I first learned about Talking Points as a pre-assessment for Patterning, from Jen Barker.

http://www.meaningfulmathmoments.com/musings/talking-points-patterning-pre-assessment

My Talking Points process has changed slight over the last two years. I have done it differently almost every time. I think this past year, I have finally settled on a process that I'm going to try next year. I'm excited to get started and will update this page with pictures as I try this again!

I break the activity up into smaller parts, done over the course of a few days. I have linked three different templates that you can download and modify to fit your needs. You'll see that I played around with the process a few times. The original template can be found on Jen's site (linked above).

Day 1.

Explorations. What Patterns can you create?

Pattern explorations with invitations to play for soft start (before the kids come in). As students come in, they have the opportunity to engage in playful pattern exploration. After clean up, together, we read each statement aloud. Students have time to think, and decide whether they agree/disagree/or are unsure of each statement, they record their opinion in the first column (this first recording is your pre-assessment).

Day 2.

Explorations...again! What Makes a Pattern a Pattern?

Pattern explorations with invitations to play for soft start (before the kids come in) again. Thank you to Jen for sharing her experiences on her blog, having suggested giving learners the opportunity to explore after learning about the Talking Points. If it's been a while since your learners have had experience with a concept, it makes sense that they may need the opportunity to play with ideas to engage prior knowledge. It is also helpful for students who might be a bit reluctant to play, or don't know how to play, to have had the Talking Points in the back of their minds while exploring. This past year, I gave my kids playful exploration time before we did Talking Points, unlike the year before that when I did explorations in between, and the year before that where I did them after. Next year, I think I will set up play explorations before, AND in between.

They have an opportunity to record the change in their thinking after explorations in the second column.

Talking Points: Round 1.

• I usually choose the groups before hand (to be mindful of classroom dynamics) but I think I might take a risk and try "visibly randomizing" groups next year and see how that goes!

• We go over expectations and our Learning Goal: I am learning to be an active listener; I support and encourage the person speaking. Each group member shares their thinking while the others listen. This is an opportunity to listen and not for commenting (they will have the opportunity to change their opinions, and share again after this round). They must share whether they agree/disagree or are unsure of the statement and why.

• After everyone has had a chance to share, learners have the opportunity to change their opinion, or keep it the same.

Talking Points Round 2.

Learners share one last time. After round 1, they may have changed their opinions, have deepened their understanding in some way or have had their thinking reinforced. They give their "final" agree/disagree or are unsure of the statement and why.

Day 3.

Wrap up.

1. Which Talking Point are you sure of and why?

2. Which Talking Point are you unsure of and why?

I have my kids share on Flipgrid, but you can have them share in multiple different ways.

Why I love Talking Points:

• First of all, I LOVE that there is an option for my learners to answer with "unsure." This pre-assessment is low risk, and gives learners an "out" if they need it. It shows our mathematicians that it's okay to be unsure. I also love that they have to explain why they are unsure, which helps us understand what specifically about the statement makes them uncertain.

• learners have a chance to share their thinking without interruptions.

• learners practice active listening.

• learners have an opportunity to change their thinking multiple times. I have them record along the way the so that they might see how their thinking has changed. I also love this so that you can see their thinking before and after, and I feel that you get a better understanding of what they truly know.

• You can use the Talking Points as your summative assessment.