Facilitator Notes: Exploring Rigor by Connecting the Standards for Mathematical
Practice to the Content Standards
Guiding question: How do the Standards for Mathematical Practice intersect with the
grade level mathematics content standards?
Snapshot description: Participants explore the standards for mathematical practice and
connect standards for mathematical practice with the content standards.
Goals - participants will:
 Be familiar with the format and terminology of the standards for mathematical
practice.
 Understand how the practice standards bring rigor to the grade level standards.
 Understand the difference and connection between the Standards for
Mathematical Practice and the grade level mathematics content standards.
Time estimate: 1 hour
Audience: Pre-K-8 teachers, coaches, and administrators
Requisite background: General familiarity with the new standards and exposure to the
Overview presentation (available at http://www.doe.mass.edu/candi/commoncore/).
Equipment, resources and tools needed:
 Computer and projector
 PowerPoint presentation
 For each participant:
o 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for Mathematics
Activity
Description, Resources, and Tips
Time (and Your Notes)
Introduction Set up: Participants should be seated in grade level groups.
and
Background Slide 1: Title Slide
Information
Slide 2: Desired Outcomes
10 minutes
Slide 3: Rigor
The new standards support improved curriculum and
instruction due to increased focus, rigor, clarity, and
coherence. This activity focuses on Rigor.
Slides 4-6: Background Information
Note the foundational documents upon which the standards
for mathematical practice are based.
Slide 7: Standards for Mathematical Practice
Give participants a couple of minutes to read through the 8
practice standards on the slide. Point out where the
standards for mathematical practice are located in the 2011
Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics.
Emphasize that the practices are expectations for students,
like the content standards. They do not describe what
teachers should be doing (though they certainly have
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implications for instruction).
The standards for mathematical practice are both a goal and
a vehicle.
 The goal is to move students along a continuum –
always deepening their use of the practices.
 Students use the practices to learn rich content.
Slide 8: Grade Level Overview Page
Explain that the practice standards are provided on the
overview page for each grade level. Also, this is a reminder
that the practice standards are to be used by students in all
grade levels.
Slide 9: Standards for Mathematical Content
The purpose of this slide is to highlight the importance of
“understanding” as the connection between the content and
the practice standards.
Slide 10: Session Overview
Provide participants with an overview of the rest of the
session.
Warm-Up
Slide 11: Warm-up Activity Description
The warm-up activity is designed to develop the
participants’ awareness of the detailed description of a
practice standard and to begin to think about how the
practice standards are related to the grade level content.
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10 minutes
Ask participants to read practice standard #4 carefully
(p. 16 in the 2011 Curriculum Framework) and then
think of two or three examples of how students might
use this practice at their grade level.
Once all participants have recorded their ideas, ask
them to share their thoughts in small groups with other
teachers of the same grade level.
Ask a representative from each small group to share
with the whole group one example from their
discussion.
For the warm-up, you may choose a different Standard for
Mathematical Practice that better suits the audience. For
example, "(4): Modeling with Mathematics" may be
challenging for teachers of students in the lower grades.
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Main
Activity
Slide 12: Connecting Content and Practice Standards
Participants will be given (or may choose) one standard for
mathematical practice on which to focus. If possible, all
eight math practices should be assigned.
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30 minutes
Ask participants to underline important language
(words and phrases) that help to remember the
essence of this practice.
Looking at each content standard for their grade
level, ask participants to identify 3-5 content
standards that would address the one practice you
chose as a focus.
Then ask participants to justify with an example for
each content standard identified.
Note to Facilitator: Be aware that some practice standards
are more narrowly linked to mathematical content than
others, such as "(7) Look for and make use of structure" and
"(8) Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning".
These practice standards should be assigned to teachers
with strong content knowledge. Other practice standards,
such as "(1) Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them" and "(3) Construct viable arguments and
critique the reasoning of others", are more easily applicable
to many different content standards. Keep in mind that the
matches are somewhat objective and are less important
than the justifications and rich discussion.
Slide 13: Small Group Share
Ask each participant to share with their group at least one
example from their work.
Summary
10 minutes
Slide 14: Wrap-up with Whole Group
Facilitate a discussion regarding what participants found
during the main activity. Focus on how the standards for
mathematical practice impact instruction and rigor. Also,
considering that the standards for mathematical practice are
the same at each grade level, how with these standards
impact student learning as they progress through the grades?
Slide 15: Feedback and Information
Possible
Extensions
- Repeat activity until participants have done all practice
standards
- Identify tasks that demonstrate strong connections between
practice and content standards
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