Number of the Day is a great activity for the beginning of class. It’s a simple and powerful activity. This description is from the Middle Level Mathematics Routine Bank.
- Post chart paper.
- Write the Number of the Day at the top of the chart paper.
- Ask students to think of several models and equations that would represent the Number of the Day.
- Ask students to represent the Number of the Day in at least four different ways.
For example, if the word of the day is 12, students might write one of the following:
6 + 6 = 12
12 = 22 – 10
3 x 4 = 12
5 + 5 + 2 = 12
12 = 10 + 10 – 8
100 – 80 – 8 =12
(2 + 2) x 3 = 12
36 ÷ 3 = 12
Here are some examples from adult education math classrooms:
When students are familiar with the structure of Number of the Day, connect it to the number work they are doing in particular units. As you develop different number concepts in class, you can encourage your students to incorporate these concepts into the different ways they develop the number. Add constraints to practice and reinforce different concepts.
For example:
- Doubles plus one
- Ask students to construct number lines containing the number.
- Using “real world” examples (e.g., dozen, week, minutes)
- Showing the number in different arrays
- Include square numbers/square roots
- Use both addition and subtraction
- Use parentheses
- Use exponents
- etc.
Here are some examples of what you might see from adult education math classrooms:
What do you notice? What do you wonder?
How might this be helpful to your students? How might this be helpful to you?
The following example is from a guide for running a numeracy fair by Patricia Helmuth.
