Classroom Discussions: Math Discourse in Action What does it look and sound like? How do we guide teachers to provide all students with opportunities to.

Classroom Discussions: Math Discourse in Action

What does it look and sound like? How do we guide teachers to provide all students with opportunities to engage in the work of each

lesson and exhibit mathematical practices?

Hero Sandwich

A giant hero sandwich has been created that is 30 feet long. It is to be divided into 4 parts so that each section is one

foot longer than the previous section. What will be the lengths of the fours pieces?

Hero Sandwich

What are some key aspects of how the hero sandwich problem was delivered?

What math standards does the hero sandwich problem involve? How do you know?

Hero Sandwich Focus/Unpacked Standards

• 3.OA.8 - Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent these questions with a letter standing for the four operations. Represent these problems using questions with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.

• 4.OA.3 – Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having-number answer using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity.

• 7.EE.4 – Use variables to represent quantities in a real-word or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities.

• SMP Standards 1-6

Objectives

As a result of the training, administrators will….

Create a plan for observing academic discourse at your school site.

Share your plan with your peers and revise as you receive input.

Agenda

What is Classroom Discourse? Student Discourse in Action CCSS Evidence Guide for Planning and

Practice in a Single Lesson Planning Time and

Next Steps

Academic Discourse

Academic Discourse

What does discourse look like?

What does discourse sound like?

Other

• Refers to the written and oral ways of representing, thinking, communicating, agreeing, and disagreeing that teachers and students use to engage in those tasks.

- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Classroom Discourse

Classroom Discourse

Also refers to the ways in which teachers orchestrate and promote discourse and to the interplay of intellectual, social, and physical characteristics that shape the ways of knowing and working that are expected in

the classroom.

- National Council of

Teachers of Mathematics

Common Core Shifts in Mathematics

1. Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus

2. Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics within grades

3. Rigor: In major topics pursue conceptual understanding,

procedural skill and fluency, and application with equal intensity.

Standards for Mathematical Practice

1. Make sense of complex problems and persevere in solving them.

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively3. Construct viable arguments and critique the

reasoning of others.4. Model with mathematics.5. Use appropriate tools strategically.6. Attend to precision.7. Look for and make use of structure.8. Look for and express regularity in repeated

reasoning.

(CCSS, 2010)

Five Major Reasons that Talk is Critical to Teaching and Learning

1. Talk can reveal understanding and misunderstanding.

2. Talk supports robust learning by boosting memory.

3. Talk supports deeper reasoning.

4. Talk supports language development.

5. Talk supports development of social skills.

Classroom Discussions: Seeing Math Discourse in Action BY

Implementing Discourse

Academic discourse is not something that comes easily to most students; rather, it is something that needs to be taught, modeled and recognized by

both teachers and students. With strategic instruction around

what academic discourse sounds,

looks and feels like, it can be a useful tool that enriches all classroom interactions and facilitates deeper learning and retention.

Edutopia Blog by Danielle Lynch

Defining the Most Important Components of Academic Discourse

1. Set the expectation that students will present problems and explain how they reached their answer.

Edutopia Blog by Danielle LynchSammamish High School, WA

Defining the Most Important Components of Academic Discourse

2. Emphasize the importance of using correct vocabulary. For example, math students often confuse an expression and an equation. Making that distinction is important for students. To retain the difference between the two words, they must practice using those words

Edutopia Blog by Danielle LynchSammamish High School, WA

Defining the Most Important Components of Academic Discourse

3. Make writing in math a norm. Students will be expected to write about the process of how they reached an answer. This serves as another way of seeing how students are processing the material and how they are applying vocabulary words.

Edutopia Blog by Danielle LynchSammamish High School, WA

Elementary OnlySolve the problem in small groups

and be prepared to shareA necklace has 2 red beads for

every 3 yellow beads. How many yellow beads are there if the necklace has 6 red beads?

Secondary Only - Group Work

Work with others in your group to determine whether, for each problem, the solution is correct or incorrect. If it is incorrect, identify the error and write the correct solution.

Look at the first

page only

Guidelines for Watching Videos

1. Assume that there are many things you don’t know about the students, the classroom, and the shared history of the teacher and students on the video.

2. Assume good intent and expertise on the part of the teacher.

3. Keep focused on your observations about what students are getting out of the talk and interaction.

4. Keep focused on how the classroom discourse is serving the mathematical goals of the lesson.

Video Reflection

As you view the video add to your tree diagram and answer the following questions: How does the teacher establish a classroom

culture in which students explain their thinking?

How does the teacher orchestrate conversations in which students talk about each other’s thinking?

How does the teacher connect students’ informal language to precise mathematical language?

Your Turn

Determine the most important components of academic discourse needed at your site by starring them on your tree map.

Describe why your chose these components for your site.

CCSS Evidence Guides For Planning and Practice

These tools provide specific guidance for what the CCSS for ELA/Literacy and math looks like in planning and practice. They are designed as developmental tools for teachers and those who support teachers.

Use the Evidence Guides for: Teacher self-reflection Peer-to-peer observation and

feedback Instructional coaching

Achievethecore.org

1. The work of the lesson focuses on the Common Core State Standards.

2. Instructional practices maximize opportunities for all students to master the content of the lesson.

3. The teacher provides all students with opportunities to engage.

CCSS Evidence Guides For Planning and Practice

Expectation and Evidence

3. The teacher provides all students with opportunities to engage The teacher…

A. Uses strategies to keep all students persevering with challenging problems.

B. Establishes a classroom culture in which students explain their thinking

C. Orchestrates conversations in which students talk about each other’s thinking

3. The teacher provides all students with opportunities to engage The teacher…

D. Connects students’ informal language to precise mathematical language appropriate to their grade.

E. Established a classroom culture in which students choose and use appropriate tools when solving a problem.

F. Asks students to explain and justify work and provides feedback that helps students revise initial work.

Your Turn

Create a plan for observing academic discourse at your school site.

Share your plan with your peers and revise as you receive input.