Tuesday Teaching Tips - Number Talks

What is a Number Talk?
A Number Talk is a short, ongoing daily routine that provides students with meaningful ongoing practice with computation and mathematical reasoning. A Number Talk is a powerful tool for helping students develop computational fluency because the expectation is that they will use number relationships and the structures of numbers to add, subtract, multiply and divide.

Number Talks should be structured as short sessions alongside (but not necessarily directly related to) the ongoing math curriculum. It is important to keep Number Talks short, as they are not intended to replace current curriculum or take up the majority of the time spent on mathematics. In fact, teachers need to spend only 5 to 15 minutes on Number Talks. Number Talks are most effective when done every day.

Article on Number Talks

Implementing Number Talks - Helpful Hints

What is the format of Number Talks?
1.  Teacher presents a problem.

2.  Students figure out an answer.

3.  Students share their answer.

4.  Students share their thinking.
The teacher asks questions: 
• Who would like to share their thinking? 
• Who did it another way? 
• How many people solved it the same way as Billy? 
• Does anyone have any questions for Billy? 
• Billy, can you tell us where you got that 5? 
• How did you figure that out? 
• What was the first thing your eyes saw, or your brain did?

5.  The class agrees on the "real" answer for the problem.

Why are Number Talks beneficial?

• Encourage math communication from all students
• Provide structured practice for mental math
• Promote the value in using mental math to compute
• Promote the importance of being flexible with numbers
• Use a variety of strategies for computation

~Using Number Talks to help build students' math reasoning:

Hand signals can be used to keep students engaged during Number Talks.

Here are a few examples:

Fist to chest = still thinking

Thumb up (to chest) = I have a solution

Thumb up and another finger (to chest) = I have more than one way to solve

Introductory Video on Number Talks and Hand Signals

Number Talk Examples:

Kindergarten

First

Second

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grades