Meaningful math tasks

Meaningful Math TasksWakefield Elementary School

Early Release November 8, 2013

Examine the components of meaningful math tasks and the connection to the Standards for Mathematical Practice

Reflect upon math instructional practices taking place in your classrooms to set goals

Determine your next steps

Goals:

Meaningful Math Tasks

No Big Gulp in the Big Apple?

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/new_york_can_continue_to_guzzle_its_big_gulps/

Do you agree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- Should the sales of soft drinks be limited to 16 ounces or less?

Turn and Talk

www.nyc.gov

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sOWDSgqv7Lk/SvZcDFobhrI/AAAAAAAAABU/6lyEcGyHGBU/s320/sugar.jpeghttp://productnutrition.thecoca-colacompany.com/images/packagings/KO%2020%20oz.jpg

How many packets of sugar are in a 20-oz. Coke?

How many packets of sugar do YOU think are in a 20-oz. Coke?

Give an answer you know is too high.

Give an answer you know is too low.

What information do you need to solve?

Making Conjectures

How many packets of sugar are in a 20-oz. Coke?

Be sure to explain your reasoning in 2 ways:• Manipulatives• Computations• Pictures• Words

http://productnutrition.thecoca-colacompany.com/products/coca-cola

http://www.dominosugar.com/sugar/sugar-packets

Helpful Resources

http://voodookitchennet.blogspot.com/2012/06/65-say-no-to-ban-on-super-size-sugary_12.html

Share Your Work

Explain your

reasoning!

A 20 oz. Coke contains 65g of sugar

Grams of Sugar in a Coke

= 1g of sugar

A packet of sugar contains 4 grams of sugar

=

Grams of Sugar in a Packet

• Where do you go from here?

How many packets are in 65 grams?

Now What?!

16 packets, 1g left over

Let’s reflect back to the original question:

Should the sales of soft drinks be limited to 16 ounces or less?

Constructing Viable Arguments

Choose ONE of the following:

Write a letter to the editor for or against the sale of large soft drinks.

Create a television commercial for or against the sale of large soft drinks.

Create a campaign slogan/speech for or against the sale of large soft drinks.

Constructing Viable Arguments

Making Connections

Standards for Mathematical Practice1. Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them2. Reason abstractly & quantitatively3. Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning

of others4. Model with mathematics5. Use appropriate tools strategically6. Attend to precision7. Look for & make use of structure8. Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning

How are these different?

Task Reflection

http://www.kidslearningstation.com/math/division-remainders.asp

How do we move from a culture of “answer getting” to one of “learning the mathematics?”

* Who’s doing the talking and who’s doing the math? *

-Cathy Seeley, former President of NCTM

Meaningful Mathematical Tasks

The Butterfly Method

The Butterfly Method

Components of Math Tasks

Useful mathemati

cs

Higher level

thinking & problem solving

Promotes conceptual developme

nt

Allows teacher to

assess understandi

ng

Multiple entry points

Various pathways &

solutions

Encourages discourse & collaboratio

n

Makes connections of math concepts

Relevance &

Application

Useful mathemati

cs

-The NCTM Brief, April

2010

What about EOGs?

What is the area of this rectangle?

What are the dimensions of the rectangles that can be made with a perimeter of 30? Which rectangle results in the greatest area?

How do you know?

What do you notice about the relationship between area and side lengths?

http://sampleitems.smarterbalanced.org/itempreview/sbac/index.htm

The Value of Challenging our Students (1) Spoon-Feeding our Students (2) The Need for Complexity (3) Constructive Struggling (4)

Jigsaw

Perhaps the way to help them most both in terms of success and attitude, lies in the counterintuitive notion of finding the right level of struggle or challenge – a level that is both constructive and instructive. The business community tells us the ability and willingness to tackle a problem that is not easily solved is one of the most important traits of a well-educated adult in the 21st century. If we do our job well and make students think just a little harder, we can prepare them to take on some of the most difficult problems we face today as well as the unknown problems we are likely to face tomorrow.

-Cathy Seeley, author of Faster Isn’t Smarter: Message About Math, Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century

Constructive Struggling

Constructive Struggling?!

Next Steps