MATHurdays - math so fun we do it on Saturdays.
Finally…a structure for 1 hour math blocks that include
Building Community & Relationships
Math Routines
Math Task
Rich Mathematical Discussions
Interested in learning how to cultivate school communities by giving the same task to multiple grades? Check out this article about how I supported schools in implementing many of these tasks.
Download: Cultivating School Communities with Vertical Mathematics Tasks
Task: Chichen Itza Problem
Quadratic Growing Pattern 3/28/2020
How do primary students think about quadratic functions? Why do we need to teach this in Kindergarten through high school? How to students build on prior knowledge and increase algebraic reasoning?
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Clothesline Math
Task: Space Stations Problem
Linear Growing Patterns 4/4/2020
How do students think about growing patterns from Kindergarten through high school? What algebraic reasoning is needed in elementary school?
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Which One Doesn’t Belong (WODB)
Task: Triangular Scones Problem
Classifying Triangles 4/11/2020
How do you classify shapes? Size? Angles? Sides? Why is it important to build on developmental stages of understanding?
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Peri-Area
Task: The Hockey Rink Problem
Area & Perimeter 4/18/2020
How do students understand area and perimeter from Kindergarten through Calculus? Why is it important to build on developmental stages of understanding?
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Choral Counting
Task: Goldilocks and the 3 Bears - Cookie remix
Combinatorics 4/25/2020
How do Kindergartners think about permutations and combinations? How does that thinking continue through middle and high school?
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Proportionate Pokemon
Task: Sharing M&M’s
Proportional Reasoning & Fractions 5/1/2020
What is the whole? How do children think about fractions as the whole changes?
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Routine: Splat
Task: Hopscotch Problem
Patterns, Multiples & Proportions 5/9/2020
How do we use multiplication, division, and proportional reasoning to examine patterns from Kindergarten through Algebra 1?
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Rounding on the Number Wave
Task: Ranking Reflexes
Rounding, Place Value & Data Collection 5/16/2020
Why do we round? Why do we choose different place values? What number sense is needed to round?
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Same or Different
Task: Caterpillar Problem
Rate of Change & Proportional Reasoning 5/23/2020
Why do we round? Why do we choose different place values? What number sense is needed to round?
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Routine: Bizz Buzz
Task: Cicada problem
Routine: Collaborative Estimation
Task: Football player problem
Routine: Find & Photo
Task: Tupperware Problem
Multiples, Factors & Primes 5/31/2020
How often do different patterns of multiples “meet up?” Why do cicadas emerge on prime number intervals? How do engineers apply this to gear design, and how did Beethoven use this knowledge to “see” the music. Hint: it’s a task for elementary kids as well as trigonometry.
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Recording of PD Session
Measures of Center & Data displays 6/6/2020
When should you include and exclude 0 in your data set? Should the mode be an outlier? How do students display data as early as Kindergarten and why is that important to their development through HS statistics?
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Ratios and Common Numerators 6/13/2020
When should you write a ratio as part:part or part:whole? When should you find common numerators? How can math modeling support learners as they explore these topics?
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Routine: Infographics
Task: Flint Water Problem
Routine: Lucky Number
Task: Fishy Situation
Routine: Slow Reveal Graphs
Task: Ski Lift Problem
Ratios, Unit Rates, and Scaling up and down 6/20/2020
How do students use and interpret ratios? When are unit rates used in the real world? How do students think flexibly through part:part models?
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Recording of PD Session
Probability and Data Analysis 6/27/2020
How do students grapple with large and small sample sizes in order to determine number of fish in a lake?
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Recording of PD Session
Linear functions and proportional reasoning 7/11/2020
How do students use linear equations to determine a plan that is proportionate to similar plans?
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Routine: Always, Sometimes, Never
Task: Lemonade Problem
Proportional Reasoning 7/25/2020
How do students use direct and inverse variation to convert recipes that use 4 changing variables?
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Routine: Find it
Task: Packing books in a box
Using Decimals and Units with Volume 8/1/2020
How do students use units when measuring volume? When is it centimeters cubes or simply the unit books? Learn how to use decimals as part of many lessons and not an entire unit.
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Routine: Notice & Wonder
Task: Family Tree
Recursive and exponential functions 8/15/2020
Using tree diagrams to understand how to extend patterns from recursive models to exponential functions.
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Routine: What comes next?
Task: New Tetris Shape
Area and Perimeter 9/12/2020
Students decompose irregular shapes and determine relationships between area and perimeter.
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Routine: Contemplate then Calculate (CthenC)
Task: Frisbee Golf Design
Mathematical Modeling 9/19/2020
Students explore chunking an image to visually model mathematical ideas that lead to scalability.
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Routine: What comes next?
Task: Hip Hip Array!
Multiplication 9/26/2020
Students explore multiplication through arrays by planting a garden. Discussion focuses on rows and columns, arrays, then extends to finding fractional amounts and decimals.
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Routine: Numberless Word Problems
Task: Watch for motorcycles
System of Equations 10/3/20
Students use trial and error, division, and visual models to explore systems of equations from elementary grades through Algebra 1.
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Routine: Before and After Patterns
Task: Changing Seasons
Sine Functions 10/10/20
Students use graphs to display temperatures of each month. Accessible to 4th graders, this task explores the reason why sine waves have more data points near the min and max.
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Routine: Would You Rather
Task: Pouring Paint
Fraction comparison and addition 10/17/20
Students compare fractions using benchmarks, common numerator/denominator and equivalent fractions as strategies to determine two fractions that sum less than a whole.
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Routine: Open Middle
Task: Packages
Relating area to volume 10/24/20
Students explore 2D and 3D models to design packaging instructions to fill a constant volume while constricted by dimensions.
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Routine: Esti-Mysteries
Task: Three Hidden Rectangles
Decomposing Area 10/31/20
Students explore all possible rectangular arrays within an irregular shape.
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Routine: Notice & Wonder
Task: Multiplication Grid
Multiplying Rational Numbers 11/7/20
Students explore the partial products of multipliers (both whole numbers and rational numbers) to try and find a product that is created between two whole numbers.
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Recording of PD Session - (Note: I forgot to record my mic)
Routine: Reasoning up & down
Task: Thanksgiving Dinner
Proportional Reasoning 11/14/20
Students determine how to compare two thanksgiving meal situations. With a plethora of data that the students could compare, this is a great opening task for a unit. As the unit progresses, you can be more specific with the problem to be solved.
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Routine: Number Strings
Task: Prime Line Workshop
Multiples & Primes 11/21/20
Students explore an app that designates a unique colorful chip to every number. They use their knowledge of multiples and primes to create a rule for the colors and explore a scavenger hunt of rich questions.
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Routine: Choral Counting
Task: Making Money
Counting Coins 11/28/20
Students explore multiple ways of making $1.00 and then determine all possible ways of making $1.00 with only coins
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Routine: Which One Doesn’t Belong
Task: Calendar Cubes
3D Geometry - Solids and Nets 12/12/20
Students determine how many cubes are needed by arranging numbers on cube nets.
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Routine: Would You Rather
Task: Max’s Dog Food
Dividing Fractions 12/19/20
Students determine how to divide fractions using multiple representations in order to determine the left over amount of dog food.
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Routine: Same but Different
Task: Not quite a half
Fractional Understanding 1/9/21
Students create fractions that are close to 1/2 without going over 1/2 to learn the patterns found in numerators and denominators.
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Routine: Convince me that
Task: Dividing Blueberries
Dividing Fractions 1/16/21
Students explore how to divide fractions using multiple models: area, set, measurement, and traditional. Emphasis is redefining the whole in order to determine the leftover fractional amount.
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Slow Reveal Graphs
Task: Will we stop growing
Linear Functions 1/30/21
Students explore 5 representations of a linear function (picture, table, graph, equation, and story problem) as they relate it to a favorite picture book about different ways that grass grows.
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Routine: Connecting Representations
Rich Task: Where is the coordinate?
Graphing on the coordinate plane 2/6/21
Students discover important characteristics about a coordinate plane when graphing including, scale, y-intercept, order of plotting, and where to plot by comparing different treasure maps.
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Routine: Estimation180
Task: Isometric Areas
Area, Perimeter & Volume 2/13/21
Students explore why and how we calculate area by exploring isometric triangles.
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Routine: Number Talks
Task: Coffee & Donuts
Decimal Operations 2/20/21
Students explore adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals to determine the best situation.
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Routine: Would you Rather
Rich Task: People & Populations
Decimal Operations 2/27/21
Students explore adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals to determine the best situation.
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Recording of PD
Routine: My Favorite Mistake
Task: Gears!
Prime and Composite Numbers 3/6/21
Students explore the wear and tear on gears and why engineers use prime number of teeth to make the best gears.
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Recording of PD Session
Game: Fraction Tracks
Task: Sharing Pizza
Fraction Operations with Unlike Denominators 3/20/21
Students explore adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions in order to make fair situations.
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Would You Rather
Task: Finding Pythagoras
Pythagorean Theorem 3/27/21
Students explore triangles to discover not only the Pythagorean theorem, but how the theorem can be used for acute and obtuse triangles.
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Estimate & Order
Rich Task: Wealth of Nations
Mean, Median, Mode & Range 4/3/21
Students explore the MEANingful ways of interpreting and calculating mean, median, mode and range. SOCIAL JUSTICE STANDPOINT
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Routine: What could this be?
Rich Task: Eggspectation
Place Value (addition & subtraction) 4/10/21
Students explore the history of mathematics and how different cultures used place value.
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Convince Me That
Task: Younike’s Boutique
Partitive vs. Quotative Division Models 4/17/21
Students explore two division models and use virtual manipulatives to make sense of division.
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: Clothesline Math
Rich Task: Stan the Ice Cream Man
Routine: Unit Chat
Rich Task: Hot Apple Cider
Routine: Always, Sometimes, Never
Rich Task: Plinko
Combinations, Permutations & Fundamental Counting Principle 4/24/21
Students explore an open ended problem to determine how to organize lists or create diagrams to find the total combinations of ice cream.
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Fraction Operations to Rename the Whole 5/1/21
Students navigate between two different situations to rename the whole as they add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions.
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Probability & Events 5/8/21
Students explore the number of events and the probability of winning a game to determine appropriate prizes for the game board.
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Routine: Which One Doesn’t Belong
Task: Paper Folding
Algebra & Ratios 5/22/21
Students explore the paper folding problem to determine algebraic relationships between the creases, intersections, and other ratios of the folds.
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: choral Counting (finding patterns)
Task: Bowling Pins
Algebraic Patterns 5/29/21
Students explore a growing pattern to determine the number of bowling pins for any situation.
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Routine: Notice & Wonder
Task: Pi Day Pies
Fraction Identification & Operations 6/5/21
Students explore non-friendly fractional numbers to find fractional amounts of large set quantities.
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Routine: Visual Patterns
Rich Task: What’s Next?
Decomposing and Visualizing Algebra 6/12/21
Students growing patterns to understand how to decompose visuals that describe algebraic expressions.
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Routine: Between2Numbers
Rich Task: Measuring a Puddle
Relative Measurement 6/19/21
Students explore different ways to measure a puddle using non-standard and standard measurement tools.
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Routine: Get Riddles
Rich Task: Are Sperm Whales Smart?
Proportional Reasoning 6/26/21
Students explore different ways to compare the size of animals to the size of their brains to determine how smart they are.
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Routine: Caption This
Rich Task: Measuring Pokémon
Measuring in standard and metric 7/10/21
Students explore various Pokémon and resize them to their correct measurements, then convert to metric using visual aids.
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Routine: All of these, Some of these
Rich Task: Square tiles in the math museum
Area of squares, rectangles, triangles & Pythagorean theorem 7/17/21
Students explore various squares and tilted squares as they develop strategies for finding the area of squares, rectangles and triangles. This leads to the Pythagorean theorem as students prove some squares are impossible.
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Routine: Numberless Word Problems
Rich Task: Farmer Bob
Word Problems in Primary Grades 7/24/21
Student explore sums of 18 by skip counting by 2’s and 4’s.
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Routine: Clothesline Math
Task: Olympic Underdog
Fractional Reasoning for grades 3-8
8/14/21
Students explore Olympic data, specifically number of metals per country vs. the countries population.
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Routine: Cube Conversations
Rich Task: Board Game Design
Fractions in Middle Grades 8/28/21
Students explore fractions, percentages, and ratios in order to create a board game.
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Routine: Convince me that
Rich Task: Sharing Sandwiches
Fractions in Elementary Grades 9/11/21
Students investigate fair ways to divide sandwiches.
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Special Session: Mathigon in Middle Grades 9/25/21
David Poras shows us some great tools and tips for teaching math in middle school.
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Recording of PD Session
Routine: All of these, None of these
Rich Task: Rectangle Game
Prime & Composite Numbers 10/2/21
Students explore a tasked based on the rectangle game. They investigate the many factors of a number to find the best and worst numbers on the gameboard.
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Routine: Notice & Wonder
Rich Task: Table Arrangements
Area & Perimeter 10/9/21
Students explore ways to maximize and minimize perimeter while keeping area constant.
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