Number Talks - The First Lesson

Below you will find a quick write up of how I introduce number talks to my students.

Number Talks - Day 1

Goal/objective:  Students will understand the basic routine and brainstorm ways to respond to each other.  

Step 1 - Choose 2-3 sets of Number Talk problems to use throughout this lesson.  

I always begin with whole numbers (or dot pictures in PK and K) that are fairly easy for my kids (so that they meet success quickly) and then I ramp up the level of difficulty over the first 3-5 days (depending on the group of kids).  You really have to gauge it based on your students.  Every class, as you well know if you have been teaching for 2 or more years, can be vastly different in how they think and interact with each other from others (even at the same grade level).  If you have the Sherry Parrish book you will see that she divides it up by grade level.  In grade 3-5 the first lessons she has look really simple but, for kids who have not had number talks before, are a great place to start.  

Last year I used this number talk string on the first day in grade 3:

7 + 3

7 + 5 + 3

3 + 6 + 7

Step 1 - Optional - Video

You could choose to show your students a video of a number talk that is similar to what you will be doing before you begin. Then you could have your students reflect on what they see the other students doing and how they are interacting with each other. Some videos can be found in the Number Talks book by Sherry Parrish or on teachingchannel.org.

The Lesson

1.  I introduce the following before putting up the first problem (I only put up one problem at a time).

• Number Talks are a set of problems that we will solve mentally and share out so that we can learn different strategies and ways of thinking from each other.
• There are many different ways to solve a problem.
• I will write up one problem at a time and we will think quietly about how we would solve it and the solution.  When they know they have a way to solve it they should give me a “thumbs up” on their chest.  I explain that we don’t put our thumb in the air because it might block the view of others or distract them while they are thinking.  I will be able to see when they put their thumbs up on their chest.  
• Explain that we will share out more than one solution and that if someone share something that they also thought they can use the “me too” hand signal.  

2.   I write the first problem for all students to see.  I remind them to give me a thumbs up on their chest when they have a solution (not to raise their hands because it is distracting to students who are thinking).  When I have lots of students showing me the “thumbs up” signal I ask a student to share how they solved the problem.  Then I share out the discussion statements.  I explain that we will use these statements to help them learn to communicate and discuss in a kind way.  The statements I then share are these:

• I agree with (insert student name) because…
• I disagree with (insert student name) because…
• I did not understand (insert name or what you didn’t understand).  Could you explain it again?
• (insert name) how did you decide to…

3.  Next I tell students that I’m going to write the next problem on the board and that they might be able to use something we learned from the first problem to help them solve this problem.   Again I wait for students to give me that “thumbs up” signal on their chest.  I remind that them they should use the discussion statements to help them to respond to each others thinking.  I elicit several ways to solve the problems from the students and record the thinking.  

4.  I continue reinforcing the “thumbs up signal” and discussion strategies the first day with the remainder of the first sting of problems.  Then I tell them that we will do one more string that it a little harder but could utilize the same strategies that we have already shared.  

5.  I ask students, at the end of the time, to share out some things they learned about solving problems today AND some things they learned about how we can discuss our thinking with each other (to reinforce what we have learned).  

Number Talks - Getting the Math Mathematical "Bang for your Buck"

Number Talks have been around for many years but are gaining momentum again with Jo Boaler's book, Mathematical Mindsets and her Youcubed.org site and Facebook page.  This wonderful math routine is an easy way to begin to change the culture of mathematics and thinking in any PK-8 classroom.

Many teachers, who have not yet experienced the power of regular number talks are beginning to search out ways to incorporate this routine into their classrooms.  They are asking things like...."where do I begin?" and "how do I teach my kids to do number talks?".

In our county, Washington County, MD we purchased the original Sherry Parrish book, for every classroom teacher K-5 in our county.  The book comes with videos so you can see number talks in action.  Through the use of the book we began using (just trying them out really to see what would happen) them in our classrooms.  Personally I found that the most important thing is teaching children that this is a thinking conversation and that it is important for students to question each other about their thinking and reasoning (in a kind way) is vital to creating a great math mindset in your classroom.

What resources did I use to learn about Number Talks?

Number Talks by Sherry Parrish was the very first exposure I had to Number Talks.  It is comprehensive in introducing someone to this powerful routine.

Teachingchannel.org also has some good videos of Number Talks in action.


After the original Number Talk book had been out for several years, Sherry Parrish released the long awaited Fraction Number Talks book!  I could hardly wait to get my hands on this text.  We purchased, at the school level, a copy for each teacher in grade 3-5 and begin dipping into the text last year.  I hope to model more of these lessons this year in my new building!    This book also has links to videos to help teachers get started.

I also found the book Number Sense Routines:  Building Numerical Literacy Every Day in Grades K-3 by Jessica F. Shumway.  This book is also a great resource but I still think that the Sherry Parrish books are much more comprehensive.

I hope to be able to help you think about how you might "kick off" a year of Number Talks in your classroom here on this blog.  I will tell you that once you start Number Talks and get them up and running, it becomes fairly simple to plan them.

Number Talks - A Mental Exercise
I want to first make sure to explain that number talks are meant as a mental math exercise with thinking being recorded in a place where all students can see it.  This is sort of like a "shared reading" experience where the class class being able to "see the math thinking" is vital!  I am a number talks PURIST in that I believe kids need to being doing their thinking mentally and not on dry erase boards or paper.  We share the thinking they do in their heads on a common recording - chart paper, dry erase board, under the document camera, etc....  I really like capturing our thinking from day to do so we can refer back to it.  One year I had a reacher who used a composition book to do the class recordings and projected it under the document camera.  That way, each day they could "flip back" to thinking from prior days if they needed to.  It was also a great way to capture student thinking to reflect on as a teacher.

Number Talk - Location, Location, Location
Location, I believe, is important when setting up number talks.  I think kids need a "change of venue" for this routine.  Brain research says that you can active the brain by moving.  I like, even with big kids, to get them out of their seats and move them to a different location.  For me, ideally, it is a common carpet area.  This might dictate how you and your students record their thinking.  If you are on your carpet you may not be able to view your boards and will need a dry erase easel or chart paper in the area to capture their thinking.

Initial Number Talks Lesson Timing
Keep in mind that number talks are a routine that should be completed in a session of 10-15 minutes each time you do them.  I will tell you that when I am introducing them the first 3-5 lessons take longer than normal because I am teaching my students routines and setting the stage for great discussions.  I am upfront with my kids and tell them that once we get up and running we will only do these for 10-15 mins.  I have never had a class that did not LOVE number talks once we got them going but because of this the kids tend to want to spend a lot more than 10 minutes with them.  I often have to set a timer because it is easy for me to let these great conversations go and then miss out on the other great thinking activities we need to be doing in the rest of our math block.

In the Parrish book she has "sets" or strings of problems listed by strategy.   Keep in mind that these problems can be solved with many different strategies even if they are listed as one particular strategy.  But, if you use them for a while, you will see why she crafts the strings of the problems the way she does to build that particular strategy.   Once I am up and running I use one or two (depending on how fast they solve) strings of problems per day.  Here is a sample string I use early on in grade 5 if I am hoping to highlight the "friendly number" strategy:

19 + 2         This first string is very accessible to all students in that they can make 20 and 
19 + 5         then add on the remaining amount.  After we solve this string (and they do 
19 + 8         quickly) I amp up the level.
19 + 12

99 + 5         Here is a place I might go if they did well with the first set (in the same day).
99 + 15
99 + 26
99 + 51

In the first several lessons I set the stage for a year of number talks by facilitating lessons that help them learn these things:

• the purpose of number talks.
• how we grow our minds through thinking and discussing.
• how we "kindly" talk (student to student) and question our thinking.
• how we can utitlize the strategies we have learned to solve problems in multiple different ways.
• how they can share their thinking even if they haven't figured out the final answer in their head.

Stay tuned for initial lesson specifics in the coming days! 

The LONG Summer of...reading, relaxing, and rejuvenating!

Two and one half school days remain for our WCPS students this year (and a mere 4 for teachers)!  This will be the longest summer of my 21 years of teaching as our state has declared that no one can start school until the day after labor day.  We have, in the last few years started school as early as August 17.  In addition, we only had 1 (yes 1) snow day!  So, our last day is JUNE 1 and our kids won't return to school until September 5....that is a full 3 months off!  

So, this summer I have a HUGE pile of professional books, children's and young adult literature, and for fun books that I want to read.  In addition I look forward to spending time with my boys, husband, and our parents both on some short trips and here at home!  

This summer I'm going to try to return to the blogging world.  I'm going to commit to try to chronicle my reading.  I had a teaching friend, retired, who wrote down every book she ever read in a journal (many journals).  Each year she would, on the first day of school, ask each of her students their birthdate and tell them the book she was reading on the day they were born....how cool is that!!!!  I always wished I had done that.   But, at least I can start chronicling them here whether anyone reads this or not!  

So, here goes..... After reading OUT OF MY MIND I instantly became a Sharon M. Draper fan!  This is absolutely one of my favorite books and a great read aloud.  So, when I found that she wrote STELLA BY STARLIGHT I knew I couldn't pass up this book!    

  

The book on the left is the original cover....it was the one that drew me into the story.  The cover to the right is the one I purchased because was hardback and on sale at the Scholastic Fair BOGO for $7.99.  I am not in love with the newer cover ... it doesn't give you a window to the story and I think the girl looks nothing like a child of 1932 but, none the less, the price was right!  

This is the story of a child, from a small, segregated North Carolina town, who comes upon the Klu Klux Klan late one night.  The reader, gets to experience, through Stella's eyes, what it feels like to be black in the south in the 1930's.  In addition to the historical context, Stella is also a struggling writer.  She likes to write but sometimes struggles to get her thoughts on paper the way she wants.  Stella's writings (and her mistakes and corrections) are scattered throughout the story.  

This book is steeped in history and culture and written with fabulous diction.  I couldn't help but underline passages that would make for lively book group discussions!  Add this book to your list for a read aloud (grades 3-6) or for books clubs (grades 4-6).  This book is a F&P level V book.  

What are you reading this summer?

Summer is almost here (2.5 student days left in our school system)!!  Teachers are dreaming of lazy days without alarms clocks and bells along with a little sand, surf, and sun.  Like many teachers I have a pile of "for fun" books that have been calling my name for months!  But...in addition to those fun books I also have a pile of books that I've been saving to my professional reading wishlist all year.  

At the end of the school year I always treat myself to some professional books (as well as fun book) that I strive to read during the summer to prepare for the next school year.  I would love to hear about what you are reading as well!  Be sure to comment with your summer reading books.

Here my summer 2016 professional reads:

Kids Deserve It!  Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome

I got hooked into this book through Twitter and the #TLAP (Teach Like a Pirate) group.   I'm excited to see what these authors have to inspire me.  This book was just released last week and after everyone started tweeting great quotes I couldn't help but purchase the Kindle version.  

The Big Book of Details:  46 Moves for Teaching Writing to Elaborate by Rozlyn Linder

As a person who spent many years teaching math exclusively, writing is not my strongest subject to teach.  Writing, in my school, is something that our students struggle with.  So, I set out to arm myself with writing strategies to help our students (and myself).  This is a FABULOUS book with lesson built right into the text.  The lessons include references to mentor text.  These references not only give you a good text but the exact page where the model text is found.  I have read 2 chapters and have already learned so much that I can't wait to use my new skills with kids next year!

Story:  Still the Heart of Literacy Learning by Katie Cunningham

My friend and co-worker Carroll Sager visited our school for some professional development.  She mentioned that she was in love with this book.  Since Carroll had recommended the fabulous book, Readicide, to me I knew this would be a great read also.  This book reminds us how important stories are and how to find them in the world around us.  

Amplify:  Digital Teaching and Learning in the K-6 Classroom by Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke

Those that know me know that I'm not only a "math nerd" but also a "techie".  I can't help myself when it comes to technology.  Since our school system went Grade 3-12 full one-to-one with ipads I thought this would make for a good resource for our technology pd next year.  So, far I have read some of the first chapters but am most intrigued by all of the QR code links that I need to explore in the pages.  So, far this book seems to affirm what I know about moving up the SAMR scale.

The Writing Thief by Ruth Culham

Unlike the other books, this book is several years old (all of the rest of my reads are fairly new).   Since we use Culham's 6+1 writing traits, I thought this book might be a nice companion.  Who doesn't need more mentor text to teach writing?  I read a lot of fiction but I can't always think up great mentor text on my own.  Another plus for me, is that, in flipping through the book I spied another of my favorite writing authors, Ralph Fletcher.  So, I think I picked a good one.  We will just have to see..... 

So, there you have it...my long list of summer school reads.  I'd love to know what you're reading!  Drop me a comment or email and let me know.  Hopefully you all will help me add some more great resources to my "wish list"!
Happy Summer!

App Happy

Have you ever been so excited about something that you just couldn’t put it down or couldn’t stop?  Well…..that is what happened to me this week.  I got so “app happy” that I couldn’t wait to get back to school and share it with our teachers and students!  What is this app, you may ask?  This wonderful app allows students as well as adults to create quick and easy presentations with their voice recorded over slides is Adobe Spark Video (formerly Adobe Voice). 

The possibilities with this app are endless!  The first great part is that students simply hold down the record button on each screen while talking and the app records their voice.  If they are unhappy with the result, recording again, is as easy as pushing the record button a second (or third, fourth, etc….) time.  The recording is automatically synced with the slide.

Another wonderful feature is that students can create on screen visuals to go with the voice over simply and easily.  There are three basic functions, layout, themes, and music.  The themes are chosen from the menu at the top and can be customized as well.  

These is also a full menu of music that can be used in the presentations.  The app even automatically adjusts the volume of the music so that it voice over can be easily heard while the music is playing.   You can also add your own music if you choose to.

Just like in any presentation app the slides can be easy re-arranged.  When the music and/or theme is selected it automatically takes everything already in the presentation and matches it to the newly chosen theme or music.   If you try this app you will find that it is so simply it makes Powerpoint, Google Slides, or iMovie look hard. 

Once you download the app and play around with it for just a few minutes you will find that it is so simplistic that it is perfect for even our youngest of learners.  In fact last Thursday I took a group of four Kindergarten students and helped them use the app to turn the story their class had written into a Spark Video.  It took us less than 20 minutes to import the pictures of their pages, record their voices and download the presentation.  Click here to see and hear them reading their class book titled, Samantha Snake Goes to the Jungle.

Not only is this app fabulous for students but it is also a great teacher tool.  The first night I went home and created two math problems using the app.  The first was a closed problem about pencils and the second was an open-ended 3act like problem titled, cookies. 

I have one teacher at another school who is going to have her students try responding to one of these problems by creating a Spark Video that show both in writing and their own voice recordings how they went about solving the problem.  I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

In addition to this Adobe app, there are several more incredibly simple and useful apps in the Adobe family.  One is called Spark Post.  This app allows you to create graphics.  In fact, I redesigned the header for this blog and the (my favorite) quote, shown here, using the app.  Again, this tool makes something difficult, graphic designing, simple for those of us who are not trained artists.   

The other app in the Adobe family, that I’m currently in love with, is Spark Page.  This app allows me to dress up and design fabulous web pages.  I’ve only just tipped the scales on this app but it is easy as Spark Video and Spark Post. 

When I got back to school on Thursday, I think everyone thought I had lost my mind.  I was running around the building sharing Spark Video with anyone who would give me just a few moments of their time.  Trust me, it was not an easy sell considering there are less than 8 (now 6) days left in the school year.  But, I will not be deterred….I will continue to try and get my teachers and students to see what a wonderful resource it is. 

I hope, this summer, you will add these FREE apps to your list of great apps to check out and think about using for the 16-17 school year.  If you do, please share with me what you came up with!   

Happy Summer!

Need a NEW 3 Act Lesson??

My grade 3 teachers are getting reading to have their students do some work applying the concept of multiplication to calculating area.  Third graders, in CCSS, need understand that area is additive so I created a NEW Soda Display 3 Act lesson just for grade 3.

If you are a WCPS teacher, this 3 Act Lesson is in our portal.  If you are not a WCPS teacher, you can still find the lesson components on my 3 Act Lesson Page.  Once you get to the page scroll down to the INTERMEDIATE 3 Act lesson box and then click on the folder that says, "3 Act - Soda Display - Grade 3".

Once you open the folder you will see 3 Acts.  If you are not familiar with a 3 Act Lesson check out the links and overview at the top by my 3 Act Lesson Page. In act 1 you will show the movie and have students brainstorm what they NOTICE and WONDER.  Then from the WONDER list, choose a class question to answer.  

It is VERY likely the question will either be:  

• How many soda boxes did it take to make this flag? 
• How many cans of soda are in this flag/soda display?

The second question is much more advanced and I would suggest that this could be an extension question for those students who are more accelerated.  

The Act 2 folder contains pictures that might be helpful.  Please note, I don't just give these to students, I make them decide that they need them.  For this lesson I would have a photocopied page sized picture of the soda display run off for each student so that when they ask for it, I have it.  This will help them be able to draw in the arrays that are easy for them to calculate.    

Also note that that are 13 rows of soda here - you can sort of see it but, it might be difficult unless you are looking for it.  The reason there are 13 rows is that there are 13 stripes on the flag. You will see a picture in the act 2 folder which states this.  Have students calculate 13 complete rows.  

Act 3 has a movie with the answer to the question, "how many soda boxes did it take to make this soda display"?  Also included in the movie is the answer to the second question (total cans) in case you have students who answer this problem.  

Three Act lessons are so fabulous for teaching critical thinking, problem solving skills, and the math practices.  If you have not ever tried one with your students....what are you waiting for??  They love them and learn so much!

Think Tac Toe Choice Projects

Who doesn't like having choices?  Students often thrive and are engaged when they have choice in their learning. 

I've been reading the book, "Teach Like a Pirate" by David Burgess. This book inspired me to create a choice project board for 5th grade.  Choice project boards like "Think Tac Toe" and "Menus" are not new; they have been around for a long time.  Now, that we have more technology in our county, this type of choice activity can be even more varied and interesting for students.  Student, choose 3 projects from the board in a row, column, or diagonal to complete in a designated period of time.  

If you would like a copy of this project click here.

Tomorrow, when our 5th graders return, they will continue in their fraction unit, specifically multiplying fractions.  So, I created a choice board for that topic.  This board gives students the choice of projects to show what they know about multiplying fractions.  

This project board, that I created, has a mixture of presentation, video creation, extended task problems, and open-ended problems.  You will notice that in the Dog House task students are ask to choose a dog and then will need to use the internet to find that dog's "average" height, length, and width.  This is something, before we had widespread technology, that would have been difficult but now is possible.  Students should and need to be able to use google to find information, even for a math task.   

Teachers can choose to give students a full week of time to work on and complete 3 projects or a short period of time can be given each day (or every couple of days) over the course of a couple weeks.  Teachers can assign separate due dates for each of the three choices or give students one deadline for all of their choices.  

Regardless of how teachers schedule time to work on the projects, teachers should pull small groups and conferencing with students as they are working on their choices.  

In addition to the choices I created, I included a rubric from Elmwood Park Schools.  This rubric scores students on math concepts, explanations, effort, neatness, use of time and completion.  You certainly could use other rubrics but I thought this one was nice for this project. 

If you would like more information and additional samples of choice boards this website might be helpful:  Choice Boards - Tic Tac Toe and Menus.

Please note that these boards can be used in all subjects and can be much broader than just one topic (like multiplying fractions).  This is just one example that I created since we might be able to use this in our school.  

Side Note:  If you haven't yet, read Teach Like a Pirate! Whether you are a new or seasoned teacher, this book is FABULOUS and INSPIRATIONAL and if you haven't read it you should!