Guided Math: Number Talks
Number talks are an easy way to start your math block off with a bang! Students are engaged in a mental math activity that gets them thinking strategically about numbers and how they work.
Number talks take from five to fifteen minutes and reinforce computational fluency skills. In kindergarten, show a picture of dots or a ten frame with some dots in some boxes, have children talk about what they see and how they see it. The goal of this talk is to develop the ability to subitize (instantly identify a quantity) and establish conceptual knowledge for numbers.
In first grade and beyond, students are given a problem to solve in their head such as 7 + 3 or 70 + 23. Write the problem horizontally. Give each student time to think of a solution and then ask students to share their answer. Have several students explain how they got the answer. As they are explaining, write the math on a board or chart paper. Try to get several students to share different ways they figured out the answer. We are looking for students to use strategies such as counting on, making ten, doubles, finding a friendly number, etc.
The important thing about number talks is that students are verbalizing their thinking while the teacher facilitates the conversation. Many students will learn a new strategy or realize they have made an error in calculation as they listen to others describe a mental strategy.