Interviewer:KatherineFigueroa

Interviewee:1stgradestudent,6years2monthsold
Female
MathInterview
1)Howhighcanyoucount?79
ThestudentrespondswithIdontknowandIsayokay,letssee.Thestudentbegancountingatone.She
pausedatnumbers23,29,53,59and62.Thestudentskippedover66.Thestudentcountedupto79.
2)Whatnumbercomesafter8?:hmm9.
After19?:Idontknow.
Before21?:StudentlooksaroundtheroomandsaysIdontremember.
After27?:Studentdoesnotrespond
Before30?Studentsays31?
After73?:StudentsaysIdontknow
After100?StudentsaysIdontknow.
3)Canyoucountby2s?3s?5s?10s?100s?(allowthechildtocountforyou)
2s?:Studentbegins4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12.
3s?:Idontkow
5s?:Idontknow
4)[Rumi]has15apples.Hismomgavehim3moreapples.Howmanydoes[Rumi]havealtogether?16
Thisisajoinproblemwheretheresultisunknown.
Thestudentpullsouttheunifixcubescountingonebyoneuntilshereached15.The15shecountedarein
onelargepile.Thestudentcountsandaddseachonetothelargepileof15asshecountsitoff.Thestudentcountsthe
nowlargerpilebypointingtotheindividualcubes.
5)[Mike]has14toycars.Hisfriendgavehim7moretoycars.Howmanytoycarsdoes[Mike]havenow?
20
(Ifthechildcounts,doeshe/shecountonfromthesmallerorthelargernumber?)
Thisisajoinproblemwheretheresultisunknown.
ThestudentaskedHegot14?Irespondedbysayingyesandrepeatedthewordproblem.Thestudentpulls
outtheunifixcubescountingonebyoneuntilshereached14.Theninawhisperingvoice,shecountedonebyone
andaddedeachofthe7cubestothelargepileof14cubes.Onceshehasfinishedcountingoffthe7moretoycars,
shecountedeachcubeofthelargepilebystartingatnumberoneandcountingonebyoneuntilshecountedallofthe
cubesshehad.
6)[Sarah]has16toycars.Hegives7toycarsto(his/her)friend.Howmanytoycarsdoes[Rumi]
haveleft?
Thisisaseparateproblemwheretheresultisunknown.
Thestudentcountedonebyoneandpushestheunifixcubestotheside.Shepulledoutmorecubesfromthe
tray.Thestudentbegancountingfromoneandstoppedatnumber16.HerresponsewasIdontknow.
7)Thereare10boysand20girlsintheroom.Howmanychildrenareintheroomaltogether?20
Thisproblemisapartpartwholerelationshipwherethewholeisunknown.
Thestudentcountedinherhead.Shedidnotusetheunifixcubes.

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8)[Jack]has14coloredmarbles;8areblueandtherestarered.Howmanyredmarblesdoes
[Jack]have?5
Thisproblemisapartpartwholewheretheoneofthepartsisunknown.
Thestudentdoesnotusethecubes.Heransweris5.
9)Apackofgumhas5pieces.Howmanypiecesofgumwouldyouhavealtogetherifyouhad3packs
ofgum?
Thisisaproblemwithmultiplicationofequalgrouping.
ThestudentrespondswithIdontknow.
10)[Aliana]has4tomatoplants.Thereare6tomatoesoneachplant.Howmanytomatoesarethere
alltogether?24
Thisproblemisamultiplicationproblemofequalgrouping.
Thestudenttook4greenunifixcubestorepresenteachtomatoplant.Thenshestackedeachtomatoplantby
color.Ontopofonegreenunifixcube,sheplaced6yellowcubes.Onthesecondgreenunifixcube,sheplaced6red
unifixcubes.Onthethirdgreenunifixcubes,sheplaced6orangecubes,andonthefourthgreencube,sheadded6
whitecubes.Aftershecountedonalloftheyellow,red,orange,andwhitecubes.Shedidnotcountthegreencubes.
11)Ataparty,therewere18M&Mslefttobesharedfairlyamong3children.HowmanyM&Mswouldeach
childget?
Thisproblemisadivisionproblemthatispartitive.
ThestudentrespondedwithIdontknow.
12)[Diego]has32tennisballs.S/Hewantstoputtheminboxesthathold10balls.Howmanyboxescans/he
fill?(Howmanyballsareleftover?)
Thisproblemisadivisionproblemthatisquotitive.
ThestudentrespondedwithIdontknow.
13)Putout3loosecubesand4rodsofunifixcubeswith10cubesoneachrod.
Eachoftheserodshasthesamenumberofcubes.
Holdupseveralrodsnexttoeachothertoshowthattheyarethesamelength.
Thereare10cubesineachoftheserods.Doyouwanttocountthecubesinoneoftherodstobesurethat
thereare10?"
"Okay,sothereare10cubesineachrod.Canyoutellmehowmanycubestherearealtogethercountingall
thecubes?
Sweephandoverentirecollectionofrodsandcubes.
Thestudentcountedeachsetofrodstomakesuretheyeachhad10cubes.Shecountedeachcubeineachrodby
ones.Thestudentreachedtheanswer40.
Put1more10roddown:WatchwhatIdo.Imputting10morehere.Nowhowmanyarethere?
Aftertheadditionalrodof10wasplaced,thestudentaskedmehowmanydidIusetohave?Ianswered
withyoucounted40.Thestudentthencountedonfrom40,eachcubeintheadditionalrodandreached50.
14)Prepareforthistaskbycountingoutasetof16chipsandwriting16onacard.
Putoutasetof16chips;askthechildtocountthechipsthentoreadthenumeralwrittenonthecard.
Circlethe6withtheeraserofapencilandsay,"Showmethatpartofthenumberwiththechips."
Thencirclethe1andsay,"Showmethatpartofthenumberwiththechips."
Math Interview, p. 2

Thestudentcountedthechipsandreadthenumeralcardbysaying16.
Thestudentcounted6chipstorepresentthe6onesin16.
Thestudentpulledaside1chiptoshowthatitrepresentthevalueof1innumber16.
15)Givethestudentdigitcards05.
a)Askthechildtomakethelargest2digitnumberpossiblefromthosecards.
b)Askthechildtomakethelargest3digitnumberpossiblefromthosecards.
c)Askthechildtomakethelargestnumberpossiblefromthosecards.
a)Thestudentlooksatallthecardsandpullsoutnumeralcard4andnumeralcard5.Thestudentrearrangesthe4
and5tomake54.
b)Thestudentpullsouta3andaddsittotheendof54tomake543.
c)Thestudentlooksatallthenumbercards.First,shepullsoutthe1,3,and5toform135.Next,sheflipsthe5and
3tomake153.Then,sheaddsthe2andthe0tomake15320.After,shesaidIdontknowwhereyouputthis[4].
Thensheplacesthe4inbetweenthe1and5tomake145320.Last,sheswitchesthe4withthe1tomake145320.
Myanalysis
Ilearnedaboutthestudentsmathematicalthinkingandhowsometimeswedonotgivechildrenenoughcreditfor
whattheyarecapableofaccomplishing.Ilearnedthatthestudentsolvedmanyoftheproblemsthroughheractionis
joiningorinhercaseaddingontoapart.Ilearnedthatthestudentcandotheinverseofadditionifthereisaclear
distinctionbetweenthepartsandthewholeasinproblem#8.Ialsolearnedthatisimportanttobecarefulandpay
attentiontothetopicsdiscussedintheproblemsthemselves.Somechildrenmightnothavebeenexposedtoit.For
example,thestudentIintervieweddidnotknowwhatproblem#9wasaskingbecauseitseemedthatshedidknow
whatgumlookslikepackaged.Inthoseinstances,itisimportanttoscaffoldtohelpstudentsshifttheirfocustothe
numbersratherthanwhattheproblemistalkingabout.
Somemisconceptionsthestudenthadwerethatthepartsofaproblemwerethatthepartswerealljoinentitiesandshe
didnotviewthemasseparateentitiesthatwouldbejoinedorseparateddependingonwhattheunknownwas.Inher
problemsofaddition,shewouldjustaddontoherpileofunifixcubesratherthancreateaseparatepileforthepartsof
theproblemthatwouldallowhertodoublecheckeachpartbeforemovingontocontinueprocessingtheproblem.In
somecases,thiscausedthestudenttomiscountthecubesbyeithercountingonecubemorethanonceornotcounta
cubeatall.
WhatIfoundinterestinghoweveristhatinalloftheproblemsthateitherjoinedorseparatedtheproblem,thestudent
neverconnectedthecubes,yetwiththemultiplicativeproblem(#10),sheconnectedthecubesandevencolor
Math Interview, p. 3

coordinatedthetomatoplants.Whathelpedmelearnthemostwereseeingthestudentsuccessfullysolvetheproblem
becausesheknewwhattomatoplantssinceshepickstomatoplantsoutfromherhomegardenwithherparents.The
studentinproblem#10hadsophisticatedmathematicalthinkinginprocessinghowtosolvetheproblembecauseshe
hadaconnectiontothetomatoplantproblemandhasbeenexposedtoit.
TheimplicationsformyteachingarethatIneedtobeabletoknowhowstudentsprocessinformationsothatImaybe
abletoseewherethestudentsmisunderstandingsexist.Thisinterviewwasextremelyhelpfulinteachingmehow
importantitistooffermultiplestrategiesforstudentstosolveaproblem.Ithinkusingtheunifixcubesweregreat,
butIdidseehoweasilyitcouldbeforastudenttomakeerrors,versusbeingabletowritethingsdownonpaperthat
couldallowanopportunityforthestudenttoselfcheckthepartsofanyparticularproblem.Ipurposelychosenotto
scaffoldintheinterviewbecauseIreallywantedtobeabletoseeasauthenticaspossiblehowstudentsinterpretword
problems.ItallowedmetoreallyseewherethestudentlackedunderstandingconceptuallyandwhatIwouldneedto
dotohelpthestudentreachthatunderstanding.Itisimportanttorememberthatstudentsneedexposuretovarious
typesofproblemsandstudentsneedtoreallythinkaboutwhattheproblemsareaskingthestudenttodoratherthan
thetopic.Ithinkitisimportanttoknowthestudentsyouworkwith,howtheyprocessinformation,inordertoinform
howyouteachtheinformationtoyourstudents

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Math Interview, p. 5