Got Tasks? Part 2

Hopefully you had a chance to read my 1st post on Got Tasks.  I featured two resources that would be helpful in gathering great tasks to use in your classroom.  This is part 2 of a 3 part post.

How do you know when something is a good math task?  Posing well developed math tasks to your students involves:

• ensuring that the task is directed to the essential math content and is aligned to the standards.
• the task revolves around interesting problems with multiple solutions.
• the task provides multiple opportunities for rich math discourse.
• the task builds upon student understanding
• the task provides opportunities for students to choose a variety of tools to solve them.

By now you are probably asking yourself, where can I find tasks that would fit the characteristics named above.  Well, I have several resources that may help you.  Check out the resources below for a brief description.

1) Georgia Department of Education

This website provides unit tasks for grades Kindergarten - 5th.  Once you click on the link, select your grade level.  Great things about this resource include:

• There are unit frameworks with at least 10 tasks or activities per unit.
• Within each unit, you will find an overview, strategies for teaching, tasks that include suggestions for differentiation.
• The task are easy to follow and have clear directions for implementation.

Check out a sample 4th Grade task for the Adding & Subtracting Fraction Unit.

2) Math Wire

The website showcases standards-based math activities.  The link will allow you to select a math domain. Once you select the domain you will find:

• Links to games and activities to support the particular math cluster.
• Problem solving activities to support the cluster
• Free Downloadable files with activities, games and some intervention activities.

Below are different hundreds chart activities offered on the website.

All of the tasks above are FREE of charge.  Take a look at them when you get a chance.

Check out Got Tasks? Part 1 by clicking on the link below:

Greg.