Plan

If you have not already done so, you should look at the resources & tasks available to help you plan. Once you have gotten feedback from me that your selected task will be appropriate for the family STEM night, you'll want to move forward with developing a plan to facilitate the activity.

(1) Solve the mathematics task yourself & identify core mathematical ideas.

Unpack the mathematical thinking students must engage in to solve the task. Beyond getting an answer, consider the core mathematical ideas that students will learn more deeply as a result of working on the task. For example, you don’t want your learning intention to stop simply at, “Students will be able to add two-digit numbers.” Instead, you want your learning intentions to clearly express what understandings about the core ideas of place value or addition students will engage with as they add two-digit numbers.

If you’re having trouble thinking about the bigger ideas and understanding related to your task, you might try:

• Look at the TN State Math standards: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/standards/math/stds_math.pdf. Often times, these standards include both the procedural fluency that we want students to develop and the conceptual understanding related to those procedures.
• Look at the “Big Ideas” for K-8 (starting on p. 5) of this document: http://www.youcubed.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/What-Is-Mathematical-Beauty-1.pdf. Which of these ideas are related to your task?
• Solve your task again, paying careful attention to the mathematical understandings that you are using.

(2) Make necessary adaptations to make your task accessible.

You need to adapt the task to be more accessible to students across PK-5. These questions will help you think about whether or not it is necessary to adapt your task:

• Do all students have a way to get started on the task, regardless of their prior mathematical knowledge or understandings? If not, can you adapt the task to increase entry points? (This can be the "floor" that provides multiple entry points into the task.)
• Will you be able to challenge students to consider more abstract or more advanced mathematics topics if they are ready? If not, can you adapt the task to connect to a "next step" for mathematical thinking? (This can be the "ceiling" that provides multiple exit points.)
• Will English language ability limit students’ ability to get started on the task? If not, can you add visual or concrete models to help students make sense of the task?
• If the task is set within a “real-world” context, does that context support students to make sense of the task? If not, then how might you adapt the context so that it supports relevant/authentic connections to students’ lives? This will be an important place to use what you learned about the community.

(3) Prepare to facilitate your task

Anticipate the strategies/solutions that students are likely to use as they respond to the task by solving the core task at least 2 different ways, and thinking about a solution strategy for the "floor" and "ceiling" adaptations. Along with these approaches, note any roadblocks that students might encounter, and plan some questions that you could ask to nudge students’ thinking without taking over the mathematical work of the task. Keep in mind that you do not necessarily have to know all the exact answers/strategies before you enact the task. Imagine how excited students will be if they find a solution/strategy you had not!

Additionally, thinking about how you'll engage children's' families and make logistical plans for enacting the task by preparing any supplies that you or students will need.