Approximately 4 hours

Goals

Teachers will be able to describe the benchmark understandings that children need to carry out derived facts.
Teachers will be able to carry out number talks (with symbols, ten frames, and Rekenreks) focused on various benchmarks of numbers.
Teachers will be able to develop recording tools to make student thinking public.

Introduction

This 4 hour module will build on the material you learned in the previous module.

The first activity encourages you and your group to consider the levels of sophistication of student strategies independent from whether their answer is right or wrong.

Students who compose and decompose numbers around doubles or tens when finding sums like 8+7 or 7+15 have mental images of numbers around benchmarks like 5, 10 and 20. You will work with your PLC to unpack the "make-a-ten" strategy. Some students seem to adopt this strategy on their own while others continue to count on or even count all. Knowing how to help students use derived facts will ensure that number talks are developed that encourage the use of more advanced reasoning skills.

You will then watch two first-grade teachers conduct number talks with their students using double Ten Frames as a visual model. You will see how students see the number of dots in different ways and how the Ten Frame encourages students to see and describe numbers in relation to various benchmarks. You will then get to build on your ability to conduct number talks in your classroom by learning a new routine using Ten Frames and practicing with a partner.

Rekeneks are another wonderful tool for students to compose and decompose numbers. There are many number talk routines you can use with your students using a Rekenrek. You will learn how to conduct two Rekenrek routines (Guess My Way and Flash) and have time to practice these routines with your peers.

Ten Frames and Rekenreks encourage students to see numbers in different ways. Both are wonderful tools to help students visualize numbers flexibly around important benchmarks. You will find that number talks using these tools are engaging and interesting for your students and you will be amazed with the flexible ways that all students can compose and decompose numbers.