Supporting Students and Teachers Moving toward Common Core State Standards!

The move to Common Core State Math Standards represents two significant transitions for teachers and students. First, the new standards identify rigorous mathematics content that often exceeds previous expectations. Second, the vision for the Common Core encompasses a series of Mathematical Practices that include skills, processes, and attitudes that can only be developed through extensive experience with skillfully facilitated problem solving and effective discourse. This collection of problem-solving tasks target the new content and embody the new practices in order to facilitate these transitions.

These 9 tasks will help you to infuse existing curriculum with both the content and the practices of the Common Core and support problem-based teaching and learning. Each task takes only 20 to 30 minutes for students to complete with another 10 to 20 minute debrief to enhance reasoning and communication, and to crystallize understanding.

For the teacher:
•  background information and implementation suggestions
•  links to relevant resources, content, and research
•  a series of suggested questions to encourage problem solving, reflection, and discourse, guiding rather than leading students

For the students:
•  a meaningful context that may transcend traditional school subjects
•  opportunity to collaborate and to grapple with real problem solving