Talking Math

Talking Math

Talking Math is a routine for mathematizing--or finding math in the wider world! Click on this link to learn more about mathematizing on our STEAM page.

Each image can spark questions at a variety of grade levels. We will include a grade level question (see below), but we hope you and your family talk about the picture, and ask other math questions of your own!

How should we use this?

  1. Tell a story about the picture that involves math.

  2. Ask: "What math questions could you ask about this picture?"

  3. Read your grade's focus question. Try to answer it with math!

Question to Solve: An Elephant drinks about 50 gallons of water each days. How many days elephants would it take to drink 450 gallons of water?

  1. Keep mathematizing! Look for other situations or pictures in your life that inspire math questions.


How should we use this?

  1. Tell a story about the picture that involves math.

  2. Ask: "What math questions could you ask about this picture?"

  3. Read your grade's focus question. Try to answer it with math!

Question to Solve: If there 72 umbrellas. How many rows of umbrellas are there?

  1. Keep mathematizing! Look for other situations or pictures in your life that inspire math questions.

How should we use this?

  1. Tell a story about the picture that involves math.

  2. Ask: "What math questions could you ask about this picture?"

  3. Read your grade's focus question. Try to answer it with math!

Question to Solve: The world’s largest drum set has 340 pieces. What are two numbers that add to 340? What are two numbers that have a difference of 340?

  1. Keep mathematizing! Look for other situations or pictures in your life that inspire math questions.

How should we use this?

  1. Tell a story about the picture that involves math.

  2. Ask: "What math questions could you ask about this picture?"

  3. Read your grade's focus question. Try to answer it with math!

Question to Solve: A farmer planted a thousand bulbs. 472 bulbs grew red tulips. The rest were yellow. About how many bulbs were yellow? How do you know?

  1. Keep mathematizing! Look for other situations or pictures in your life that inspire math questions.

How should we use this?

  1. Tell a story about the picture that involves math.

  2. Ask: "What math questions could you ask about this picture?"

  3. Read your grade's focus question. Try to answer it with math!

Question to Solve: Using the number of dots on the dominoes, can you use addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division to make 50? 100? What other numbers can you make between 1 and 100?

  1. Keep mathematizing! Look for other situations or pictures in your life that inspire math questions.

How should we use this?

  1. Tell a story about the picture that involves math.

  2. Ask: "What math questions could you ask about this picture?"

  3. Read your grade's focus question. Try to answer it with math!

Question to Solve: Write equations to match the picture. Can you write a 2 step equation?

Example: (16x1) + (16x4)

  1. Keep mathematizing! Look for other situations or pictures in your life that inspire math questions

How should we use this?

  1. Tell a story about the picture that involves math.

  2. Ask: "What math questions could you ask about this picture?"

  3. Read your grade's focus question. Try to answer it with math!

Question to Solve: What quadrilaterals do you see? How many do you see?

  1. Keep mathematizing! Look for other situations or pictures in your life that inspire math question