This number talk can be facilitated using a chalk/whiteboard or using the visual number talk prompts provided below.
If facilitating without the visuals, use a metre stick to draw a line on the board. Label the line 0 to 100. Ask students to plot each of the following data points on the line using their spatial reasoning skills, presenting them one at a time and giving students enough think time before moving on to the next data point.
Encourage students to talk to their neighbours and compare before they describe where you should plot your data point up on the board. This not only helps students solidify their own understanding of magnitude of number and spatial relationships, but also allows them to build their adaptive reasoning skills as they explain their thinking out loud.
If facilitating with the visual number talk prompt videos, you will want to ensure that you pause for each data point and encourage students to tell you where to place your finger on the line prior to revealing where the data point goes by continuing the video.
If you are facilitating this number talk without the use of the visual prompt video, then you will prompt students to:
Draw a number line from 0 to 100.
Then, one after the other, prompt them to plot each of the following on the number line:
50
25
10
5
15
60
75
90
95
If you are intending to use the set of visual number talk prompts, then begin playing this video and be prepared to pause where prompted throughout:
Throughout this set of visual number talk prompts, students will be invited to partition the number line into halves, fourths, fifths and other fractional amounts.
As students continue to plot data points on the number line, they will have the opportunity to partition the entire number line as well as smaller segments of the number line.
Throughout this set of visual number talk prompts, students are able to leverage their spatial sense in order to strengthen their understanding of the magnitude of number as well as their fractional reasoning skills.
If you are facilitating this number talk without the use of the visual prompt video, then you will prompt students to:
Draw another number line from 0 to 100.
Plot the following values.
Then, one after the other, prompt them to plot each of the following on the number line:
20
10
30
60
55
80
85
65
70
Again this set of visual number talk prompts will invite students to have another opportunity to partition the number line in various ways.
Observe how different students decide to locate where 20 should be plotted on the number line. For some students, they may choose to partition the entire number line into fifths; suggesting that they understand that 20 is one-fifth of 100. For other students, they might partition the line into half, then partitioning the first half into fifths to reveal units of 10.
As students continue to plot more numbers on the number line, monitor how they are choosing to partition and reason through the string.
Based on how students partition their number line, where might you go next? Should you create your own string to continue this work further on the next day or when you spiral back later? Make notes of where students are strong and where some students might be struggling.
Download the videos, images, and related media files to your computer to avoid streaming.
Download in Apple Keynote format to avoid streaming video and run the lesson smoothly.
Download in Microsoft PowerPoint format to avoid streaming video and run the lesson smoothly.
