Number Talks Discussion #1

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses to our first Number Talk! Before we get into what Number Talks are and how to implement them in your own classroom, I'd like to discuss the responses y'all gave. Just as a reminder, the instructions were to look at this image, and without counting one by one, figure out how may dots there were.

The responses y'all gave were excellent, and were similar to those students give when they first encounter Number Talks! They ranged from counting one by one, to recognizing the pattern from previous experiences, to coming up with strategies for how to see patterns within the larger figure. None of these responses are better or worse than another, and we will spend the rest of this blog examining each type of response to help you recognize the merits of each.

Some of our students will automatically count the dots one by one. If your students do this, encourage them to find another way to determine the number of dots.

Some people saw the vertical line of 3 dots, then added the remaining two to get a sum of 5. Others might have seen the vertical line of 3 dots, then added the remaining two. The ability to quickly identify the number of items in a small set without counting is called subitizing. Recognizing the pattern as being similar to that found on a dice or from other sources is memorized subitizing.

Other people saw the two lines of three cross, and either added 3+3 or multiplied 2x3. Then they realized that the middle dot was counted twice in this process, and subtracted it from the total to end up with 5.

One person noticed the square formed by the outside dots, then added the middle dot. This geometric way of seeing will come more naturally to some than others.

Because many of our students haven't ever been asked to go beyond the algorithm or been encouraged to question the memorized methods, it might take a while for them to feel comfortable visualizing things in a different way. This is ok. It's also important to have these commonly used methods mentioned so that students can make connections between their method and the standard algorithm.

I'm going to have a Number Talk every Friday, with the responses discussed on Monday. Thank you all for participating in our very first one!

An Introduction to Number Talks

I want you to look at this image, and without counting one by one, figure out how many dots there are.

Share your strategy in the comments below! (Trust me, there's a point to this.)

Classroom Activities and Games

Part of Teachering is tricking kids into thinking they're playing a game, when all they're doing is classwork.

The first thing I'd like to share with y'all is a compilation of classroom activities and games. I've collected these over the past four years and put them into a Google Spreadsheet for easy access and reference. Some of these have come from internet searches, others have come from friends and family who are also teachers. I've linked to blogs and websites if that's where the information came from. Most of the examples are math-related, but the activities can be used across content areas and grade levels.

Some of these activities can be used in place of worksheets for independent practice. I've noticed that if students are doing something that involves movement or bright colors, they are more inclined to stay engaged. They tend to complete more independent practice problems than if I were to simply hand them a worksheet. Other activities are review games that can be done before a big unit test, or as a way to spiral review information.

If there is something you've tried in your classroom that has worked well, or something you've heard about that I don't have on my list, please send it my way and I'll add it! Please share this with anyone you know that is looking to change things up in their classroom!

Classroom Activities and Games

Nice to meet you!

Hello fellow educators! My name is Beth, and I have spent the last four years teaching in Mississippi. I started out teaching 6th grade math and loved it. One of the things I learned while teaching, is that I really enjoyed helping other teachers create lessons and activities to get their students engaged. I also realized that teachers are not always given all the support they need to help students develop number sense. Because of that, I left the classroom and started providing professional development to math teachers around the state this school year.

I have shared resources with teachers I've met, and encouraged them to share with other educators they know. This word-of-mouth method has been great and created a network of educators around the state, but I decided that sending links one at a time wasn't the most efficient way to help spread good resources. Hence, this blog!

Most of the resources that I will be sharing will be math-related, but I do have resources that can be used across content areas. The resources will also span grade-levels. Feel free to share your own resources with me, and I'll get them shared with others.

I'm hoping this blog will be the beginning of a virtual Professional Learning Community, with everyone involved in getting better at Teachering!