Every day, the work follows the same pattern:
- As you call out the first instruction, students will write the number at the board. For example, "Write a three-digit number with 5 in the ones place.
" There will be a variety of correct answers.
- Quickly look around and make sure that every response is correct, helping individuals as necessary.
- Ask one of the students to read the number written by the student on their right; make sure it is loud enough for everyone to hear.
- Ask the next student to read the number written by the student on their right, and so on until every number has been read.
- Notice, comment on or ask about any patterns you see. For example, which number is largest? Smallest? What is the largest possible correct answer?
Smallest possible? When many students write the same number, is it because they don’t have many choices of correct answers? (For example, write the largest
possible three-digit number.)
- Go on to the next instruction, and the next.
- Finally, thank students for their participation and their excellent work, and invite them to sit down.
Day 1
- Rule out the use of 0 as a first digit in today’s work.
- Write a one-digit number that is bigger than 5. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right.
Ask: Who wrote the smallest number? Who wrote the largest number? And so on as suggested above.
- Write a one-digit number smaller than 7. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right. Questions as above.
- Write a two-digit number with 7 in the tens place. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right. Questions as above.
- Write a two-digit number that comes between 17 and 25. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right. Questions as above.
- Write a two-digit number with a 0 in it. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right.
- Write a three-digit number with 9 in the hundreds place. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right.
- Write a three-digit number that comes between 127 and 130. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right.
- Write a three-digit number with a 0 in it. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right.
- Write a three-digit number with two zeros in it. Ask each student to read the number written by the student on the right.
- Ask students to sit down.