Number talks may feel like a primary skill, but upper elementary students still benefit from engaging in talks. Without a strong foundation in number sense, our students are more likely to struggle in math. As classroom teachers, we can help prevent this struggle through number talks.
What are number talks?
Number talks is a regular practice used to build number sense and mental math. This regular practice may be a part of a warm-up, mini-lesson, or as independent practice. Through talks in upper elementary, we can help students realize that math is more than memorization. It is being able to work with numbers in various circumstances.
What makes a number talk different than a normal math problem is that students are challenged with mental math. They do not have any tools with them to complete the problem (such as manipulatives or calculators). Then, when solving problems, students will engage in the “talk” aspect by explaining outloud how they would solve the problem.
Ask a variety of students to share their solution to the problem. This helps students visualize that there are several ways to solve the math problem.
How can you use number talks in your classroom?
As I mentioned before, you can easily include number talks into your warm-ups, mini-lessons, independent practice, and even your small groups. You can plan a talk before a particular lesson or have some problems ready to use when there is extra time in class.
Before you jump right into number talks, here are a few steps to get started:
Step 1: Model for Students
When committing to your first number talk, make sure to have a plan for modeling. Students may not be familiar with this idea or concept. Also, they may be confused why all those lovely manipulatives are not there to help.
Lead students through what a number talk is through a think aloud, and don’t be afraid to explain exactly what the benefit is to thinking through math mentally and sharing orally.
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Step 2: Guide Students
After a few sessions modeling number talks, let go of the reins just a little. Have students begin partaking in the talks with some guidance. Guidance may look like giving sentences stems from talking out their answers. It may also be modeling one way to solve the problem, and challenging them to find another way.
Step 3: Challenge Students
When you feel confident that your students understand number talks, it’s time to go all in! Have problems prepared for each day that you can engage students in, and find a easy place for your number talk to fit into your day.
I have a number talk resource for upper elementary students that makes planning the year super easy and painless! Each talk bundle includes 180 days worth of number talks, paper and digital. It also includes a projectable version, so you can share on your screen or projector.
You can check out the 4th Grade Number Talk Bundle and 5th Grade Number Talk Bundle here.
