreK-Grade 5 Shametria Rout was a guest blogger on the Minds in Bloom mathematics blog and did a really nice job of addressing Number Talks in her post. Whether you are just beginning your Number Talk journey or Number Talks are already deeply embedded in your instructional repertoire, I think you will find some good stuff to add to your toolkit. Click HERE to see Shametria's post. PreK-Kindergarten Here is VIDEO of a Kindergarten class doing a Number Talk with Rekenreks. Even though Number Talks are typically done with no manipulatives and definitely no paper and pencil, I think you will agree that this was an effective exploration for these young learners. Click HERE for the video. Kindergarten-Grade 5 Looking for some "ready-made" Number Talks? Then you've got to check out this S'more site created by Amy Storer. She has put together a Powerpoint collection of Number Strings that you can use with students organized by grade levels. The slides are NOT intended to be used as a presentation in one class period, but rather, plan to use just ONE SLIDE for each Number Talk and present the related equations one at a time allowing each to build on the others of the previous equation. The image to the left comes from her Grade 3-5 Multiplication series. Here, you would present just the 2x25 to kick things off (cover up the other equations). Ask students for an answer and be sure to ask "HOW DO YOU KNOW?". Be sure to solicit several different methods for determining the solution of 50. Then present the next problem 4x25 and listen for the magic of students learning to express their understanding of numbers as they explain the various ways they determined 4x25 is 100 – I think you will hear at least 3 or 4 DIFFERENT ways that students arrived at 100 if you just give students time to think and talk. Click HERE to see 'Smore (sometimes I crack myself up!) Kindergarten-Grade 5 As if that were not enough... here is another site with ready-made Powerpoint slides organized by grade level (K-5). Be sure to notice the grade level tabs at the top of the page. Like the previous site, these strings of expressions are not intended to be presented during one class period -- each slide is it's own Number Talk, so there is enough here to last you the entire school year! These Powerpoint slides are designed to show just one equation at a time when you play the presentation. Click HERE to see this plethora of slides you can use with your students. Grades 3-5 Yep, here are a few more Number Talks that you can use tomorrow in your classroom (grades 3-5). This .pdf document has dozens of examples from Sherry Parrish's book Number Talks – find the one that can help you get started in your own classroom. Click HERE to access this file.
Number talks are a quick way to work on subitizing, mental math, number sense, and so much more with your students. What's great about number talks is they can be completed in 15 minutes or less! These math chats include 70 summer-themed number talks in different formats such as which one doesn't belong, subitizing practice, and critical thinking exercises. Get your whole class talking with these low floor, high ceiling quick and easy math discussions! The best part? Your students do practically all the work! You just need to facilitate the discussion and document each child’s response. Resource includes 70 prompts broken into the following: 25 How Do You See It? Subitizing Visuals 10 What is the Question? Critical Thinking Tasks 5 How many are hiding? Missing Addend Tasks 30 Which One Doesn’t Belong? Prompts How Do You See It? Subitizing Visuals Given a number of objects, your students will share how they see the total. This activity helps students practice subitizing, mental math, and creating number sentences. Record your students’ answers to see how many different ways your class can create the total. What is the Question? Critical Thinking Tasks Challenge your students to think of the story problem that matches the answer given. This is a fabulous way for your students to share their creative and critical thinking. How Many are Hiding? Missing Addend Tasks Students will use a picture to help them figure out the missing addend. For example, if there are 10 fish altogether. 6 are swimming and the rest are in the cave. How many are hiding? Which One Doesn’t Belong? Prompts With four different images, numbers, or math problems displayed, students will provide reasoning to which one they believe does not belong. These prompts are meant to create discussion among the students. They were designed to not have a direct/clear answer choice. These are a guaranteed way to get your kiddos talking! Afraid you can’t fit another thing into your day? No worries! Like most number talks each prompt is designed to take 15 minutes or less. They are perfect for a math warmup, to be included in your morning meeting, or to fill that 10 minute gap between library and lunch. They can be used whole group or in a small group setting. Download includes a zip file containing: PowerPoint and Google Slides version of the resource. Want more info on number talks and why they are so beneficial? Check out this blog post! After reading you’ll know what a number talk is, how it is beneficial for your students, and 3 ways to use them in your classroom. You seem like an awesome person, especially for reading this far into my description! I’d love to keep in touch! Follow my TpT store Find me on Instagram: @your_everyday_teacher Check out my Facebook page Check out my website: youreverydayteacher.com Questions, comments, requests? Email me: [email protected]
Such a fun and quick 5 minute activator to start off math this week! Thank you @sparklesandsprinklesinfirst for sharing 🥰 #teachergram #teacherspayteachers #teachertribe #teacherlife...
I've had many failed Math Talks over the years, too. But I knew in my heart that number talks was a best practice because it was best for kids. So, I dug in my heels, and found 4 ways to make the most of a Math Talk.
Make learning fun for your students! Strategies, activities, freebies and more for teachers, tutors and homeschoolers. Ideas you can use today!
WHY DO I LOVE PAPERLESS NUMBER TALKS A couple of years ago, I started using digital/paperless Number Talks during my guided math block. The results from this simple, powerful teaching practice blew me away. They instantly became the perfect math warm-up! My students were engaged in meaningful discussions focused on mental math and computational strategies. They were building their understanding of number sense and flexibility in number thinking. The benefits of this daily (5-10 minutes) Number Talk routine was also evident throughout the rest of our math time. To make Number Talks effective for my students, as well as for me, I started carefully crafting problems into digital slides each week. It didn't take long for me to realize that digital Number Talks are AMAZING! All I had to do each day was open up a slideshow and my Number Talk lesson was ready. Such a time saver! Since Number Talks are all about the process of mental math computation and sharing strategies, the digital/paperless format was perfection. HOW TO USE PAPERLESS NUMBER TALKS IN YOUR CLASSROOM 1. Teacher presents each problem and gives wait time. 2. Students mentally figure out the answer (no paper or pencil) and give a thumbs up to show that they have at least one solution. *Students can put additional fingers up if they have more than one way to solve the problem. Example: Two fingers up means I have two ways to solve the problem. 3. Students share their thinking as the teacher records (students can also record). During this time, the teacher is asking questions like: "How did you get your answer?" and/or "Why did you use that strategy?". Incorrect solutions and methods can and should be part of Number Talks. I personally like to do Number Talks at the beginning of my math block, but it can be done at any time that works best for your schedule. BENEFITS OF PAPERLESS NUMBER TALKS •Encourages math communication from all students •Provides structured practice for mental math •Promotes the value in using mental math to compute •Promotes the importance of being flexible with numbers •Uses a variety of strategies for computation •Helps strengthen students' understanding of place value WHEN SHOULD I START NUMBER TALKS You can start Number Talks at any time of the year, and I've made it really EASY for you! You can get 40 weeks of PAPERLESS NUMBER TALKS in just one click here! These Number Talk lessons were designed to engage your learners in meaningful math conversations focused on mental math and computational strategies throughout the year. As I mentioned before, they make the perfect math warm-up! All you have to do is upload the Number Talk digital slides (PowerPoint)- PAPERLESS and ZERO prep! Everything is already done for you! Each day of the week has a specific Number Talk mental math focus. The predictable and student friendly structure of the digital slides allows you to spend more time talking about math instead of giving directions/expectations over and over. PAPERLESS NUMBER TALK PREVIEW Here is a snapshot of PAPERLESS Number Talks for 1st grade! Make it Monday Students will mentally think of equations that make the number in the circle using the given numbers. True or False Tuesday Students will mentally solve the equations to determine whether they are true of false. Work it Out Wednesday Students will mentally solve the equations and share their thinking. Time to Subitize Thursday Briefly (5-10 seconds) flash each slide. Students will share what number was shown, as well as, explain their thinking in determining the number. Fact Fun Friday Students will mentally solve the equations and share their thinking. Every daily lesson has 5 slides/problems with the exception of Make it Monday where students are brainstorming ways to make the target number. I've also included editable/blank slides in case you would like to create your own problems. Number Talks have never been easier! Try a week for free here! Kindergarten: http://bit.ly/kindernumbertalks First Grade: http://bit.ly/1stgradenumbertalks Second Grade: http://bit.ly/2ndgradenumbertalks Third Grade: http://bit.ly/3rdgradenumbertalks Fourth Grade: http://bit.ly/fourthgradenumbertalks Fifth Grade: http://bit.ly/fifthgradenumbertalks
Number talk lessons are short, powerful activities that will take your students' number sense and math reasoning to the next level.
How to Use Which One Doesn’t Belong? to Teach Math
I'd like to talk about my favorite time of the day (okay, it's tied with word study rotations and play centers, but those are for another time). Our 30-minute block of math rotations has allowed me to become a stronger math teacher and my students to become more confident mathematicians. How could 30 minutes be
do you want your students to make massive math gains in just 10 minutes a day? These FREE number talks ... check are ready to go...saving you TONS of planning time check will begin building your
Math Warm-Ups for students allow time to process and explore mathematical concepts in a lesson kick starter. Students share strategies and thinking.
Have you always wanted to do number talks in your math classroom but wasn't sure how? Check out this post where I walk you through it and help you get started today!
It's pretty obvious by now just how much I love math workshop. Check out this blog post and I have no doubt you'll fall in love with it too!
Most kids find it challenging to explain how they solve math problems and to put what they know about math into words. These ten simple classroom routines can help make math talk a regular part of your day: 1) Start your math block with a strategizing session instead of a traditional warm-up problem. Rather than … Continued
Depending on how much time you have for guided math, find ideas on how to schedule your daily math block to include key components for success.
do you want your students to make massive math gains in just 10 minutes a day? These FREE number talks ... check are ready to go...saving you TONS of planning time check will begin building your
Your math warmup sets the tone for the rest of your math instruction, so let's make our math warmups count! Grab a FREE resource!
Get information and tips for launching Number Talks in your classroom. Number Talks is a quick discussion designed to build number sense and mental math.
Ignite student learning with math starters. This post shares 10 ways to jump-start learning in math. A free math starter is also included.
Do you need to get kids involved in math lessons? Get These FREE Thinking & Talking About Math talk posters & prompts! Happy Kids Guaranteed!
Math warm ups are an effective way of stretching your students' brains without throwing a whole lesson on them all at once. Check out this post!
These time math warm ups will help your third graders strengthen their basic time telling skills. This ready-to-use resource includes 82 number talks for third-grade multiplication. The activities include a range of skills: reading the clock, telling time to the nearest 5 minutes and nearest minute, elapsed time, and more! Your students will be begging for these math talks every day. You'll be impressed with the way they share their thinking with their peers. These slides can easily be added into your math lessons for the day. Use PowerPoint or Google Slides to access this resource. Kickstart your math class with a daily number talk routine. Students will develop problem-solving skills as they work through each activity. Daily math talks also boost communication skills when students share their thinking with their peers. Challenge your students to use multiple math strategies to explain the answer to each activity. Here's what you'll get: 82 projectable number talks (available in PowerPoint or Google Slides) an interactive version that can be assigned to students 6 editable templates Google Links for all activities Your students will love the challenge of these math activities. They will quickly master third-grade time concepts while also boosting their critical thinking and communication skills. This resource includes the following activity types: Talk About It (Vocabulary Words) Read the Clock (Tell time to the Nearest hour, Nearest 5 minutes, Nearest Minute) Translation, Please! (half past, quarter 'til, etc.) How many ways can you say...? What time will it be in 20 minutes? Elapsed Time (Within the hour and across the hour) *Check out the product preview for an up-close look at each activity. Options for Classroom Use: Project on your interactive board for whole group discussion Math warm-up or class starter Share screen on Google Meet or Zoom classes Test-prep review Printable task cards Students can complete the digital activities online for practice End of year review 5 minute time filler Hundreds of teachers just like you are enjoying these number talks. Here's what they have to say: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Math and More in 104 says, "Your number talks are my favorite!!! Thank you!! I love your would you rather questions - they're a GREAT way to make students think!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Teacher's Heart says, "Such a great tool to use at the beginning of our Math small groups." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mrs Wrights Wanderers says, "This resource has been a wonderful addition to our Zoom lessons. My kids understand more about time and it also gives them the chance to interact similarly to how they would if we were sitting in our classroom learning. A wonderful resource and easy to use!" The math focus for these warm-ups is 3rd grade Common Core math standards. Do you need second-grade digital number talks? Take a look at those here! _______________________________________ ⭐️ Bundle & save for a discount ⭐️ Purchase the Third Grade Digital Number Talks Bundle for HUGE savings. You'll receive hundreds of number talks that will last all year long. _______________________________________ You may also like… → 100 Word Problems for Third Grade Math → Digital Problem of the Day for Third Grade → Around the World Digital Game Bundle ___________________________________ Copyright © Digging Deeper Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Please purchase additional licenses if you intend to share this product. Be sure to follow me for updates on this resource as new additions are added. All new resources are 50% OFF for the first 24 hours.
I was hesitant to implement math talk & math accountable talk stems at first, but I am so glad I did. Read to find out how these...
Using number talks in your classroom to build number sense in just 10 minutes a day!
Planting lifelong foundations in early childhood
This easy-to-use math supplement is perfect to fill those few extra minutes we sometimes have throughout the day! There are 50 quick and easy math problems that review national standards and encourage students to talk about math in their everyday lives.
Tweet Welcome to week 2 of our Mathematical Mindsets book study! Last week, we looked at the latest in brain research and talked about the importance of mistakes and struggle. Chapter 3: The Creativity and Beauty in Mathematics Big Ideas - Math gets treated differently than other subjects. It is much more of a performance subject than any other. -There is a big gap between real world mathematics and school mathematics - Students (and the public in general) see math as calculations, rules and procedures rather than creative and beautiful. Impact in the Classroom Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Ratio One of the examples given in this chapter was about taking a look at the Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio with kids. I have always loved this series of numbers and many years ago was given a copy of Fascinating Fibonaccis which I have now used many times to talk with kids about Fibonacci numbers. I also love the picture book Rabbits Rabbits Everywhere by Ann McCallum who also wrote Eat your Math Homework. One more excellent resource is this blog, Fabulous Fibonacci Fun where you can find more background information as well as a great collection of images that illustrate the golden ratio in nature. Let Students pose Their own Questions Real mathematicians pose and answer questions all the time. One of the best ways to get our students doing this is to let them have the chance. Give them mathematical tools or situations and let them come up with questions. Let them work to find answers to their questions. This is something I have had some opportunity to do this year in the context of our school wide genius hour. It is definitely something I hope to do more of in the future. Chapter 4: Creating Mathematical Mindsets: The Importance of Flexibility with Numbers Big Ideas -Kids intuitive joy of math is quickly replaced with learning procedures & rules -Students need to see math as a conceptual, growth oriented subject. They should see math as a place to think, not to blindly operate on numbers. Impact in the Classroom Number Talks The single best way I have found to develop a sense of numeracy in kids of all ages is number talks. Doing number talks with my students has been a total game changer in my students' ability to think about numbers, develop strategies and learn to talk about their thinking. It is a structured way to spend 10 minutes each day that will give you big results. If you teach K-4, start with this book, and if you teach grade 5 and up check out this one. If you have been using number talks in your classroom and are ready to up your game, there is a new number talks book all about Fractions & Decimals. I have dug into this one over the past 2 months and it has really helped move my practice forward and increased my students' understanding of fractions and decimals. Hold off on Formal Procedures When do you "teach" kids the traditional algorithms for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing? Holding off on these formal procedures can really help kids see math as a growth oriented subject where they can develop their own conceptual understanding and design their own strategies to solve problems. If you are using number talks, you will be amazed at what kids of efficient strategies your students can come up with on their own. In my school, we have agreed not to introduce the traditional algorithm for addition and subtraction until grade 4. We hold off on the traditional algorithm for multiplication until the end of grade 5 and division until grade 6. Go for Depth, Not Speed Value deep thinking over fast thinking in your classroom. Whenever I talk about not focusing on speed, the issue of math facts comes up. I think to much emphasis is put on memorization when kids should really be working on knowing facts from memory. For much more about facts, check out this post. Chapter 5: Rich Mathematical Tasks Big Ideas -5 c's of engagement: curiosity, connection making, challenge, creativity, collaboration -5 ways for teachers to open math tasks and increase potential for learning. 1. Open the task so there are multiple methods, pathways and representations 2. Include inquiry opportunities 3. Ask the problem before teaching the method 4. Add a visual component and ask students how they see the math 5. Ask students to convince and reason; be skeptical Impact in the Classroom Rich mathematical tasks are such a good way to generate engagement and enthusiasm in your classroom. Providing kids with low floor, high ceiling tasks are a great way to get big math ideas, work on perseverance and get kids excited about math. After reading this chapter, I decided to try a little experiment with a very engaging, very open ended task, the 1 to 10 card investigation. If you have never heard of this investigation, head here to check out a 1 minute video. I presented the original investigation to a group of first graders who are always looking for a challenge, all of my second graders, the entire 5th and 6th grade classes and a large group of teachers during a PD day. All of these folks were able to access this problem. The excitement and engagement were just as high with adults solving this problem as it was with first graders. Students work together using 20 frame playing cards to solve the problem to 15. The best part of this problem was that there really is no end to it. After folks solved the 1 to 10 card problem, all kinds of extensions were proposed and worked on. Some kids increased the number of cards while others proposed different arrangements of the cards such as what if we flip one over and then put 2 on the bottom. Kids challenged each other and me to go further with this problem. One of my sixth graders must have spent 20 hours on this problem over the last week and was able to generalize a pattern that would work for any number of cards. Kids asked to take cards home and challenge their families. Teachers who worked on this problem during PD literally could not stop working on it. A student uses cards from my place value to 120 deck to work on solving the problem with 50 cards Your turn! What did you think about this week's reading? What changes are you making or thinking of making in your classroom? Please respond in the comments below!
do you want your students to make massive math gains in just 10 minutes a day? These FREE number talks ... check are ready to go...saving you TONS of planning time check will begin building your
Teaching sports vocabulary is often a popular topic in an English language classroom. Students can use these speaking cards as a practice activity.
Use these quick math fillers when you have 5 to 10 minutes
After discovering the gem that is Which One Doesn't Belong, and writing a blog post about WODB, I knew that I eventually wanted my students to create their own as a project. Now that state testing is finally over, it is nice to be able to finally present this to the class. I had thought about ideas on how to structure the project, but I was still short on some ideas. I came across this tweet from Mishaal Surti, which gave me some inspiration. I created a document that included a rubric as well as some ideas from the tweet that is linked above. Students were allowed to pick their partner, and we headed to the computer lab. I told students that they needed to look at examples of WODBs, which we also did before heading to the computer lab. I then instructed students how to create a Google Doc to insert images and equations. I required students to use their own interests to find four items that one could argue do not belong in a set and also required them to justify using some type of mathematical reasoning. I was really impressed with what some of my students created. Before you look at the projects my kids created, take a look at the Google Doc I created with the assignment and the rubric. Shapes and angles. Which One Doesn't Belong? Items at Chipotle. WODB? Cereals. WODB? Various graphs. WODB? Car Brands. WODB? Fast Food Restaurants. WODB? Symmetrical Superhero Logos. WODB? Money. WODB? Exponential and Logarithmic Functions. WODB? Cities. WODB? Various Equations. WODB? Musical Notes. WODB? Since there are several field trips today, I was unable to let my geometry class present. However, I had enough kids in attendance in my Algebra II classes, so I went ahead and let them present. I really enjoyed listening to their arguments and reasoning of their peers' projects. I definitely recommend this project for a one to two day assignment. Feel free to comment if you have any questions.
Back in February, I was working on finishing up and listing all of the number talks I had been using with my students, with a plan to get them polished up and bundled by spring break. Then, of course, COVID-19 changed things and I shifted my focus to distance learning. I am so excited to say that all of my number talks are now finished! I am pumped to start next school year with an entire year's worth of number talks ready to go. I've already talked in previous posts about how amazing I think number talks are, and how they completely changed my math instruction. I love them, the kids love them, and I am constantly amazed at the amount of critical thinking my students display as they work through the various problems. My class this past year took ownership of their learning and pride in showing their strategies to their friends; they even got upset when number talks were finished for the day! If that isn't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is. ;) I've listed each of my number talks separately so you can purchase one to cover a particular skill, and I also offer them all together as a money-saving bundle if you're ready to go all-in. However, I wanted you to have the chance to experience number talks and see if they're a good fit for your classroom and teaching style before purchasing, so I've listed a sample pack as a FREEBIE! This sample includes 2 slides from each of my 12 number talks, for a total of 24 FREE number talks! Just like with the full version, the freebie includes a version for both PowerPoint and Google Slides™. I'm confident that your students will love Calculate It! Number Talks as much as mine do, and I'm excited for you to experience how engaging and rigorous number talks can be! Get the free sample here, and then please come leave some feedback to tell me how it went in your classroom! Keep teaching with heart and passion,
36 weeks of Mental Math Talks! I made these for my third grade class, but could definitely be used in 4th and 5th grade (or second with some modifying). They are on Google Slides so they are 100% editable.Math Talks are an amazing way to build number sense among your students. Math (#) Talks are mea...
