As you discuss math with your son or daughter and/or help them with their homework tasks, you can help him or her develop skills with these Math Practice Standards by asking some of these questions.
- 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
- 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
- 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
- 4. Model with mathematics.
- 5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
- 6. Attend to precision.
- 7. Look for and make use of structure.
- 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
- 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
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- What is happening in this problem? Tell me in your own words.
- How will you go about solving this problem? What is your plan?
- What will your answer be (Yes or No, a person’s name, a number, etc.)?
- What do you think a reasonable answer would be?
- What is happening in this problem? Tell me in your own words.
- 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
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- What do the numbers in the problem represent (7 is number of tables, 21 is the number of chairs, etc.)?
- Can you write an expression to help you solve the problem?
- Can you use a variable to represent what you are trying to find out in the problem?
- What do the numbers in the problem represent (7 is number of tables, 21 is the number of chairs, etc.)?
- 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
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- How do you know that your answer is correct? Use pictures, numbers, and or words to justify it to me.
- If I told you the answer was (offer a wrong answer) how would you explain to me that I am wrong?
- How do you know that your answer is correct? Use pictures, numbers, and or words to justify it to me.
- 4. Model with mathematics.
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- How can math help us solve this problem?
- When did you use Math today?
- What does the number in your solution represent?
- How can math help us solve this problem?
- 5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
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- Which tool is most appropriate to use to solve this problem? (Numberlines, graphs, planning charts, etc. are all tools.)
- Why did you use the tool you did? Did it help you to be more accurate or efficient?
- If you didn’t have that tool available how would you have solved the problem?
- Which tool is most appropriate to use to solve this problem? (Numberlines, graphs, planning charts, etc. are all tools.)
- 6. Attend to precision.
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- Is your answer close to your estimate?
- Could you do the problem a second time, in a different way, to make sure your answer is correct?
- Are you using the correct units (square inches, dollars, etc.)?
- Is your answer close to your estimate?
- 7. Look for and make use of structure.
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- What do you already know about the mathematics needed to solve problems like this?
- What other problems have you solved in the past that might help you solve this problem?
- What do you already know about the mathematics needed to solve problems like this?
- 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
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- What method might work every time you solve a problem like this?
- Do you notice any patterns?
- Could you make a rule or generalization about these types of problems?
- What method might work every time you solve a problem like this?