Amelia Hicks Moya, 3 rd Grade
Teacher
Lake Travis Elementary, Lake Travis ISD and Vice President, Elementary, Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Integrating process TEKS into any lesson using question stems and extension activities

Successfully teaching process skills for STAAR is really hard.

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Identify the mathematics in everyday situations.
Solve problems that incorporate understanding the problem, making a plan, carrying out the plan, and evaluating the solution for reasonableness.
Select or develop an appropriate problem-solving plan or strategy, including drawing a picture, looking for a pattern, systematic guessing and checking, acting it out, making a table, working a simpler problem, or working backwards to solve a problem.
Use tools such as real objects, manipulatives, & technology to solve problems.
Explain and record observations using objects, words, pictures, numbers, and technology.
Relate informal language to mathematical language and symbols.
Make generalizations from patterns or sets of examples and non- examples.
Justify why an answer is reasonable and explain the solution process.

How does the state clarify student expectations?
How have process skills been assessed?

Apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday situations,society, and the workplace.
(formally 3.14 a, 4.14a, 5.14a, 6.11a, 7.13a, and 8.13a)

Use a problem-solving model that incorporates analyzing given information, formulating a plan or strategy, determining a solution, justifying the solution, and evaluating the problem-solving process and the reasonableness of the solution.
(formally 3.14bc, 4.14bc, 5.14bc, 6.11bc, 7.13bc, 8.13bc)
These problems usually have a given context or criteria that answer choices must be judged against as reasonable. For most of these solutions, the student tests answer choices against the given criteria.
Only in the upper grades (6-9), do students apply the criteria to solve for the answer in past released questions.

Select tools, including real objects, manipulatives, paper and pencil, and technology as appropriate, and techniques , including mental math, estimation, and number sense as appropriate, to solve problems.
(formally 3.14d, 4.14d, 5.14d, 6.11d, 7.13d, 8.13d)
3 rd grade questions were tied to measurement tools.
No questions in 4 th or 5 th cited this process skill.
In the upper grades (6-8), nearly every question had a model that was interpreted before determining best answer choice.
These included area, perimeter, circumference, coordinate graphs, and slope.

Communicate mathematical ideas, reasoning, and their implications using multiple representations, including symbols, diagrams, graphs, and language as appropriate.
(formerly 3.15a, 4.15a, 5.15a, 6.12a, 7.14a, 8.14a)
The TEKS has not been assessed in 3 rd or 4 th .
In 5 th grade, students are given a scenario and asked to determine which statement is true.
In upper grades (6-8), the student is determining which formula is used to create a given model.

Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas.
(formerly 3.15b, 4.15b, 5.15b, 6.12b, 7.14b, 8.14b)
In the grades 3-5, students are given a problem and asked to determine which formula (in words or numbers) would be used to solve it.
In grades 6-8, this TEKS was not assessed.

Analyze mathematical relationships to connect and communicate mathematical ideas.
(formerly 3.16a, 4.16a, 5.16a, 6.13a, 7.15a, and 8.15a)
In grades 3-6, these questions often involve extending a pattern, naming a pattern, or finding an example given example and non-example sets. Answers are often sentences that are found to be true or false given the pattern modeled.
In grades 7-8, the old TEKS was not assessed.

Display, explain, and justify mathematical ideas and arguments using precise mathematical language in written and oral communiction.
(formerly 3.16b, 4.16b, 5.16b, 6.13b, 7.15b, and 8.15b)
In grades 3-5, the old TEKS was never tested.
In grades 6-8, student answer choices were accompanied by a reason for that solution. The reasoning could be a formula used to solve or a sentence explaining why the answer was most reasonable.
Occasionally students were asked to determine which statement was true.

So what will you choose…
Keep on resenting it
OR
Embrace the opportunity!

In kindergarten through Grade 8, students need to…
 Encounter real world problems
 Analyze information
 Justify and prove answers in sentences
 Communicate solutions in multiple representations
 TALK MATH!

SENTENCE STEM IDEAS FOR KINDERGARTEN
A. What are things that come in (quantity)?
B. How can we show (quantity) using things in our classroom?
How are we sure that these equal (quantity)?
Do you see other number groups in (quantity)?
Can (quantity) made by putting other number groups together?
C. What can we find in the room that comes in (quantity)?
Let’s put these numbers in order from least to greatest.
Which number is closest to one? Which is closest to ten?
D. Activities that involve matching groups of objects to digits to picture models, etc.
E. Activities that involve writing numbers and mathematical ideas being modeled such as finger paint dots next to a written quantity.
F. What makes four different from three?
What makes four different from seven? Etc.
G. How do I know that this groups of objects aren’t the same as…

SENTENCE STEM IDEAS FOR 1 st and 2 nd GRADE
A. What are things that come in (quantity)?
Can you think of a time when you combined things? Tell me. Show me.
Can you think of a time when you compared what you had to what a friend has? Tell me. Show me.
Have you ever had to share something fairly with your brother or sister?
Tell me. Show me.
B.
C.
(provide any word problem)
What are we trying to find out in this problem?
What numbers do we know in the problem?
What do the numbers mean? What do they look like?
How do we use these numbers to solve our problem?
What are some other ways we could show our solution?
Which of these numbers is closest to one? Which is closest to twenty?
To fifty? How do we know?
Activities where the student estimates before counting, adding, or subtracting.
Activities where the student self-selects objects or drawings to represent solutions, then pair-shares to compare strategy with peer.

SENTENCE STEM IDEAS FOR 1 st and 2 nd GRADE
D. Activities that involve matching groups of objects to digits to picture models, etc. Activities where students match data to graphs or pictorial representations.
E.
F.
G.
Table lessons where student matches invented solution to a solution sentence, including related facts other than the traditional solution to provoke discussions.
EXAMPLE: Josue has fourteen bottle caps and Maria has twenty bottle caps. How many more bottle caps does Maria have than Josue?
Traditional solution (do not give as answer option): 20 – 14 = 6
Possible answer options given: 20 – 6 = 14, 6 + 14 = 20, 14 + 6 = 20
What makes twenty-two different from twenty -three?
What makes fourteen different from seventeen? Etc.
Activities such as daily number to brainstorm related facts and multistep problems.
How do I know that this groups of objects aren’t the same as …
Math journal – representing word problems in multiple ways such as solution sentence, picture, number line, base ten blocks, etc.

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A model using a basic perimeter worksheet.

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Suggested Guidelines:
1. Only layer one or two additional tasks to any lesson.
2. Consider using some extensions as a center or partner task. Others are best suited for small group work. You are the expert on what is best for your students.
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Follow assignments with questions and extension projects to incorporate more process skills.

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When students finish work, they get an card and read complete the task before going to stations.
Then, once all are done or at the start of next day, use cards to play quiz-quiz-trade to determine which statements are truths and which are lies.
Also makes a great exit card!

Access Code 86QQC-BRKV5

Lake Travis Independent School District email: hicksa@ltisdschools.org
campus phone: 512.533.6300
Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Vice President, Elementary www.tctmonline.org