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Classroom-Ready Rich Math Tasks, Grades 4-5
With more than 50 ready-to-implement, engaging math tasks, this is the guide to giving your students the deepest mathematical experiences possible.
- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781544399164
- Published By: Corwin
- Series: Corwin Mathematics Series
- Year: 2021
- Page Count: 320
- Publication date: April 23, 2021
Review Copies
Description
Do you work tirelessly to make your math lessons meaningful, challenging, accessible, and engaging? Do you spend hours you don’t have searching for, adapting, and creating tasks to provide rich experiences for your students that supplement your mathematics curriculum? Help has arrived! Classroom Ready-Rich Math Tasks for Grades 4-5 details more than 50 research- and standards-aligned, high-cognitive-demand tasks that will have your students doing deep-problem-based learning. These ready-to-implement, engaging tasks connect skills, concepts and practices, while encouraging students to reason, problem-solve, discuss, explore multiple solution pathways, connect multiple representations, and justify their thinking. They help students monitor their own thinking and connect the mathematics they know to new situations. In other words, these tasks allow students to truly do mathematics! Written with a strengths-based lens and an attentiveness to all students, this guide includes:
• Complete task-based lessons, referencing mathematics standards and practices, vocabulary, and materials
• Downloadable planning tools, student resource pages, and thoughtful questions, and formative assessment prompts
• Guidance on preparing, launching, facilitating, and reflecting on each task
• Notes on access and equity, focusing on students’ strengths, productive struggle, and distance or alternative learning environments.
With concluding guidance on adapting or creating additional rich tasks for your students, this guide will help you give all of your students the deepest, most enriching and engaging mathematics learning experience possible.
Author(s)
Beth McCord Kobett
Beth McCord Kobett, EdD, is Professor of Education and Associate Dean at Stevenson University, where she leads, teaches and supports early childhood, elementary, and middle preservice teachers in mathematics education. She is a former classroom teacher, elementary mathematics specialist, adjunct professor, and university supervisor. Beth also served as the Director of the First Year Seminar program at Stevenson University. She recently completed a three-year term as an elected Board Member for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and was the former president of the Association of Maryland Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMMTE). Beth leads professional learning efforts in mathematics education both regionally and nationally. Beth is a recipient of the Mathematics Educator of the Year Award from the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM) and the Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumni Award. Beth also received Stevenson University’s Rose Dawson Award for Excellence in Teaching as both an adjunct and full-time faculty member. Beth believes in fostering a strengths-based community with her students and strives to make her learning space inviting, facilitate lessons that spark curiosity and innovation, and cultivate positive productive struggle.
Francis (Skip) Fennell
and Professional Studies at McDaniel College in Maryland, where he also directed the Elementary Mathematics Specialists and Teacher Leaders Project (ems&tl). He is a former classroom teacher, principal, and supervisor of instruction, and past president of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the Research Council on Mathematics Learning (RCML), and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). He is a recipient of the Mathematics Educator of the Year Award from the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM), the Glenn
Gilbert National Leadership Award from NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics Education, the Excellence in Leadership and Service in Mathematics Teacher Education Award from the AMTE, the James W. Heddens Distinguished Service Award from the RCML, and Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the MCTM and the NCTM. In 2018, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from McDaniel College. Skip’s many book-length and peer-reviewed journal publications and classroom experiences have focused on assessment, number sense, fractions, elementary mathematics specialists and mathematics teacher leaders, and teacher education.
Karen S. Karp
Karen S. Karp is a professor in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. Previously, she was a professor of mathematics education in the Department of Early and Elementary Childhood Education at the University of Louisville, where she received the President’s Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Service Award for a Career of Service. She is a former member of the board of directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and a former president of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE). She is a member of the author panel for the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide on assisting elementary school students who have difficulty learning mathematics for the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Educational Sciences. She is the author or coauthor of approximately 20 book chapters, 50 articles, and 30 books, including Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, Developing Essential Understanding of Addition and Subtraction for Teaching Mathematics, and Inspiring Girls to Think Mathematically. She holds teaching certifications in elementary education, secondary mathematics, and K–12 special education.
Delise Andrews
Delise Andrews is the 3-5 Mathematics Coordinator for Lincoln Public Schools in Lincoln, Nebraska. During her career, she has worked in both rural and urban districts and has taught mathematics to students at every age from Kindergarten through the 8th grade, undergraduate math methods, and graduate level courses for teachers of mathematics. Delise is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and a Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellow. She is also an active member of NCTM, serving as a past member and chair of the Professional Development Services Committee, member of regional conference committees and chair of the St. Louis annual conference committee, and an NCTM Professional Services facilitator.
Reviews
This book’s title reveals its promise. Classroom-Ready Rich Math Tasks offers teachers an abundant collection of practical challenges for engaging their students in building mathematical fluency and developing strategic reasoning—exactly what all Mathematics Standards expect.Jay McTighe
Author and Educator
I highly recommend this book, which provides a research-based framework for engaging in rich tasks that are connected to and build on previous mathematical understanding, relevant contexts, and students’ experiences and resources, as well as connecting to mathematics teaching practice. The 54 high cognitively demanding tasks included support the development of important mathematics norms, practices, and concepts.Robert Q. Berry, III
Samuel Braley Gray Professor of Mathematics Education
This book answers the often-asked question ‘Where can I find good tasks?’ The authors have assembled a collection of rich mathematical tasks and provided guidance on how to plan and implement lessons around them in ways that will support opportunities for students to learn mathematics with understanding. This book is a game changer for 4th and 5th grade teachers who want their students to do math!Margaret (Peg) Smith
Emeritus Faculty, University of Pittsburgh
What a resource! The thoughtful and thorough task-based lesson template guides teachers to effectively plan, facilitate, and monitor tasks. I’m delighted to see the focus on planning and on closing a lesson by making the mathematics visible. Read a few of the completed templates for the 54 tasks to recognize the value of this book.Nora G. Ramirez
Executive Director
Classroom-Ready Rich Math Tasks, Grades 4–5 is an excellent resource for teachers, teacher educators, and professional development providers who want to engage students in high-level, cognitively demanding mathematics tasks. The book does an excellent job of explaining the why and the how of implementing doing mathematics tasks. To top it off, this book has a treasure trove of rich mathematics tasks for teachers to choose from.Kyndall Brown
Executive Director
This book is a treasure trove of excellent mathematics problems, accompanied by instructional strategies to support students with opportunities to truly do mathematics and learn new concepts through problem solving. From reading this book, teachers can learn how to notice and amplify strengths in students’ thinking, promote productive struggle, and work toward equity when enacting these tasks. I also appreciated the authors’ ideas for enacting these tasks remotely. I would love to have been a student in a classroom with these tasks!Amanda Jansen
Professor
In my years of working with teachers in professional development settings, one thing they always ask me is ‘How can we find other great tasks like the ones we did in our session?’ Classroom-Ready Rich Math Tasks, Grades 4–5: Engaging Students in Doing Math is a goldmine for teachers and mathematics educators who want to expand their bank of ‘rich tasks’ with cognitively demanding problems that help students make sense of mathematics while building their sense of agency and identity as a thinker and doer of mathematics.Jennifer Suh
Professor of Mathematics Education
This book empowers teachers by focusing on critical considerations related to doing-math tasks to promote reasoning and sense making. The lesson plan templates provide detailed pathways and insights for teachers, coaches and administrators to leverage purposefully selected tasks to achieve the standards and engage students through effective instruction.Farshad Safi
Assistant Professor, K–12 Mathematics Education
By integrating the latest research with a powerful teacher voice, the authors have written a must-read for every teacher of mathematics who wants their students to have a more motivating and powerful classroom experience. But the authors don’t simply argue that teachers include high-cognitive demand tasks in their teaching—they take the next steps and actually demonstrate how to plan for, implement, and support these tasks so each student can authentically engage in doing mathematics!Matt Larson
Past President
We’ve all wondered, Where can I go to find high quality mathematics tasks? With useful guidance embedded in the 54 detailed task plans, this book successfully and rightfully responds to the complex mix of expectations that teachers encounter in their short- and long-term planning. The authors cleverly weave together so many considerations for instruction. Grab this essential resource and watch your students flourish and shine as mathematical thinkers and doers!Sarah B. Bush
Associate Professor of K–12 STEM Education
Classroom-Ready Rich Math Tasks, Grades 4–5 is a practical, high-quality resource from trusted mathematics leaders. With dozens of classroom-ready rich tasks for thinking and doing math, it helps us understand how to maximize each task with guidance for launching, facilitating, gathering evidence, representing, and making connections during lessons. Most importantly, this tool serves to advance one’s practice by helping one think task selection and implementation. It’s time to do math!John SanGiovanni
Elementary Mathematics Coordinator
This book takes the mystery out of how to implement rich, engaging tasks. It supports teachers with appropriately facilitating productive struggle and formative assessment through strengths spotting, and includes loads of fantastically written tasks. No longer will teachers need to hunt for tasks to utilize in their classrooms or struggle with how to structure environments that promote deep learning.Natalie Crist
Coordinator Elementary Mathematics
This book is more than just a collection of top-notch ready-to-implement tasks—it provides powerful ideas for launching, facilitating, and closing the tasks in ways that will truly benefit your students and support their conceptual understanding of key mathematical ideas. To top it off, the lists of additional resources to further your professional learning are incredibly helpful.Kevin Dykema
Math Teacher
Classroom-Ready Rich Math Tasks sets the stage for engaging students in doing meaningful mathematics, which leads to deep, well-connected mathematics learning. These tasks promote students as active mathematicians. Readers get classroom-tested tasks and formative assessments that help teachers monitor students’ learning, which can lead to better student growth.Jonathan D. Bostic
Associate Professor of Mathematics Education
Merging research and practice, this book details the what, why, and how of mathematics task implementation. Compiling over 50 worthwhile tasks, this valuable book offers practical suggestions for teachers to maximize their facilitation of effective student-centered learning experiences. This book is immediately useful as it integrates online strategies with considerations of equity so every child can access powerful mathematics experiences.Courtney Baker
Center Director, Mathematics Education Center
We know how important mathematics is for student success in life—it truly is a gateway to practically any occupation or personal usage. This book is a phenomenal resource that supplies numerous examples of how to equitably get our students through the gateway.Amber S. Cook
Math Resource Teacher, Office of Mathematics, PreK–12
For far too long, we have searched for great doing-math tasks that aligned with our standards and often found that finding a task alone was not enough. In this book, the authors have given us standards aligned doing-math tasks WITH a vital rationale for the pedagogical actions necessary for their successful implementation. At last, our field has a helpful resource for planning and enacting impactful instruction, building on the important connections between content and process, norms, teaching moves, and the doing-math tasks that fully engage students in meaningful learning.Gabriel Matney
Professor, School of Teaching and Learning
What a wonderful resource for how to successfully use tasks to authentically engage students in mathematical thinking and reasoning! Its concrete suggestions for planning and teaching task-centered lessons, including the question of alignment to standards to create a cohesive program of study, are a tremendous gift to us all. A great choice for a teacher book club or study group!Linda Ruiz Davenport
Boston Collaborative High School
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Related Resources
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- Solving Multistep Word Problems with Whole Numbers [Lessons and Strategies]