Open Middle Math

This book is an amazing resource for teachers who are struggling to help students develop both procedural fluency and conceptual understanding.. --Dr. Margaret (Peg) Smith, co-author of5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions Robert Kaplinsky, the co-creator of Open Middle math problems, brings hisnew class of tasks designed to stimulate deeper thinking and lively discussion among middle and high school students in Open Middle Math: Problems That Unlock Student Thinking, Grades 6-12. The problems are characterized by a closed beginning,- meaning all students start with the same initial problem, and a closed end,- meaning there is only one correct or optimal answer. The key is that the middle is open- in the sense that there are multiple ways to approach and ultimately solve the problem. These tasks have proven enormously popular with teachers looking to assess and deepen student understanding, build student stamina, and energize their classrooms. Professional Learning Resource for Teachers: Open Middle Math is an indispensable resource for educators interested in teaching student-centered mathematics in middle and high schools consistent with the national and state standards. Sample Problems at Each Grade: The book demonstrates the Open Middle concept with sample problems ranging from dividing fractions at 6th grade to algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. Teaching Tips for Student-Centered Math Classrooms: Kaplinsky shares guidance on choosing problems, designing your own math problems, and teaching for multiple purposes, including formative assessment, identifying misconceptions, procedural fluency, and conceptual understanding. Adaptable and Accessible Math: The tasks can be solved using various strategies at different levels of sophistication, which means all students can access the problems and participate in the conversation. Open Middle Math will help math teachers transform the 6th -12th grade classroom into an environment focused on problem solving, student dialogue, and critical thinking.

Imagine that you assign a math problem and your students, instead of getting discouraged after not solving it on the first attempt, start working harder--as if on a quest to figure out the answer. They talk to each other and enthusiastically share their discoveries. What could possibly make this fantastic scenario come true? The answer is: the Open Middle math problems and strategies in this book. Open Middle Math by Robert Kaplinsky gives middle and high school teachers the problems and planning guidance that will encourage students to see mathematics in an entirely different light. These challenging and rewarding Open Middle math problems will help you see your students build genuine conceptual understanding, perseverance, and creativity. Inside, you'll learn how to: Implement Open Middle math problems that are simultaneously accessible for both students who are struggling and those looking for more challenge. Select and create Open Middle math problems that will help you detect students' misconceptions and strengthen their conceptual understanding. Prepare for and facilitate powerful classroom conversations using Open Middle math problems. Access resources that will help you continue learning beyond this book. With these practical and intuitive strategies, extensive resources, and Robert's own stories about his journey learning to use Open Middle math problems successfully, you will be able to support, challenge, and motivate all your students.

Learn at home with help from The Wonder Years/Hallmark actress, math whiz, and New York Times bestselling author Danica McKellar using her acclaimed McKellar Math books! Addition and subtraction are as easy as 1+2+3 with this fun and accessible introduction to the essentials of math. This funny and educational book will have readers embracing math instead of fearing it. Finally, a FUN book to read with kids that helps bridge the gap between what's being taught in school and how today's parents learned math back in the day. Giggle your way through entertaining lessons on addition and subtraction involving muffins, turkey sandwiches, kittens, googly eyes, and more! Danica McKellar uses her proven math techniques to give children the solid grasp of addition and subtraction that will be key to their success and unlock their potential in the classroom and beyond! You will WANT to open this math book!

Using the Open Middle math problems and strategies in this book, you'll learn how to do the following: Implement Open Middle math problems that are simultaneously accessible for both students who are struggling and those looking for more challenge. Select and create Open Middle math problems that will help you detect students' misconceptions and strengthen their conceptual understanding. Prepare for and facilitate powerful classroom conversations using Open Middle math problems. Access resources that will help you continue learning beyond this book. With these practical and intuitive strategies, extensive resources, and Robert's own stories about his journey learning to use Open Middle math problems successfully, you will be able to support, challenge, and motivate your students.--from back cover

"555 Advanced Math Problems" gives you 37 of the most effective tests for improving your skill in algebra and geometry. This book was written for middle school students, with the goal of increasing mathematical maturity to improve results on standardized tests and math competitions. The material in this book includes: 37 math tests with 555 problems a complete answer key

This popular text addresses the urgent need for curriculum materials that cross traditional boundaries to include many of the elements that are integrated in the teaching/learning enterprise: mathematics content, teacher understanding, student thinking, teaching methods, instructional activities, and assessment. The book pushes readers beyond the limits of their current understanding of rational numbers, challenging them to refine and explain their thinking--without falling back on rules and procedures they have relied on throughout their lives. Written in a conversational and easy to understand style, this is not a textbook as much as it is a resource book. An underlying assumption is that facilitating teacher understanding using the same questions and activities that may be used with children is one way to help teachers build the comfort and confidence they need to begin talking to children about complex ideas. Unlike a textbook that is used to study formal theory and then discarded when it comes to putting ideas into practice, the many problems and activities included to facilitate teacher learning are valuable resources for use in elementary and middle school classrooms. Changes in the second edition include: *even more student work incorporated in every chapter; *discussion of the connectivity between the topics addressed in the book and the elementary and middle school mathematics curricula; *an increased emphasis on measurement; *expansion of some topics, including number sense, percent, scale factors, similarity, and linear graphs; *clarification of the characteristics of ratio and proportions and how to use these to generate discussion with children; and *content-related interview questions for exploring children's thinking. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and curriculum developers in mathematics education, pre-service and in-service teachers of mathematics, those involved in the mathematical and pedagogical preparation of mathematics teachers, and graduate students in mathematics education. The methods and activities it includes have been tested with students in grades 3-8 and with pre-service and in-service teachers and other adults. This text is accompanied by MORE--a supplement that is not merely an answer key but a resource that includes in-depth discussions of all the problems in the text; develops and extends discussion of the issues, teaching problems, and other considerations raised in the chapters; and contains additional problems--with and without solutions--that instructors may find helpful for assessment purposes.

Keep thinking...keep learning in different settings In Peter Liljedahl’s bestselling Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics: 14 Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning, readers discovered that thinking is a precursor to learning. Translating 15 years of research, the anchor book introduced 14 practices that have the most potential to increase student thinking in the classroom and can work for any teacher in any setting. But how do these practices work in a classroom with social distancing or in settings that are not always face-to-face? This follow-up supplement will answer those questions, and more. It walks teachers through how to adapt the 14 practices for 12 distinct settings, some of which came about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This guide: Provides the what, why, and how to adapt each practice in face-to-face settings that require social distancing, fixed seating, or small class sizes; synchronous and asynchronous virtual settings; synchronous and asynchronous hybrid settings; independent learning; and homeschooling. Includes guidance on using thinking classroom practices to support students in unfinished learning in small groups and one-on-one teaching or tutoring. Offers updated toolkits and a recommended order for the implementation of the practices for each of the settings. This supplement allows teachers to dip in as needed and continually modify the practices as their own classroom situations change and evolve, always keeping the thinking at the forefront of their mathematics teaching and learning.