Instructional Practice:
Instructional Routines-Number Talks
“Effective teaching of mathematics builds fluency with procedures on a foundation of conceptual understanding
so that students, over time, become skilled in using procedures flexibly as they solve contextual and
mathematical problems.” p. 42 Principles to Actions
“Number Sense is the most important foundation that students can have and the basis for all higher-level
mathematics…As well as teaching students the math facts that they need to know, Number Talks teach students
to understand the numerical relationships that are so critical to understanding mathematics.” p. viii Jo Boaler
Making Number Talks Matter
Materials:
Primary Dot Card, Intermediate Dot Card, and subtraction problem-for practice in workshop
Subtraction Problems Handout and More Dot Cards resources for teachers in their classroom
Number Talks Where to Start
NT Planning Template
Summary of Guiding Principles for Number Talks
Poster Paper and a variety of colored markers for Number Talk Practice (different color to represent each
different idea)
Reconnect
~5 minutes
Focusing
Learning
~15 Minutes
Practice
~20 minutes
Debrief
~5 minutes
Planning a
Number Talk
~15 minutes
As a group, identify a facilitator/timekeeper and determine how much time you need to
 Share in your group what you know about Number Talks and your experience with them in your
classroom.
Show 3 minute video:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmh8pwL1sLg Ruth Parker and Cathy Humphreys Number
Talks
Share Video on Number Talks
 https://www.youcubed.org/jo-dot-card-number-talk Jo Boaler Dot Card Number Talk
Talk in their groups about the following questions:
• What do DOT CARDS communicate about the culture of the classroom?
• What do DOT CARDS have to do with math?
Why start with DOT CARDS?
• All students only need to describe what they see allowing all of us to see how differently we
can see things.
• Arithmetic problems tend to be emotionally loaded for many students and Number Talks
are used to build a safe culture to explore thinking in a classroom.
Give teachers Number Talks Where to Start handout as a guide to help them practice a Number Talk
Teachers form groups of 4:
 Each group has a dot card and a subtraction problem to practice number talks.
 Poster paper and markers for each group
 What did you learn while practicing the number talks?
 Review with teachers-Summary of Guiding Principles for Number Talks handout
NT Planning Template handout
 Have teachers co-plan a number talk they want to use with their students
Complete a Planning Number Talk form