Chapter 6: Standard 5- Using Appropriate Tools Strategically

Putting the Practices Into Actionp. 76-90

Mathematically proficient students:

Decide when to use tools and select appropriate tools

Use tools appropriately and accurately (looking for most efficient tool to solve the task)

Classroom-Tested Techniques:

Number Lines as Tools (p.81)- powerful for counting, computation, and estimation tasks

Classroom-Tested Techniques: Rulers as Tools (p.

82)- The Broken Ruler

(makes students think about how to use a ruler flexibly and appropriately) Students must find an accurate way to measure an object, despite the broken tool… requiring understanding of the tool, reasoning skills, and calculation skills.

Classroom-Tested Techniques:

Exploring a Magnified Inch (students use a sentence strip to create their own magnified inch) Helps students understand fractions in a measurement model.

Classroom-Tested Techniques:

Mental Math as a Tool (p. 85)- Number Partners develops students’

number sense. Write a set of about 10 numbers on the board and ask students to find partners/pairs of number that are equivalent to a given amount.

5 4 9 3 6 1 7 2 5 8Find Number Partners That Make 10

Classroom-Tested Techniques:

In My Head? develops computational fluency and mental math skills, in which you give students several problems that they must first decide if the calculations should be done in their heads, on paper, or even with a calculator. After deciding, students find solutions to the problems. (Reminds me of a modified number talk.)

346 + 99 711 - 498 149 + 350 601 - 598

Questions to Ask Yourself: Do students know how to use

number lines? Do students know how to use

rulers? What other kinds of tools do I

have students use on a consistent basis in my classroom?

Additional Ideas for Developing the Practice:

Model the use of tools as we solve problems Ask students which tools would be most helpful

to solve a problem Give students time to explore and use a variety

of tools Discuss advantages and limitations to using

specific tools Ask students to estimate and then check for

reasonableness of their answers Discuss common errors when using tools Provide practice using technology tools