Practice Set · Part 1
Math is Mine
Pick up where we left off
Where we left off
Our goal: I can describe the ways we are all doers of math, and compare my math story with a classmate's, explain how I can tell, and judge a case I have not seen before.
The big idea: Everyone uses math daily. We do it differently, and sharing how we do it makes all of us better at it — and you can say why it is true, and where it would stop being true.
Model to copy — Watch me estimate the Ferris wheel
- The Ferris wheel has 20 cars, and about 4 people fit in each car. About how many people can ride at one time?
- I count the cars: 20. Then I estimate how many riders fit in one car: about 4.
- I do not count every person — an estimate is a reasoned answer that is close enough to be useful.
- 20 × 4 = 80, so I would say “about 80 people.”
Start here
You did these with your group. Now do them on your own — the model above is yours to copy.
- 1
Same stepsFinish what the group started. Use the model above, step for step.
Try it together — then prove it: 78.5 = 70 + 8.5. 78.5 = 78 + 0.5. 78.5 = 80 − 1.5. Every one of those is the same number wearing different clothes. Find two more. Now prove it: say why that move had to work at all — not just that it did.Show your work - 2
Warm restartWhich expression shows 4 groups of 5 students?
- A4 × 5
- B4 + 5
- C5 − 4
- D5 ÷ 4
How do you know?
- 3
Warm restartWhat is 40 ÷ 10?
- A4
- B10
- C30
- D400
How do you know?
- 4
Warm restartYou have 3 bags with 5 apples in each bag. How many apples in all?
- A15 apples
- B8 apples
- C2 apples
- D35 apples
How do you know?
Practice Set · Part 2
Math is Mine
Keep going
You answered these out loud. Now write them.
Answer, then say how you know — the reason is the part that counts.
- 5
Think it throughThe lesson says, “What we believe about ourselves, about others, and about what we are learning shapes us.” Why does the Strengths Inventory ask you to name a growth area, not only a strength?
- ANaming what you want to grow shapes how you approach learning all year, just as naming a strength does
- BGrowth areas are only for students who are behind in math
- CThe growth area replaces the strength, since you can only claim one
- DNaming a growth area has nothing to do with your beliefs about yourself
Why is that the answer?
- 6
Think it throughOne student's math story says she liked math more once she started drawing problems; another's says he liked it more once he memorized steps. What is the point of hearing a classmate's story that is DIFFERENT from yours?
- AIt shows there is more than one valid way to be a doer of math, and you might borrow a new strategy
- BWhichever method is faster is the “right” one, so you should switch to it
- CIf a classmate's story differs from yours, one of you must be doing math wrong
- DIt doesn't matter — you only need to hear stories similar to your own
How do you know? Give a second reason as well.
- 7
Think it throughWhich of these is the BEST example of a specific math strength for the Connect prompt?
- A“I can explain my thinking out loud so others can follow my steps”
- B“I'm good at math”
- C“I got an A last year”
- D“Math is easy for me”
Explain your thinking. What would have to change for a different choice to be right?
- 8
Back to the modelThe Ferris wheel has 20 cars, and you estimated about 4 riders fit in each car. Why is 20 × 4 an estimate and not an exact count?
Sort it again — on paper this time
Write the letter of the group each one belongs in.
- Deciding if you have enough time to walk or need to run
- Splitting a pizza so everyone gets a fair share
- Checking whether $12 is enough for two snacks
- Guessing how many people fit on a Ferris wheel
- Following a recipe and doubling it
- Keeping score in a game
- Choosing the shorter of two lines at the store
- Packing a bag so everything fits
Practice Set · Part 3
Math is Mine
Words and reasoning
Word bank · Banco de palabras
Use the words
Fill each blank with a word from the bank.
- Anyone who uses mathematical thinking is a ___ ___ ___.
- Your history with mathematics — what you have done and felt — is your ___ ___.
- Something you already do well and can share with others is a ___.
- To break a number into parts that rebuild it exactly is to ___ it.
Explain the thinking
- 9
Find the mistakeAnother student made this exact mistake in this lesson. Explain why it is wrong, then write what they should have done.
The mistake: Believing that 'doing math' only counts when it happens on paper in a classroom. - 10
Say moreYou sorted cards like 'splitting a pizza fairly' and 'choosing the shorter line' as doing math. What do all eight cards have in common that makes them math, even though none of them looks like a worksheet?
- 11
Write your ownWrite your own problem about this situation, then solve it and show the answer. The situation: A Ferris wheel turns slowly against the evening sky. Each car is filling with riders as the line moves forward.
Show your work
Practice Set · Part 4
Math is Mine
Show what you know
Last check
- 12
Show what you knowExplain your thinking — Which statement best shows what this lesson means by “we are all doers of math”?
- AEveryone uses mathematical thinking daily, in different ways, and sharing those ways helps us grow
- BEveryone gets the same score if they try hard enough
- CEveryone must solve problems the same way to be correct
- DOnly the fastest students are really doing math
Explain your choice.
Be honest — this tells your teacher what to do next
| I can… | Not yet | Getting there | Got it |
|---|---|---|---|
| I can describe the ways we are all doers of math, and compare my math story with a classmate's, explain how I can tell, and judge a case I have not seen before. | |||
| I can explain why it works: Everyone uses math daily. We do it differently, and sharing how we do it makes all of us better at it… | |||
| I can justify my answer to a skeptic and connect it to a second strategy or representation. |
One question I want to ask my group next time