Number Talk Planning Tool

Mathematical Focus (what do you want students to work on?:

Eliciting multiple strategiesmultiplication
Multiplication & Division: Distributive property
Try using the open array to represent children’s strategies

Problems (select a set of 3 or 4 that build on one another)

200 ÷ 50
400 ÷ 25
800 ÷ 25

Plan your introduction (establish or reaffirm norms; how they should signal when they are ready and if
they agree.)

NORMS:
-this is a mental math exercise
-I will write the problem on the board and give you time think about
HOW you would solve the problem & then you will solve in your head
-when you have an answer, place your thumb on your chest (model)
- I will ask 3 people to share their strategy & answer. While I’m calling
on people who have their thumb on their chest, waiting quietly, I
expect us all to be respectful and listen to them. This means no calling
out if you got a different answer, instead please make the ANOTHER
ANSWER sign (model) or agree sign to show your opinion(model)
-I will write your strategy on the board as a representation so that we
can all understand.
-everyone’s strategy is important because it might help another person
understand math better
-it’s best if we have different strategies so, if you have a different way
of doing the same problem that’s GOOD, I want to hear how you did it
because it will help me understand how you think and make me a
better teacher to help you more in the future
-this will take 8-10 minutes
-QUESTIONS? CONCERNS? COMMENTS?
 1.

Write an expression horizontally on the board (e.g., 9.8 + 8.7)

2.

Ask students to mentally find the solution using a strategy that makes sense to them. Encourage students to “think
first” and then check with models, if needed.

3.
Record the steps precisely as the student explains them to you. Ask clarifying questions as needed to ensure that you
understand the flow of the student’s thinking. Be explicit about the mathematics.
“Why did you subtract 0.2 from 8.7?”
“Will this strategy always work? How do you know?”
“What did you know about addition that allowed you to use this strategy?”
Use a model to convince me.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________
1. Present the first problem
 The problem of a numerical expression written on the board.
 Start with an easy problem that most of your students can do.
2. Students figure out the answer and signal when they are ready
 The signal (e.g., thumbs up) should be an unobtrusive message to the teacher.
 Students should do the work mentally.
3. Collect students’ answers
 Collect students’ answers; record all different answers on board without comment.

4. Ask three students to share their thinking and record their strategies
 Use representations (equations, number lines, arrays, pictures or other models) and revoicing
to help other students access and understand the strategy.
 Ask other students clarifying questions about the child’s strategy (e.g., “Where does that 200
come from?” “Why do you think Hayden made the 59 a 60?”)
 Ask "who did it a different way?" to elicit other different strategies
 Ensure students agree on the correct answer; invite students who arrived at an incorrect
answer to revise in response to strategies shared.

5. Present a new problem

 Repeat steps 1-4 through a set of 3-4 related problems
 Gradually increase problem difficulty or reduce scaffolding

6. (If applicable) Highlight and summarize the particular strategy or math concept you are focusing
on

 For example: “So, making jumps of tens was really helpful for us today” or “Some of you might
want to try Noah’s strategy next time” or “Using doubles sure made these difficult problems
easier”
Anticipated Strategies: Representation:

Traditional

Distributive Property

Known or Derived Fact

Powers of Ten

Open Area Model

Considers both dimensions of an array or area model