Welcome back! I am so glad you are joining in for session two, which will focus ideas for on launching mathematical tasks.
There are several goals when launching a high-quality task:
- Eliminate all contextual and linguistic barriers for all students so they can focus on mathematics
- Pose a problem
- Generate interest
- Activate background knowledge
- Share logistical information: how long will students have to work? How will they be working (partners, individual, etc.)?
Notice and Wonder
Great for generating interest and for students to be already considering their own questions.
Show an image, expression, graphic, video, scenario, or representation of a mathematical idea. Draw out noteworthy elements.
Students first see all the things they can "notice" that are obvious from the artifact. Then students brainstorm a list of mathematical questions. When moving into the task, you can select one or more of these questions for students to explore.
Try One
One of the most common concerns raised by teachers is how to launch a task when students don't have the appropriate background knowledge. "Try one" is a great strategy for this because it involves attempting a problem that has similar features or requires a similar thought process as the primary task. This gives students a bank of strategies to try when they approach the task. In order to maintain cognitive demand, ensure the launch is not used to demonstrate how to do the task.
Ways of Seeing
This is essentially a number talk. Show image, expression, graphic, scenario, or representation of a mathematical idea. Pique interest, show noteworthy elements.
http://ntimages.weebly.com/photos.html has many images that can be used to launch tasks, including the one above.
Which One Doesn't Belong? (pictured at top).
Show image, expression, graphic, scenario, or representation of a mathematical idea. Students defend their thinking about which image does not belong and why. There should always be multiple correct answers for best discussion.
Wodb.ca has a ton of images and suites that can be used for this purpose already made!
Three-Read Protocol
This is a launch for word/story problems. The key element of this type of launch is to only make the problem stem available. The word problem should not have a predetermined question. It should only provide context and quantities.
1. Read one: Teacher reads the problem stem to students. Discussion about what the story is about.
2. Read two: Choral or partner read. Students talk about the quantities in the problem.
3. Read three: Partner/choral read repeated. What is missing to make this a solvable problem?
The goal of this type of launch is to lead students to the key question: What mathematical questions can we ask about this situation?
Make a Conjecture
Students make a quick guess (without enough time to reason through the problem). This gives them something to either verify, disprove, or refine as they begin their work time to solve the problem. This strategy is particularly valuable for abstract tasks.
I hope these ideas give you a fresh way to launch your next mathematical task. Happy teaching!
Yours,
Ms. M
