Balanced Math Framework K-8
Balanced Math Program: Ten Day Plan
Day Five
Day One-Day Four
Math Review (10 minutes)
Skill review:
 Share 5 problems² a day with students (one problem per standard)
 Students solve problems in their notebooks or math journals.
 Five minutes of work time and five minutes to correct.
 Correct together and have students share the various ways they solved the problem.
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Mental Math (5 minutes)
Works to develop students’ mental mathematical abilities:
 Read a number problem aloud for students (should be developmentally appropriate).
 Students solve mentally.
 Students should give the correct answer (or show on a white board) for a quick check.
Concept Lesson (30-40 minutes following the MNPS Curriculum Guide)
Helps students develop a clear conceptual understanding of mathematics:
 Problem-based interactive learning should be the foundation in teaching for
understanding.
 Provide the focus of the lesson by sharing the purpose of the lesson.
 Use multiple methods and strategies.
 Incorporate concrete models that support the understanding of mathematical
concepts.
 Provide a variety of instructional opportunities from whole class to partners and small
group activities.
 Make connections to aid students in the application of the mathematical knowledge.
 Provide opportunities for students to discover concepts using hands-on or problem –
based learning activities.
Closure (5-10 minutes)
Provides a way to check student understanding:
 Provide time for students to share prior knowledge, reflect on new learning, and make
connections.
 Students articulate their thinking (this can be done verbally or in writing, including
pictures and words).
 Use formative assessment as a post-assessment or performance task to check for
understanding.
Math Facts Practice (10-15 minutes) (or Math Review Quiz)
Build math fact automaticity:
 Have students work at their independent level practicing math facts.
Small group, centers, assessments or problem-based activities (40-50 minutes)
Allows for students to be given time to receive additional instruction, remediation or
enrichment opportunities:
 Place students in differentiated instruction groups (based on assessment information
gathered throughout the week).
 Students in need of remediation should be grouped together and receive direct,
explicit instruction from teacher.
Helps students learn how to mathematically communicate how to solve authentic complex
Day Ten
Day Six- Day Nine
Balanced Math Framework K-8
problems:
 Provide developmentally appropriate activities.
 Make intentional connections to the concepts being taught.
 Make sure the students understand the expectations of the activity.
 Emphasize how the problem was solved, what strategies were used, and how the
answer will be shared.
Mental Math (10 minutes)
See Days 1-4
Math Review (5 minutes)
See Days 1-4
Concept Lesson (30-40 minutes based on MNPS Curriculum Guide)
See Days 1-4
Closure (5-10 minutes)
See Days 1-4
Assessment (Math Review, Fact Fluency , Skills and/or Concepts)
Provides a consistent opportunity to check on student progress:
 Assess students using problems from the Math Review.
 May wish to assess basic fact fluency.
 Benchmark Assessments
 Provide time to correct the assessment on the math review as a whole class.
 Note students that may need to be re-taught.
 Assess students on concepts taught. (Allow use of calculators on problem solving
activities not to compute simple math-fact answers. Use calculator as a tool to assist
students while solving multi-step problems or for multiple representations).
 Provide work time.
Instructional Suggestions for Math Review and Mental Math:
Flexible Grouping: Use the data from the Math Review to create small student “flex groups” to receive
additional assistance from the teacher.
Peer Assistance: Match students that show success on the math reviews with struggling students.
These students work together to complete the problems. Make appropriate manipulatives available to
assist struggling students to understand the concepts and skills.
Bonus Problem²: Provide students who show proficiency on the concepts and skills with a bonus
problem that involves a deeper understanding of the mathematics. Teachers may want to include a
sixth problem on the Math Review as a daily bonus problem. The bonus problem can help engage
students that finish early or are ready for more advanced concepts or skills.
English Language Learners: Provide students with peer assistance, and emphasize vocabulary
development during the processing of the Math Review problems. Post key terms on the Math Word
Wall.
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Balanced Math Framework K-8
Mental Math Themes:
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One more/one less; 100 more/100 less; 1000 more/1000 less
Counting by a given number
Doubles
Number facts
Math vocabulary
Measurement concepts (time, money, calendar, inches, feet, etc)
Tips for Math Fact Fluency:
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Help students find out which facts they know and which facts they do not know. Students that
become frustrated think that they do not know any facts.
Emphasize patterns and help students see that math facts are interconnected.
Have students share their strategies they use to find the answer to an unknown fact.
Involve students in daily Mental Math activities to help them develop number sense.
Provide frequent opportunities for success.
Offer alternate methods of assessing math facts proficiency (using flash cards, oral response,
white boards, etc.)
Instructional Suggestions for Conceptual Understanding:
RELATING: learning in the context of life experience
EXPERIENCING: learning in the context of exploration, discovery, and invention
APPLYING: learning by putting the concepts to use
COOPERATING: learning in the context of sharing, responding, and communicating with other learners
TRANSFERRING: learning in the context of existing knowledge, or transferring, uses and builds upon
what the student already knows
Students are:
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Actively engaged in mathematics
Explaining their thinking
Justifying their work
Using multiple representations
Making connections
Choosing appropriate technology
Students should frequently work on rigorous tasks, talk about math, explain their thinking, justify their
answer or process to get the answer, build models with graphs or charts or manipulatives, and use
technology. Student should work together in groups on a task, they need to talk about the standard and
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Balanced Math Framework K-8
use the vocabulary associated with the standard and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding
of the standard.
Problem-Based Interactive Learning
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Phase One: Solving and Discussing a Problem
o Teacher poses the problem
o Students work together; teacher facilitates
o Students share their thinking and work
Phase 2: Making the Important Math Explicit
o Teacher-Directed Instruction
o Classroom Conversation
Problem Solving Strategies:
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Guess and Check
Act it out
Work backwards
Draw a picture
Make a table, chart, or graph
Make a list
Write a number sentence
Use logical reasoning
Find a pattern
Solve problems using pictures, numbers and words. Write a number sentence to show how the problem
was solved. Write the answer in a complete sentence after solving the problem. Check for
reasonableness.
Problem Solving Tips:
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Select problems that directly match current classroom instructions.
Begin the process with easier problems so students experience success and develop a positive
attitude.
Select problems that students can solve in a variety of ways.
Select problems appropriate to students’ instructional level and that can be extended or
enriched for more able students.
Teach and apply problem solving strategies to a variety of classroom applications and situations.
Provide vocabulary instruction and related support for all students.
Post key mathematical vocabulary on the Math Word Wall.
Encourage the use of manipulatives and multiple representations.
Encourage dialogue in sense-making and think alouds.
Six Steps to Effective Vocabulary Instruction:
1. The teacher provides a description, explanation, or example of the new term.
2. Students restate the explanation of the new term in their own words.
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Balanced Math Framework K-8
3.
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Students create a nonlinguistic representation of the term.
Students periodically do activities that help them add to their knowledge of vocabulary terms.
Periodically students are asked to discuss the terms with one another.
Periodically students are involved in games that allow them to play with the terms.
Classroom Instruction that Works by Robert Marzano
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Identifying Similarities and Differences: Help students develop skills in comparing, classifying,
creating metaphors, and creating analogies. Example: Classification of even and odd numbers,
numbers that make 20 or a metaphor that the seasons are like a circle.
Summarizing and Notetaking: Help students develop skill by teaching the following: a definition
frame, problem solution frame, reciprocal teaching, webbing, and various note taking strategies.
Example: Using a definition frame to develop math vocabulary or using webbing to share
number connections, such as: fractions, decimal, and percent
Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition: Help students with motivation and attention by
following suggestions from the guidelines for effective praise. Example: Provide explicit praise
for student work with a particular skill such as: problem solving strategies.
Homework and Practice: Help students make goals and monitor their progress by gathering
data about their achievement. Set aside time for focused practice for skills they are lacking.
Example: Have students graph progress and set goals
Non-linguistic Representation: Incorporate the use of graphic organizers to scaffold learning for
students. Make use of manipulatives. Help students generate mental pictures to clarify
understanding. Have students draw pictures or create pictographs to help build concepts.
Engage students in kinesics activities to build understanding. Example: Having students use their
body to share conceptual understanding (arms in a V to show various angles)
Cooperative Learning: Cooperative learning has five defining elements: positive
interdependence, face to face encouraging interaction, individual and group accountability,
interpersonal and small group skills, and group processing. Example: Make special groups to
accommodate and facilitate learning (mixed abilities).
Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback: The instructional goal should be narrowed and
explicitly shared with students. Feedback should be frequent, corrective in nature, timely, and
students should be taught how to monitor and use their own feedback to make improvements.
Example: Post unit objectives or essential questions and refer to throughout the lesson. Help
students develop goals or build contracts to guide progress
Generating and Testing Hypothesis: Students should be able to come up with many ways to
solve and test their solutions. This encourages students to use multiple ways to solve problems,
but requires them to be able to justify answers. Example: Provide instruction on various
problem solving strategies and then allow students to self select, but make sure they justify
their thinking.
Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers: Cues: Help teachers discover what students already
know, Questions: help share what students know and what they have learned, and organizers
help student develop and refine their thinking. Example: Begin each new math unit with an
essential question and have students share what they know. Have students’ complete formative
assessments before the unit and find out what skills they are lacking or what they have
mastered. Use a graphic advanced organizer to set the stage and let students know what they
will be learning in an upcoming unit.
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Balanced Math Framework K-8
Implementing Math Centers/Stations:
There are many types of stations you can set up in your room. You can set up your Math
Centers/Stations so that students rotate through them as a group or allow them free choice about which
stations to use. Or you can set them up as "choice" stations but assign your students particular stations
that they need to complete each week before having a choice. Centers/Stations are areas in the
classroom where students refine a skill or extend a concept. They are also different places in the
classroom where students work on tasks simultaneously, and whose activities are linked. Adding math
stations to your instructional program can be an effective way of meeting diverse needs and finding the
time to work with small groups of students on targeted skills.
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Math Centers/Stations is a strategy for differentiating instruction.
Students need to visit stations that will move them towards mathematical proficiency.
Use an anchor activity center to manage students who finish early, get stuck, or don’t need to visit
any of the stations that day.
Build time in for you to circulate.
Spend time modeling the expectations you have for how students should behave and the types of
tasks they will encounter at each station.
Collaborate with your colleagues to develop tasks for review, practice, enrichment, and
acceleration.
Think big, start small.
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