Choice Board Resource Guide

Number Sense & Fluency 

Building number sense and fluency together are a cornerstone in our choice boards. When we discuss number sense we refer to our student's ability to understand and work with numbers. When we refer to fluency we refer to a student's ability to perform mathematical operations accurately and efficiently. Through analysis of our student work we have found that there is not one without the other. Fluency Without Fear has indicated that there are very meaningful ways to support our students with number sense and fluency. We utilize tasks that have a layering effect and change the math story for our students. The tasks we use in our choice boards are low floor high ceiling, game-based, and simultaneously support making sense and reasoning while supporting number sense and fluency. The following open source materials  Youcubed, NRICH, Open Middle, Tang Math Games & Tang Math Puzzles  are essential for our choice boards.  

Making Sense & Reasoning 

Making sense and reasoning are the foundation of mathematical competence and proficiency. We ensure making sense and reasoning are primary goals we have when working with our students. The tasks we put into our choice boards encourage students to actively engage with the mathematical material, rather than passively memorizing formulas or procedures. As examples, making sense activities involve helping students build connections between mathematical ideas and their real-world experiences, and relate new concepts to what they already know. While reasoning activities involve helping students develop their ability to make logical conclusions, justify their answers, and evaluate the reasonableness of their solutions. The open source materials we listed target both making sense and reasoning while being user friendly and are aligned to various grades and various domains in Mathematics.  K-5 Math Journals (requires small payment), Youcubed, NRICH, Open Middle, Tang Math, Math for Love, Illustrative Math.

Writing & Speaking about Math 

We use writing and speaking in our choice boards to help students better understand mathematical concepts and to make student thinking visible. The more we allow our students to write about math using K-5 Math (requires small payment) open-ended journal prompts, the better they have become at  articulating their thoughts and ideas, organizing their reasoning, and reflecting on their learning. Students also develop their mathematical vocabulary and communication skills. We use Flip to curate video math libraries of our students explaining math concepts. Students have to write scripts to then use as they record themselves. We call it FLIP Teacher, because students explain their understanding to  others to deepen their comprehension of concepts. Flip can also be used  for number talks. Students can write scripts for number talks in partnerships and use FLIP to record their number talk. Additionally, students can articulate their math understanding through the creation of Math Model Posters with explanations. The greatest gift writing and speaking about math provides us as teachers are insights into our students’ strengths and weaknesses, allowing us to differentiate instruction and provide targeted support.  

Projects & Real World Scenarios 

We use projects and real-world scenarios in mathematics to remove worksheets and provide our students with meaningful and engaging learning experiences that connect mathematical concepts to the world around them. Often these choice board activities are not completed in one day because they require students to apply mathematical concepts and create something. For example, students have designed and built models, created podcasts, written math books, created math blogs, analyzed data, solved complex mathematical problems, created household budgets, calculated interest, determined the best deal on a purchase, etc. 

K-5 Math Math Projects (requires small payment).

Technology Enhancements 

We use technology in our choice boards to provide students with opportunities to explore and represent mathematical concepts in new and innovative ways, and help them develop the skills they need to be successful in a rapidly changing technological landscape. Our students' engagement and interest has increased because of the interactive visual nature of technology. Some examples include online simulations such as PhET, video games including Tang Math and Prodigy, video recording platforms including Flip, other technology enhancements can be found at ditchthattextbook.com, which offers templates and ideas that allow students to interact with and represent their thinking in different yet meaningful ways.