Notice, Wonder, and Notes.

I've been wondering how to set up things like "What do you notice?"  "What do you wonder?", Three Act Tasks and other activities so my students can do part of the activity at home and finish it off in class.

  I decided that for most things I might use the notice and wonder for, it is possible to send a photo in the packet with a chart for students to write their observations on.  The results can be turned in when students arrive for school.  

The photo might be of a real life application of the math topic we'll be covering in class or perhaps its one they've done before but need to review.  

This is a great way to introduce students to warm-ups for instance by sharing the picture from Estimation 180 with the notice and wonder questions and then have students make their guesses during class.  If I included a hint, students could include their estimation with their finished work.  

I can do the same type of thing with the three act tasks by providing a photo of the situation, any information needed and ask a few questions in preparation for the second and third act.  If the first act is a video, I can let the students see the question before I show the video and then show the video just before class ends.  Then I'll include the picture and the questions as part of the take home packet so students can record their answers.  There are lots of three act tasks one can find on the internet, it just takes a quick search for the answers.  

Then there is the activity called "Which one does not belong?".  This is where a picture with four things or terms is put up and students have to decide which one does not belong and then explain why they chose what they chose.  The sets usually have at least two answers to this question or more depending on how a student works.  The site WODB has so many possibilities a teacher can use.

On the other hand, it might be possible to set up certain situations and rather than using the mathematical language associated with the task, make the language simpler so students are more engaged.  For instance, I might include a picture like the one to the left and ask students something like "Wow how do  you describe the pattern used by the artist to create the print?"  or  "How many ways could fold this so it folds exactly in half?  It would also work as a notice and wonder.

All of the above can include some sort of notice and wonder activity in preparation for finishing it in class.  This allows students a chance to think about things before they do it and one can use so many different resources for this. 

A second area of activities one can include in the take home packet is to include those algebraic logic picture puzzles.  The ones where you might have heart + heart + heart = 27.  The second line might be a heart + heart + a square = 22 and the third line would be a heart + square + circle = 20.  So using the first one students figure out the heart has a value of 9,  the square has a value of 4 and the circle is worth 7.  This type of worksheet requires students to think about how the pictures relate to numbers and find the values.  

The next topic I'll be exploring is how to teach students to take notes from the book and use examples in the book to learn to do problems on their own. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Notice or Wonder in Math.

 I've been attending a series of webinars that focus on using "What do you notice?" and What do you wonder"? as a way to hook students and to get them to think.  The activity does not have any "right" answers but they open up the way to thinking.

One reason for using this routine regularly is because it helps students develop the persistence they need to solve problems.  If used to introduce a situation or concept, it allows students a chance to pique their curiosity and learn more about the context of the problem.

In addition, this routine gives them time to think about which strategy or strategies could be used to solve the problem while giving them the opportunity to see the whole picture.  Furthermore, it can help students build self confidence, reflection, and the realization that it is possible to solve the problem using a variety of ways.

One nice thing about using the notice and wonder routine is that it encourages students to brainstorm ideas which can help them get started because they are exploring the problem before they actually start.  It also helps students slow down to check out the details, and think about the actual problem rather than rushing through it.  Furthermore, it helps them see the math in a situation where the math may not be as visible as it might be in a problem.

The nice thing about the notice and wonder routine is that it can be used to open a lesson on a new concept, it could be used as a stand alone routine, or it can be spread over a couple of days so the routine begins on the first day and finishes up on the second or third day and can be used as the warmup.  When used regularly, it helps establish a safe environment.

To implement this routine, begin by showing students a situation, word problem with the question removed, a visual representation of a math concept, a set of data, or a graph and ask the students to write down thoughts on what they notice.  The next step is to ask students to share their observations but some students do not like sharing verbally. I have seen it suggested that this be done using a program that allows anonymity for the students so they can express their thoughts without fear or ask students to provide their answers on a slide, doc or post it note app.

Once they've shared their notices, ask them to think about what they wonder for a few minutes.  At the end, ask them to share their questions with each other, either aloud or via slides or a doc.  During this process, do not comment on anything in terms of correctness, do not ask for clarification, restating, or even praising them.  You only want to write down their thoughts and questions.  Use this information to determine where to go next in the lesson.

Next time, I'll be talking a bit more about using photos and such from the regular world where math may not be as visible for notice and wonder.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.