8 Standards of Mathematical Practices

I have been struggling to find an effective way to refer to and dive deeper into the 8 Mathematical Practice Standards. These Practice Standards make so much sense to me- I see them as the foundation to help my students become effective mathematicians. I also love that they are not bound to a textbook, grade level, or program...they are just plain and simple "good math instruction."

So, the toughie is how to help my students develop these practices and make them their own. I read an article where they discourage thinking of them as a separate skills, Think Math suggests that "the intent is that these essential mathematical habits of mind and action pervade the curriculum and pedagogy of mathematics, K-12, in age appropriate ways."

Sounds amazing! But I need more help. What I decided to do for me was search for practical, intentional ways to make this happen in my classroom. I compiled resources that I found useful to me and wanted to share with you. These resources clicked with me and helped me visualize how I my instruction can complement and emphasize these standards.

I would love feedback and if you found a resource that would benefit me and other teachers feel free to share.

First, I found a  resource that has each standard in kid friendly terms, but still contains the essence of the standard. I put them onto posters so that I can refer to them often. To download all eight click on the title page.

 

Then, I found this amazing blog posts by Michelle Flaming  where she provides concrete examples of each standard. I especially appreciate the open-ended questions she created. I used here examples to put into an easy to use, handy dandy resource (at least I hope it is). 

Here it is! Take a look, by clicking on the cover.

I am working on creating an Interactive Math Notebook for my fourth grade class and want to incorporate a reflection page. This is still a work in progress, but the idea is that students will reflect on which standard they used to problem solve and provide written or visual evidence.