West Virginia Department of Education
Technical Writing: Real-World Writing in the 21st Century
Wondering how to respond to the age-old question when will I ever use this? The answer is very simple when discussing technical writing. Teachers and administrators gain an understanding of using technical writing in the classroom....
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Thinking Like an Expert: Teacher Modeling and Thinking Aloud
This resource explores instructional practices for using think-aloud in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies classes. Think-Aloud examples are provided in both science and math. Download and print a resource...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: Look for and Express Regularity in Repeated Reasoning
The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students. These practices rest on important 'Processes and Proficiency' with longstanding...
University of Texas
Inside Mathematics: Sheeps and Ducks [Pdf]
This task challenges a student to use addition and multiplication to think about and calculate equal sized groups.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Nana's Chocolate Milk
How can you fix Nana's chocolate milk? Students work on this problem over time to develop a final product that demonstrates their mathematical thinking and solution.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Defend Your Ideas With a Journal
Third graders practice in representing their mathematical thinking in order to share it with others and assess their own understanding. This lesson engages them to work out a problem from a story read to them in more than one way.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Thinking in (Semi )Circles: The Area of the Arbelos
The arbelos is the white-shaded region between the three semicircles in the illustration at right. In this project, you'll prove an interesting method for determining the area of the arbelos.
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: 6.ee Rectangle Perimeter 2
This task is a natural follow up for task Rectangle Perimeter 1. After thinking about and using one specific expression for the perimeter of a rectangle, they now extend their thinking to equivalent expressions for the same quantity....
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: A Sse the Physics Professor
In this task, students are asked to study the structure of an algebraic expression, draw conclusions, and explain their thinking. Aligns with A-SSE.A.1 and A-SSE.A.1.b.
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: G Co Defining Parallel Lines
Alex and his friends are studying for a geometry test and one of the main topics covered is parallel lines. They each write down what they think it means for two distinct lines in a plane to be parallel. Learners are asked to analyze...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: A Ced.2 and G Gmd.4: Global Positioning System I
This question examines the algebraic equations for three different spheres. The intersections of each pair of spheres are then studied, both using the equations and thinking about the geometry of the spheres. Aligns with A-CED.A.2 and...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Integrating Math and Literacy
This instructional activity provides the elementary teacher with an opportunity to integrate the concept of mathematics with reading literacy. Students use models to learn shapes, practice spelling the names and shapes, and learn to...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: Reasoning About Multiplication
This is a good task to work with kids to try to explain their thinking clearly and precisely, although teachers should be willing to work with many different ways of explaining the relationship between the magnitude of the factors and...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: Connor and Makayla Discuss Multiplication
The purpose of this task is to have students think about the meaning of multiplying a number by a fraction, and use this burgeoning understanding of fraction multiplication to make sense of the commutative property of multiplication in...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: Calculator Trouble
Even though learners can solve this problem by multiplying, it is unlikely they will. Here it is much easier to answer the question if you can think of multiplying a number by a factor as scaling the number. Aligns with 5.NF.B.5.
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: Bowling for Numbers
The purpose of this game is to help students think flexibly about numbers and operations and to record multiple operations using proper notation. Aligns with 5.OA.A.1.
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: 6.ee,ns,rp; 8.ee,f Pennies to Heaven
The goal of this task is to give students a context to investigate large numbers and measurements. Students need to fluently convert units with very large numbers in order to successfully complete this task. The total number of pennies...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: Understanding the Standard Deviation
The purpose of this task is to deepen student understanding of the standard deviation as a measure of variability in data distribution. The task is divided into four parts, each of which asks students to think about standard deviation in...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: S Md.2 Bob's Bagel Shop
The purpose of this task is to assess a student's ability to compute and interpret an expected value. Notice that interpreting expected value requires thinking in terms of a long-run average. Learners will help Bob the bagel man find the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: A rei.c.6: Find a System
The purpose of this task is to encourage students to think critically about both the algebraic and graphical interpretation of systems of linear equations. Aligns with A-REI.C.6.
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: A ced.a.3: Growing Coffee
This task is designed to make learners think about the meaning of the quantities presented in the context (of coffee needs) and choose which ones are appropriate for the two different constraints presented. Aligns with A-CED.A.3.
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: Saving Money 2
The purpose of this task is for students to relate addition and subtraction problems to money and to situations and goals related to saving money. A problem is given that will contain multiple solutions, this allows students to think...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: F Bf Exponentials and Logarithms Ii
The purpose of this task is to help learners see that the definition of the logarithm as an exponent results in an inverse relationship between the exponential and logarithm functions with the same base. This prepares them to think about...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: G Srt Sine and Cosine of Complementary Angles
The goal of this task is to provide a geometric explanation for the relationship between the sine and cosine of acute angles. In addition, students will need to think about the sine and cosine as functions of an angle in order to reason...