Math Routines Part 2 of 6: Daily Math Talks by Susan Jones

Welcome back to our exploration of Math Routines with Susan Jones from Susan Jones Teaching!

In Part One, Susan unpacked Laying the Foundation: 3 Best Practices for K-2nd. In case you missed it, just click on the button below to find all of our previous Newsletters for FREE!

In Part Two, Susan breaksdown an easy to use Math Routine that you can implement in your classroom every day: Daily Math Talks. A highly effective way to warm up your students' math brains!

Hi - this is Susan Jones! Daily Math Talks are my favorite way to start our math block! I call them "Math Talks" because I incorporate concepts beyond just numbers, like geometry and time. Let's dive in!

First, Math Talks should always be review; they are not the time to introduce a brand-new concept. They should be quick: aim for just five to eight minutes, max, and only move through 1-3 slides that focus on a similar concept or skill. This brief, consistent exposure helps build deeper connections that are often missed when the curriculum rushes through topics.

The success of a Math Talk really comes down to facilitation. When you present a problem, the first step is to give plenty of wait time. I have my students give me a quiet thumbs-up in front of their chest when they know the answer. Once I see a lot of thumbs up, I’ll ask students for their answers and write all of the different answers on the board. I am not confirming or denying any answers at first. Instead, I really want the students to walk through it on their own to show me how they got the answer.

Next, I look for students who got the most popular answer and say, "Tell me how you got to your answer." As the student explains the strategy they used, I write their thinking on the board. This makes the thinking visible for everyone. Then I ask, "Who else got the same answer, but used a different way?" I'm constantly encouraging them to "show me another way" because I want them to be flexible with how they think about numbers. If some got an incorrect answer, we work through it together to help them recognize their mistake.

A key phrase I use to reinforce listening is "What did Blank say?" With Blank being the name of the student initially shared how they got their answer. After Blank explains a particular strategy, I ask the class, "Who can tell me, in their own words, how they solved that?" This is great because it forces students to really listen to their classmates when they're sharing. It also gives students who didn't solve it themselves the opportunity to restate another person's strategy, which helps them understand the strategy. When doing this for the first time, don't be scared if a lot of your students say, “I wasn't listening.” That’s okay. Ask Blank to repeat how they got their answer and then have somebody else restate it. Remember, you really want to be the facilitator here and not the one giving the answers or showing how to solve the problem.

Favorite Math Talk Examples

I rely on a few favorite Math Talk types that are excellent for differentiation and concept reinforcement:

• Number Strings/Decomposing: These are quick, repeated problems based on the same skill, designed to anchor a friendly number. For K-1st, this might be anchoring on a friendly number like five: 5+1, 5+2, 5+3, etc. For 2nd grade, we can use multiples of 10. For instance, showing 28 + 3 and encouraging students to decompose the 3 into 2 and 1 to make the more friendly multiple of 10:
  30 + 1 = 31
• Complete It/Number Bonds: This is a favorite of mine because these problems require students to be flexible with numbers and understand that a number isn’t static but can be broken down in multiple ways (e.g. 7 = seven ones, or 6+1, or 5+2, or 4+3). 
• True or False: This is amazing for differentiation. First present a problem (e.g. 7 + 1 = 10 - 3). True or false? How do you know? Can you prove it? What strategy did you use? Can you tell me more? All these facilitating questions can generate incredible engagement talk around these numbers. This is my absolute favorite way to start any math block.

By using Math Talks daily, you're not just reviewing skills; you're building a classroom culture where flexible thinking and communication are valued!

Thank you for joining me on Part Two of this Math Routines journey. I hope you find this series engaging and informative and I'll see you again next week for Part Three!

Warmly, Susan Jones