Imprint
Heinemann
Author(s)
Susan O'Connell
Math in Practice, the new resource from Susan O’Connell and colleagues, is a comprehensive, grade-by-grade resource designed to fit with any math program or resource you are using. It is not a curriculum. It identifies the big ideas of both math content and math teaching and shares key instructional strategies—and why those strategies matter. Math in Practice will support teachers, administrators, and entire school communities as they rethink the effective teaching of mathematics in grades K–5.
There is no shortage of math programs and curriculums available. All promise a sequence of units to take students from the beginning to the end of the year—but they’re missing one critical piece: professional development.
Math in Practice bridges this gap with support for these key questions:
- How do we promote deeper, more thoughtful learning in math?
- Why should we approach math instruction differently?
- What resources are needed to do all of this effectively?
Each Grade Level text comes packaged with A Guide for Teachers.
The Guide for Teachers is the linchpin of the entire series. It lays out key instructional ideas and approaches, providing a foundation for the accompanying grade-level books. Throughout the Guide for Teachers, you'll find what standards and research say about these topics, extensive support for effectively incorporating these strategies into your everyday instruction, and opportunities to reflect on your teaching. Explore instructional strategies such as.
- Asking questions that stimulate student thinking
- Exploring math concepts through modeling
- Using formative assessment to guide instruction.
Grade level topic coverage may vary across Provinces in Canada.
Helping Students Truly Understand Math
Features and Benefits
Grade Level Books
Each grade-level book is organized into modules that carefully unpack the specific math content taught at each grade, K–5. Rather than being used in order, teachers can select modules as needed based on their curriculum map, areas of instructional focus, or reteaching needs.
Every module provides:
- insights about the key math ideas
- teacher notes highlighting approaches for promoting student understanding
- a wealth of classroom tasks and activities illustrating the specific strategies
- an extensive collection of corresponding online resources
Guide for Teachers
The Guide for Teachers lays out big ideas in best-practice math instruction, including topics such as math talk, modeling, and differentiation.
Topics addressed include:
- Asking questions that stimulate student thinking
- Making sense of and connections between mathematical ideas
- Using representations and models effectively
- Helping students communicate about math
- Learning from meaningful formative assessment
Guide for Administrators
The Guide for Administrators helps principals, coaches, and other leaders know what to look for in effective math classrooms and how to support teacher growth.
Topics addressed include:
- The importance of ongoing professional development
- What to look for in the “new” math classroom
- How to support teachers and promote effective instruction
- Ideas for intervention and assessment across an entire school
- Support for working with parents
FAQs
Is Math in Practice a curriculum?
No. This series is meant to fit with any curriculum, and to allow you to access strategies and activities based on whatever standards you are teaching. While Math in Practice does provide a wealth of activities for teaching math, it is intended to be much more than a collection of teaching ideas. It is designed to help you gain greater insight into the math you are teaching and discover more ways to teach it. It is filled with important tips and strategies for helping students better understand critical math skills and concepts.
NB: Grade level topic coverage may vary across Provinces in Canada.
How are the grade-level books connected to the Guide for Teachers?
The Guide for Teachers explores teaching strategies that enhance students’ understanding of mathematics. The grade-level books illustrate those teaching strategies with specific activities that focus on grade-level math standards. In many places throughout the grade-level books, you will notice notes that refer you back to the Guide for Teachers for more information on the instructional strategy.
Are the modules in the grade-level books meant to be teaching units?
No. These modules are organized to allow teachers to easily access information about a math topic. They are not intended to be teaching units for students. In fact, students will retain information better if they revisit it throughout the year (e.g., you might explore fractions early in the year, then revisit the topic later in the year to extend the ideas). Revisiting modules throughout the year allows you to address the same math topic at different levels.
Are the modules in the grade-level books meant to be done in order?
No. Your district will likely have a pacing guide for you to follow. You can jump in and out of modules as needed, but will want to consider the prior skills your students will need as they explore a particular math topic.
There are two activity sections in each module. What is the difference between them?
In each module you will find “Ideas for Instruction and Assessment” and “Additional Ideas for Support and Practice.”
“Ideas for Instruction and Assessment” contains ideas that can be easily developed into lessons. This section contains major teaching points and explores a variety of ways to help students understand a skill or concept. Most of the activities also have assessment components as you observe your students, listen to their explanations, and review their work. In addition, specific formative assessment tasks are highlighted in this section.
The “Additional Ideas for Support and Practice” contain suggestions for students who may need additional exposure to the skill, as well as a variety of practice tasks and challenge tasks, including center activities that provide meaningful practice.
A few modules in grades 1-3, which focus on basic math facts, have a different structure. These modules include “Ideas for Instruction and Assessment” as in the other modules, but instead of the “Additional Ideas for Support and Practice” section, these modules contain a variety of activities intended to build students’ fluency with the basic facts.
How can I get insight into the critical math ideas in each module?
At the start of each module is a section called “About the Math” in which the key math ideas are discussed, including situating the math in a learning progression (what students should have learned before, and what they will be learning in future years). This can help you identify skills your students may need additional practice with; you can refer to previous grade-level books for ideas to help you build those prerequisite skills and understandings.
What kinds of teaching supports are found in the lesson ideas?
One of the most significant components of math teaching is the questions we ask our students. Our questions have the power to advance their thinking, as well as provide us with critical assessment information. To get you thinking about the types of questions you might ask related to a specific math skill, we have generated questions for you to consider. Asking pairs to discuss the questions, then having students share their thinking with the class, ensures that all students are thinking about the key ideas of the lesson.
You will also find notes that address typical errors and misconceptions. Recognizing those typical errors allows us to design our teaching to address them, and to be vigilant as we listen and watch our students at work.
You’ll also see general teaching notes that highlight opportunities for differentiation, specific examples of the pedagogical strategies from the Guide for Teachers, and other hints and suggestions from teachers who have used these activities.
I noticed some lessons labeled “Thinking Through a Lesson.” What is different about these lessons?
Thinking Through a Lesson indicates reflective lessons that allow you to hear the thinking of the teacher who designed the activity. In each module, you will find one of these lessons that contains multiple teacher notes to explain the teaching choices, talk about possible misconceptions, or share tips for supporting learners. In these lessons, anticipated student responses are included to give you an idea of the type of math talk that is likely to occur during the lessons. In addition, the pertinent Standards for Mathematical Practice are indicated to allow you to reflect on how these critical standards are integrated into the lesson.
What is available in the online resources?
There are a wealth of online resources available including recording sheets, center activity templates, spinners and other tools, and additional problem-solving tasks related to each module. Throughout the grade-level books you will notice small images indicating some of these resources, however, take the time to explore the online resources because there is more there than can be shown in the grade-level books.
How can I modify the online activities?
Many of the online resources are in Microsoft Word format, so they can be used with interactive whiteboards and easily customized to meet your students’ needs. You might decide to personalize the tasks with your students’ names, modify the data to make it simpler or more complex, or delete sections to shorten the task. The resources are templates that can be used as is or modified in any way that works for your students.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Step Back and Let Them Think: Letting Students Do the Thinking
Arousing Discovery
Asking Questions to Stimulate Thinking
Focus on Thinking Like a Problem Solver
Conclusion
Chapter 2 Build Bridges, Make Connections: Connecting Math Concepts to Each Other and to Our Students’ Lives
Making Connections Between and Among Math Ideas
A Focus on Big Ideas
Making Sense of Math Through Real Contexts
Chapter 3 See It, Touch It, Move It: Representations in Math Class
Exploring Math Representations
The Benefits of Representations
Chapter 4 Talk About It, Write It Down: Getting Students Communicating About Math
Generating Math Talk
Developing the Language of Math
Helping Students Communicate About Math
Chapter 5 Watch, Listen, Adjust: Letting Students Guide Our Teaching
Determining What Students Need: A Focus on Formative Assessment
Responding to What Students Need: A Focus on Teaching Mathematics to All Students
Conclusion
References
Virtual Samples