Elementary Liaison Meeting Presenter: Simi Minhas

Quote The practice of number talks is one of the most powerful vehicles I know for helping students learn to reason with numbers and make mathematically convincing arguments, for building a solid foundation for algebraic reasoning, and for teaching mathematics as a sense-making process. If all teachers make this shift in their practice, it would represent a profound advancement in mathematics education. - Ruth Parker

Number Talks

Number Talks Video Classroom Clip: 2.1 Watch the video showing a second grade addition Number Talk. Discuss: What is the teacher’s role in the number talk? What features of this video would you like to see in your classroom?

What are Number Talks? Classroom conversations around purposefully crafted computation problems that are solved mentally. The problems are designed to elicit specific strategies that focus on number relationships and number theory. Students are given problems in either whole- or small group settings and are expected to mentally solve them accurately, efficiently, and flexibly. By sharing and defending their solutions and strategies, students have the opportunity to collectively reason about numbers while building connections to key conceptual ideas in mathematics.

Teacher’s Role Facilitator of problems Write answers and strategies on board Plan for day's number talks Be sure Number talks only lasts 5-10 minutes ***Set a timer if needed***

Starting Point Start at least one year below your grade level. Be prepared with all manipulatives. Be Patient! Get ready to be AMAZED!

Protocols and Routines "I have an answer": Student places thumb at chest for ONE idea, they will add a finger for each new idea. "I have the same answer as......": Student will put their thumb and pinky up and move their hand back and forth pointing their thumb at themselves and their pinky at the person with the same answer.

4 easy Steps to Prepare 1. Find a location that allows for close proximity to your students for informal observations and interactions. 2. Provide appropriate WAIT TIME for majority of students to solve the problem. 3. ACCEPT, RESPECT, and CONSIDER all answers. 4. Encourage student communication.

Four Goals for K-2 Number Talks 1.Developing number sense “Number sense is an awareness and understanding about what numbers are, their relationships, their magnitude, the relative effect of operating on numbers, including the use of mental mathematics and estimation.” 2.Developing fluency with small numbers 3.Subitizing (immediately recognizing a collection of objects as a single unit) 4.Making tens

Classroom Link: Ten-Frames and Dot Cards Classroom Clip: Kindergarten Consider the following while viewing the clip: 1.How does the teacher build student fluency with small numbers? 2.What questions does the teacher pose to build understanding? 3.How are the tools and models used to support the goals of K-2 number talks? 4.What strategies are the students using to build meaning of the numbers? 5.What examples of subitizing, conserving number, and one-to-one correspondence do you notice? 6.What opportunities are created for the students to begin building an understanding of ten? 7.How does the teacher support student communication during the number talk?

Category 1: Two addends that make a quick ten Making Ten

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The way this string was presented in one of the resources. Would you present this string the way it is, or would you modify it? if yes, then how would you modify this string?

Decomposing numbers by place value to add

Rationale for Number Talks Would Number Talks be helpful to implement at your school? Why? Where would you schedule this time?

Rationale for Number Talks “Our classrooms are filled with students and adults who think of mathematics as rules and procedures to memorize without understanding the numerical relationships that provide the foundation for these rules.”

Accuracy, Efficiency, and Flexibility “Accuracy denotes the ability to produce an accurate answer; efficiency refers to the ability to choose an appropriate, expedient strategy for a specific computation problem; and flexibility means the ability to use number relationships with ease in computation.”

Holding Students Accountable for their Learning 1.Ask students to indicate the most efficient strategy, and write a reflection every so often. 2.Keep records of problems posed in the corresponding student strategies. 3.Hold small-group number talks every day. 4.Create and post class strategy charts. (living document/ scaffold for some students) 5.Require students to solve an exit problem using the discussed strategies. (use an index card) 6.Give a weekly computation assessment.

Planning for NYS Assessments Important links: state-common-core-sample-questions ml Test Guides for English Language Arts and Mathematics for-english-language-arts-and-mathematics