I partnered with 4 other teachers on Instagram to share a week’s worth of book recommendations specifically for math teachers! We have saved these on our highlights, so be sure to find each of us on Instagram for more details.

My reccomended number talks book for fractions, decimals, and percentages provides video examples for various grades through 6th grade, but we know students need practice with these problem types well beyond 6th grade. The problem types are perfect for my 7th graders. For those not familiar, number talks are a quick 5-15 minute mental math routine that you can incorproate in your classroom as a warm up or at the end of a lesson. (I personally prefer a warm up.) There are hand signals I used with my elementary students that can be found on Pinterest, but in middle school I mostly use the thumbs up in front of your chest when you have an answer. I love to make these a big deal with my students because in math it always seems we are asking them to show all their work, and for good reason. This is a mental excercise with no paper or pencil, so I try to hype it up.

The number talks have a specific progression, and problem types are grouped together for you- so it is very low prep! I keep a notebook and document students who share responses and what strategies they used. Having multiple classes, this also helps so I can show different classes various strategies. A huge takeaway from number talks is to have a mathematical conversation about various strategies, utilize number sense, and discuss reasonable answers. I utilized these 3 days a week when I taught 1st and 3rd grade, but in middle school with my quick 55 minute periods, I incorporate them as often as I can. This means that some classes may get more than others- I have some classes who start the period more urgently than others! (;

Please be sure to check out those highlights on my Instagram for an exclusive peek inside this book!