Mindset Mathematics: Visualizing and Investigating Big Ideas, Grade 2: (Mindset Mathematics)

Engage students in mathematics using growth mindset techniques The most challenging parts of teaching mathematics are engaging students and helping them understand the connections between mathematics concepts. In this volume, you'll find a collection of low-floor, high-ceiling tasks that will help you do just that, by looking at the big ideas in second grade through visualization, play, and investigation. During their work with tens of thousands of teachers, authors Jo Boaler, Jen Munson, and Cathy Williams heard the same message―that they want to incorporate more brain science into their math instruction, but they need guidance in the techniques that work best to get across the concepts they needed to teach. So, the authors designed Mindset Mathematics around the principle of active student inquiry, with tasks that reflect the latest brain science on learning. Open, creative, and visual math tasks have been shown to support student learning, and more importantly change their relationship with mathematics and start believing in their own potential. The tasks in Mindset Mathematics reflect the lessons from brain science that: There is no such thing as a math person and anyone can learn mathematics to high levels. Mistakes, struggle, and challenge are opportunities for brain growth. Speed is unimportant, and even counterproductive, in mathematics. Mathematics is a visual and beautiful subject, and our brains want to think visually about mathematics. With engaging questions, open-ended tasks, and four-color visuals that will help kids get excited about mathematics, Mindset Mathematics is organized around nine big ideas which emphasize the connections within the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and can be used with any current curriculum.    

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1 Low-Floor, High-Ceiling Tasks 2 Youcubed Summer Camp 3 Memorization versus Conceptual Engagement 4 Mathematical Thinking, Reasoning, and Convincing 5 Big Ideas 9 Structure of the Book 9 Note on Materials 17 Manipulatives and Materials Used in This Book 18 Activities for Building Norms 21 Encouraging Good Group Work 21 How Many Do You See? Learning to Reason, Convince, and Pose Questions 23 ◼ Big Idea 1: Partitioning Shapes into Equal Parts 31 Visualize: Equal or Same? 33 Play: Four Fourths 39 Investigate: Rows and Columns 44 ◼ Big Idea 2: Making and Using Equal Groups 53 Visualize: The Groups Inside 55 Play: Skipping down the Hall 61 Investigate: Array Museum 67 ◼ Big Idea 3: What Is 100? 73 Visualize: The Many Ways to See 100 75 Play: Scoop and Count 82 Investigate: Making a Dollar, Revisited 86 ◼ Big Idea 4: Composing and Decomposing Numbers 91 Visualize: Array Talks 93 Play: Which Is More? 103 Investigate: Coin Grab 114 ◼ Big Idea 5: Using Patterns in Place Value 119 Visualize: What’s in Your 12? 121 Play: Reach for It! 126 Investigate: Window Mysteries 136 ◼ Big Idea 6: Thinking on the Number Line 145 Visualize: Long Lives 148 Play: Life- Span Puzzles 157 Investigate: Living on the Number Line 166 ◼ Big Idea 7: Rulers and Clocks Are Number Lines 173 Visualize: Noticing the Ruler and Clock 175 Play: Walking the Clock 181 Investigate: A Sea of Sharks 187 ◼ Big Idea 8: Using Units to Estimate 205 Visualize: Foot by Foot 207 Play: Length Scavenger Hunt 216 Investigate: School- Day Walkabout 222 ◼ Big Idea 9: Using Data to Visualize and Wonder about Our World 229 Visualize: Fruit around the World 231 Play: Eat Your Roots 238 Investigate: Dear Data 243 Appendix 253 Grid Paper 254 About the Authors 255 Acknowledgments 257 Index 259