Mathematical Practices

Handouts

Contents

Handout 1: Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice..........................................2

Handout 2: Matchstick Houses.......................................................................................................5
Handout 3: Table Tiling Task...........................................................................................................6
Handout 4: Identifying Mathematical Practices..............................................................................7
Handout 5: Sampling and Estimating - Counting Trees...................................................................8
Handout 6: Interpreting the Mathematical Practices.....................................................................9
Handout 7: Common Core State Standards Math Practice Charts................................................10
Handout 8: Owning the Mathematical Practices..........................................................................14

Copying
Except where noted/credited otherwise, these materials are Copyright © 2015-2017 Mathematics Assessment Resource Service, University of
Nottingham. They are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license, so they may be copied and
adapted for non-commercial use under certain conditions and with appropriate attribution. Please see the license for details, or contact us via
http://mathnic.mathshell.org/contact.html if in doubt.
All MathNIC materials can be freely downloaded from our website http://mathnic.mathshell.org/

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 1 March 2017 Release

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Handout 1: Common Core State Standards for Mathematical

Practice

MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

Mathematically proficient students start by explaining to themselves the meaning of a problem and looking for
entry points to its solution. They analyze givens, constraints, relationships, and goals. They make conjectures
about the form and meaning of the solution and plan a solution pathway rather than simply jumping into a
solution attempt. They consider analogous problems, and try special cases and simpler forms of the original
problem in order to gain insight into its solution. They monitor and evaluate their progress and change course if
necessary. Older students might, depending on the context of the problem, transform algebraic expressions or
change the viewing window on their graphing calculator to get the information they need. Mathematically
proficient students can explain correspondences between equations, verbal descriptions, tables, and graphs or
draw diagrams of important features and relationships, graph data, and search for regularity or trends.
Younger students might rely on using concrete objects or pictures to help conceptualize and solve a problem.
Mathematically proficient students check their answers to problems using a different method, and they
continually ask themselves, "Does this make sense?" They can understand the approaches of others to solving
complex problems and identify correspondences between different approaches.

MP2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively

Mathematically proficient students make sense of quantities and their relationships in problem situations. They
bring two complementary abilities to bear on problems involving quantitative relationships: the ability to
decontextualize—to abstract a given situation and represent it symbolically and manipulate the representing
symbols as if they have a life of their own, without necessarily attending to their referents—and the ability to
contextualize, to pause as needed during the manipulation process in order to probe into the referents for the
symbols involved. Quantitative reasoning entails habits of creating a coherent representation of the problem at
hand; considering the units involved; attending to the meaning of quantities, not just how to compute them;
and knowing and flexibly using different properties of operations and objects.

MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

Mathematically proficient students understand and use stated assumptions, definitions, and previously
established results in constructing arguments. They make conjectures and build a logical progression of
statements to explore the truth of their conjectures. They are able to analyze situations by breaking them into
cases, and can recognize and use counterexamples. They justify their conclusions, communicate them to
others, and respond to the arguments of others. They reason inductively about data, making plausible
arguments that take into account the context from which the data arose. Mathematically proficient students
are also able to compare the effectiveness of two plausible arguments, distinguish correct logic or reasoning
from that which is flawed, and—if there is a flaw in an argument—explain what it is. Elementary students can
construct arguments using concrete referents such as objects, drawings, diagrams, and actions. Such
arguments can make sense and be correct, even though they are not generalized or made formal until later
grades. Later, students learn to determine domains to which an argument applies. Students at all grades can
listen or read the arguments of others, decide whether they make sense, and ask useful questions to clarify or
improve the arguments.

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 2 March 2017 Release

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

MP4: Model with mathematics

Mathematically proficient students can apply the mathematics they know to solve problems arising in everyday
life, society, and the workplace. In early grades, this might be as simple as writing an addition equation to
describe a situation. In middle grades, a student might apply proportional reasoning to plan a school event or
analyze a problem in the community. By high school, a student might use geometry to solve a design problem
or use a function to describe how one quantity of interest depends on another. Mathematically proficient
students who can apply what they know are comfortable making assumptions and approximations to simplify a
complicated situation, realizing that these may need revision later. They are able to identify important
quantities in a practical situation and map their relationships using such tools as diagrams, two-way tables,
graphs, flowcharts and formulas. They can analyze those relationships mathematically to draw conclusions.
They routinely interpret their mathematical results in the context of the situation and reflect on whether the
results make sense, possibly improving the model if it has not served its purpose.

MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically

Mathematically proficient students consider the available tools when solving a mathematical problem. These
tools might include pencil and paper, concrete models, a ruler, a protractor, a calculator, a spreadsheet, a
computer algebra system, a statistical package, or dynamic geometry software. Proficient students are
sufficiently familiar with tools appropriate for their grade or course to make sound decisions about when each
of these tools might be helpful, recognizing both the insight to be gained and their limitations. For example,
mathematically proficient high school students analyze graphs of functions and solutions generated using a
graphing calculator. They detect possible errors by strategically using estimation and other mathematical
knowledge. When making mathematical models, they know that technology can enable them to visualize the
results of varying assumptions, explore consequences, and compare predictions with data. Mathematically
proficient students at various grade levels are able to identify relevant external mathematical resources, such
as digital content located on a website, and use them to pose or solve problems. They are able to use
technological tools to explore and deepen their understanding of concepts.

MP6: Attend to precision

Mathematically proficient students try to communicate precisely to others. They try to use clear definitions in
discussion with others and in their own reasoning. They state the meaning of the symbols they choose,
including using the equal sign consistently and appropriately. They are careful about specifying units of
measure, and labeling axes to clarify the correspondence with quantities in a problem. They calculate
accurately and efficiently, express numerical answers with a degree of precision appropriate for the problem
context. In the elementary grades, students give carefully formulated explanations to each other. By the time
they reach high school they have learned to examine claims and make explicit use of definitions.

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 3 March 2017 Release

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

MP7: Look for and make use of structure

Mathematically proficient students look closely to discern a pattern or structure. Young students, for example,
might notice that three and seven more is the same amount as seven and three more, or they may sort a
collection of shapes according to how many sides the shapes have. Later, students will see 7 × 8 equals the
well-remembered 7 × 5 + 7 × 3, in preparation for learning about the distributive property. In the expression
x2 + 9x + 14,older students can see the 14 as 2 × 7 and the 9 as 2 + 7. They recognize the significance of an
existing line in a geometric figure and can use the strategy of drawing an auxiliary line for solving problems.
They also can step back for an overview and shift perspective. They can see complicated things, such as some
algebraic expressions, as single objects or as being composed of several objects. For example, they can see
5-3(x-y)2 as 5 minus a positive number times a square and use that to realize that its value cannot be more than
5 for any real numbers x and y.
MP8: Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
Mathematically proficient students notice if calculations are repeated, and look both for general methods and
for shortcuts. Upper elementary students might notice when dividing 25 by 11 that they are repeating the
same calculations over and over again, and conclude they have a repeating decimal. By paying attention to the
calculation of slope as they repeatedly check whether points are on the line through (1, 2) with slope 3, middle
school students might abstract the equation (y - 2)/(x - 1) = 3. Noticing the regularity in the way terms cancel
when expanding (x - 1)(x + 1), (x - 1)(x2 + x + 1), and (x - 1)(x3 + x2 + x + 1) might lead them to the general formula
for the sum of a geometric series. As they work to solve a problem, mathematically proficient students
maintain oversight of the process, while attending to the details. They continually evaluate the reasonableness
of their intermediate results.

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 4 March 2017 Release

 Handout 2: Matchstick Houses

Joseph uses matchsticks to make rows of houses:

1 house

2 houses

3 houses

1. How many matchsticks are needed to make 6 houses in a row?

2. Find a rule for the number of matchsticks needed to make a given number of houses.

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 5 Revised version: Summer 2016

 Handout 3: Table Tiling Task

Maria makes square tables, then sticks Maria only uses quarter tiles in the
tiles to the top. corners and half tiles along the edges of
the table.

Here are four table tops:

She uses three types of tiles:

1. Complete this table to show how many whole tiles, half tiles, and quarter tiles she needs for each
of these sizes.

2. Find a rule, or a formula, that will help Maria figure out the number of half tiles that she needs for
tables of different sizes. Explain how your rule works.

3. Use the number patterns in the table to find a rule, or a formula, that will help Maria figure out the
number of whole tiles Maria needs for tables of different sizes. Explain why your rule works.

4. Maria has made a table with 20 half tiles. How many whole tiles are on this table?
Show how you found the number of whole tiles.

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 6 Revised version: Summer 2016

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Handout 4: Identifying Mathematical Practices

Write down the practice(s) students have opportunity to develop when completing the Table Tiling
task, identifying at what point in the solution process different practices emerge:

MP1:

MP2:

MP3:

MP4:

MP5:

MP6:

MP7:

MP8:

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 7 March 2017 Release

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Handout 5: Sampling and Estimating - Counting Trees

This diagram shows some trees in a tree farm.

The circles show old trees and the triangles show young trees.
Tom wants to know how many trees there are of each type, but says it would take too long counting
them all, one-by-one.

1. What method could he use to estimate the number of trees of each type?
Explain your method fully.

2. Use your method to estimate the number of:

(a) Old trees
(b) Young trees

Source: http://map.mathshell.org/lessons.php?unit=7400&collection=8

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 8 March 2017 Release

 Handout 6: Interpreting the Mathematical Practices

Mathematical Practice Student-friendly language

Make sense & persevere in solving
I don’t mind trying many times to understand and solve a math problem.
problems
I can think through a problem step by step, using numbers, graphs and math
Reason abstractly & quantitatively
symbols, checking back with the problem each time.

Construct viable arguments & critique the I can explain how I solved the problem and why my reasoning is correct. I can
reasoning of others discuss other students’ solutions too.

When faced with a real-world problem, I can make sense of it, then use pictures,
Model with mathematics
numbers, tables, graphs, and symbols to represent it and work out a solution.
I can choose the right math tool for solving a problem: like calculators, rules,
Use appropriate tools strategically
pictures, or objects.
I can make sure my method and my calculations are correct and my explanation is
Attend to precision
complete and convincing, using clear mathematical language.
I can use what I already know about math to solve the problem, using equivalent
Look for and make use of structure
expressions to make sense of things.

Look for and express regularity in I can look for a pattern in a problem, whenever the reasoning repeats. I can
repeated reasoning represent the pattern by a rule or formula.

Adapted from: Teaching Children Mathematics, March 2012, Getting Started in K – Grade 2, pp. 440-445

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 9 Revised version: Summer 2016

 Handout 7: Common Core State Standards Math Practice Charts

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 10 Revised version: Summer 2016

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Source: http://www.debbiewaggoner.com/uploads/1/2/9/9/12998469/math_practices_posters_ms_hs.pdf

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 11 Revised version: Summer 2016

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 12 Revised version: Summer 2016

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 13 Revised version: Summer 2016

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Source: http://www.debbiewaggoner.com/uploads/1/2/9/9/12998469/math_practices_posters_ms_hs.pdf

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 14 Revised version: Summer 2016

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Source: http://www.debbiewaggoner.com/uploads/1/2/9/9/12998469/math_practices_posters_ms_hs.pdf

Handout 8: Owning the Mathematical Practices

How does Ms. McPhillips help her students “own” the math practices?

Why is it important to use the language of the Common Core with students?

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 15 Revised version: Summer 2016

 © 2017 Math Assessment Resource Service, University of Nottingham – Published under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

How does Ms. McPhillips make discussion about the math practices a part of her daily routine?

Mathematical Practices - Handouts Page 16 Revised version: Summer 2016