Description
If you’re tired of nagging kids to start their bell-ringer activity at the beginning of each math class, maybe it’s time for a new warm-up routine! These daily “Do Now” slides are specially designed to spark engagement, discussion, and critical thinking in middle school math classrooms. Best of all, these daily number sense slides are completely paperless - there’s nothing to print or prep!
A Better Kind of Bell-ringer
Start your middle school math classes with a warm-up activity that students will actually enjoy! Unlike traditional skill-based bell-ringer tasks, these highly engaging Daily Number Sense Routine slides promote inclusive, whole-class participation in rich number talks. They emphasize vocabulary while rewarding critical thinking and cognitive flexibility.
Designed to be accessible for students with reading difficulties and gaps in foundational mathematical skills, these “low-floor, high-ceiling” math prompts meet kids where they are: students who struggle with math will find comfortable points of entry; students who are confident in math will be challenged and enriched. This creates a sense of safety in your classroom community that alleviates anxiety while inviting everyone to participate in a positive way.
What’s Included?
This freebie includes the first week of my growing bundle. It’s a sample of the full product.
Within this PDF download, you will receive a link to a Canva slideshow that works in any web browser - no special accounts needed.
The slide show contains five days of highly engaging number talk prompts. Although many of these open-ended prompts lead to multiple correct solutions, a key is provided for each slide to give you an idea of possible reasonable responses.
Your Week at a Glance
This slide deck is designed to be projected at the beginning of class each day. Varied activities throughout the week keep tasks fresh while maintaining a sense of structure and predictability.
MONDAY: Odd One Out
Students review four images and determine which one is unique and does not belong. The catch? There is at least one reasonable argument for each answer choice. Watch your students naturally expand their vocabularies and engage in higher-order thinking skills as they discuss and defend their answers.
TUESDAY: Estimation Challenge
Approximation can be tricky to teach and to learn…but it can also become a highly engaging guessing game. Help students develop an intuition for quantities with this fun number sense activity that everyone will enjoy.
WEDNESDAY: Emoji Equations
Students will have so much fun solving these emoji picture puzzles that they won’t even realize they’re developing algebraic reasoning skills. After giving kids quiet independent thinking time, have them work together in small groups - then listen to the rich discourse fill your classroom!
THURSDAY: Same But Different
Students use comparative reasoning skills and mathematical vocabulary to discuss similarities and differences between two given images. With many possible insights and correct answers, everyone has something to contribute to the conversation.
FRIDAY: Target Practice
This highly engaging number sense game challenges students to use three numbers in a 3x3 grid and any combination of operations to reach a target number. With multiple correct answers to each puzzle, even the fastest finishers can never be sure that they’ve found all the possible solutions!
Why You’ll Love These Number Sense Routines
- Higher levels of engagement lead to fewer behavior problems at the beginning of class!
- Modern, intentional design is appropriate for older kids!
- Accessible for special populations so everyone can participate!
- Rich conversations cultivate a sense of classroom community!
- Paperless format means there’s nothing to print or prep!
- Growing bundle available!
Who Can Use These Slides?
This resource was originally designed for 7th and 8th grade math intervention classes, but it also works beautifully in general education settings. It may even be appropriate for gifted students in younger grades or high school students who are working on foundational concepts and skills.
Thank you!
I can’t wait to hear about your experience with these daily number sense routines! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Daily Number Sense Routine & Math Talk Prompts for Middle School - FREEBIE
Highlights
Description
If you’re tired of nagging kids to start their bell-ringer activity at the beginning of each math class, maybe it’s time for a new warm-up routine! These daily “Do Now” slides are specially designed to spark engagement, discussion, and critical thinking in middle school math classrooms. Best of all, these daily number sense slides are completely paperless - there’s nothing to print or prep!
A Better Kind of Bell-ringer
Start your middle school math classes with a warm-up activity that students will actually enjoy! Unlike traditional skill-based bell-ringer tasks, these highly engaging Daily Number Sense Routine slides promote inclusive, whole-class participation in rich number talks. They emphasize vocabulary while rewarding critical thinking and cognitive flexibility.
Designed to be accessible for students with reading difficulties and gaps in foundational mathematical skills, these “low-floor, high-ceiling” math prompts meet kids where they are: students who struggle with math will find comfortable points of entry; students who are confident in math will be challenged and enriched. This creates a sense of safety in your classroom community that alleviates anxiety while inviting everyone to participate in a positive way.
What’s Included?
This freebie includes the first week of my growing bundle. It’s a sample of the full product.
Within this PDF download, you will receive a link to a Canva slideshow that works in any web browser - no special accounts needed.
The slide show contains five days of highly engaging number talk prompts. Although many of these open-ended prompts lead to multiple correct solutions, a key is provided for each slide to give you an idea of possible reasonable responses.
Your Week at a Glance
This slide deck is designed to be projected at the beginning of class each day. Varied activities throughout the week keep tasks fresh while maintaining a sense of structure and predictability.
MONDAY: Odd One Out
Students review four images and determine which one is unique and does not belong. The catch? There is at least one reasonable argument for each answer choice. Watch your students naturally expand their vocabularies and engage in higher-order thinking skills as they discuss and defend their answers.
TUESDAY: Estimation Challenge
Approximation can be tricky to teach and to learn…but it can also become a highly engaging guessing game. Help students develop an intuition for quantities with this fun number sense activity that everyone will enjoy.
WEDNESDAY: Emoji Equations
Students will have so much fun solving these emoji picture puzzles that they won’t even realize they’re developing algebraic reasoning skills. After giving kids quiet independent thinking time, have them work together in small groups - then listen to the rich discourse fill your classroom!
THURSDAY: Same But Different
Students use comparative reasoning skills and mathematical vocabulary to discuss similarities and differences between two given images. With many possible insights and correct answers, everyone has something to contribute to the conversation.
FRIDAY: Target Practice
This highly engaging number sense game challenges students to use three numbers in a 3x3 grid and any combination of operations to reach a target number. With multiple correct answers to each puzzle, even the fastest finishers can never be sure that they’ve found all the possible solutions!
Why You’ll Love These Number Sense Routines
- Higher levels of engagement lead to fewer behavior problems at the beginning of class!
- Modern, intentional design is appropriate for older kids!
- Accessible for special populations so everyone can participate!
- Rich conversations cultivate a sense of classroom community!
- Paperless format means there’s nothing to print or prep!
- Growing bundle available!
Who Can Use These Slides?
This resource was originally designed for 7th and 8th grade math intervention classes, but it also works beautifully in general education settings. It may even be appropriate for gifted students in younger grades or high school students who are working on foundational concepts and skills.
Thank you!
I can’t wait to hear about your experience with these daily number sense routines! Thanks so much for stopping by!
