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NUMBER SENSE
"Number sense is good intuition about numbers and their relationships. It develops gradually as a result of exploring numbers, visualizing them in a variety of contexts, and relating them in ways that are not limited by traditional algorithms.”
Howden,1989
What does NUMBER SENSE look like?- Video
NUMBER SENSE ROUTINES
These routines are great because there is an entry point for most students and they have students think and then explain their thinking.
Number Talks
Teacher gives students a computation problem and students mentally solve the problem, trying to solve it in different ways if they can. This is followed by a short class sharing of mental math strategies.
Website Support
Number Talk Images
Dot talk video example
Counting Collections
Collections of items for students to count. Students work together to determine an organizational structure and recording system to count large number of items. Great for K-7 students
Website Support
Video Example
Cognitive Guided Instruction
Starts with a problem to bring context to learning. CGI is a way of listening to students, asking smart questions, and engaging with their thinking—all with the goal of uncovering and expanding every student's mathematical understanding.
Website Support
Video Example
Planning Supports
WEBSITE SUPPORTS
These sites are great because there is an entry point for most students and they have students think and then explain their thinking. You can copy and paste the images or provide the link.
Estimation 180
Images for students to practice estimation.
Ask students what's too low? Too high? Why? How did you estimate?
Compare student responses.
Would You Rather
Have students justify their choice between 2 options. Here are a few to get you started.
Which One Doesn't Belong
Find a reason why each one does not belong.
There's a variety of shapes, images, numbers, and graphs.
Have students explain why they believe the box doesn't belong.
Same & Different
Two things are compared by how they are the same and how they are different. Site is organized by concept.
Open Middle Math
Students use the numbers supplied to make the equations true. They do a lot of math and thinking in the process.
Esti-Mysteries
Images that invite students to wonder what number is represented by the image. Clues appear with math concepts to narrow the set of possibilities to a small set of numbers. Eventually there needs to be an estimation.
Splat
A splat covers a set of numbers. Ask students “How many dots have been covered by the splat?” At higher levels, multiple splats appear, and fuel understanding of equations, remainders, variables, and eventually fractions.
3 Act Math Elementary
3 Act Math Middle/Secondary
This activity consists of three distinct parts: an engaging and perplexing Act One, an information and solution seeking Act Two, and a solution discussion and solution revealing Act Three.
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