Number Talks

 

Math interventions are up and running and I started them off this year with Number Talks.  Fourth grade focus for this round of intervention is multiplication.  I am trying to move them past skip counting into more efficient strategies.  I put up the first problem and asked for strategies on how they got the answer.  Between 5 students there were 4 strategies!  Then I put up the second problem.  I expected they would just tell me they used the first problem.  They did, however they used it in different ways.  They really seemed to enjoy talking out their strategy and listening to others and finding similarities in the way each person solves the problems.  We talked about being efficient, flexible, and accurate.  We talked about how we could make sure we are accurate by being flexible in our thinking and listening to others' strategies and maybe using that to check our own accuracy.

The next day I put up the third problem.  I wrote down all answers given.  During the explanations, they quickly realized their mistake.  We also talked about how we could use equations we know to help with ones we don't know.  We discussed how this could be more efficient than skip counting every time.  Number Talks are off to a great start!  I can't wait to see the progression of their multiplication skills.