8 Standards of Mathematical Practice (2024)

Lesson Objectives and Overview: 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice teaches students about the 8 standards of mathematical practice, tried and true methods that can help you succeed in math. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to understand and apply the 8 standards of mathematical practice to their own learning within and outside the class. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the blue box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. The supplies you will need for this lesson include pencils, pens, and highlighters.

Options for Lesson

Included with this lesson is an “Options for Lesson” section that lists a number of suggestions for activities to add to the lesson or substitutions for the ones already in the lesson. It suggests opening the lesson by explaining to your students thata standard is a way to measure if we have performed a task successfully. One optional addition to this lesson is to ask your students to write a paragraph about what coaches or teachers expect students to do. You can also explain to them that nearly every activity has a particular standard expected for students to perform. For a fun, creative activity, you can have your students create a video for each standard, share them with other classes or post it on the school website. Finally, you can also have your students interview their parents or caregivers about which standard they use in their life when it comes to math classes they took or the math they use in their own daily lives.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page includes a paragraph with additional guidelines and things to think about as you begin to plan your lesson. This page also includes lines that you can use to add your own notes as you’re preparing for this lesson.

8 STANDARDS OF MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice: 1-4

The 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice lesson plan includes two content pages which outline each of the eight standards for mathematical practice one-by-one.

The first standard is Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. This means that you should take the time to understanding what a problem is asking before you start trying to solve it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Once you have a plan for solving the problem, stick with it even if it’s tough.

The second standard is Reason abstractly and quantitatively. This means that you should be able to see the relationships between numbers and symbols in equations. You should also be able to use numerical reasoning to figure out solutions.

The third standard is Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. This means that you should be able to explain your solutions to other people and listen to their feedback. It’s important to be able to back up your claims with evidence.

The fourth standard is Model with mathematics. This means that you should be able to use mathematical concepts to represent real-world situations. This will help you understand complex problems and find creative solutions.

Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice: 5-8

The fifth standard is Use appropriate tools strategically. This means that you should know when and how to use calculators, graphing paper, and other tools. Using tools correctly can save you a lot of time and effort in solving problems.

The sixth standard is Attend to precision. This means that you should be careful when working with numbers and symbols. Make sure that your work is clear and concise so that others can understand it easily.

The seventh standard is Look for and make use of structure. This means that you should look for patterns in data sets or solutions processes. Finding structure can help simplify problems and make them easier to solve.

The eighth standard is Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. This means that you should try to find shortcuts or generalizations when working on similar problems. Using regularity can save you time when solving problems and help you see connections between different concepts.

8 STANDARDS OF MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. You can refer to the guide on the classroom procedure page to determine when to hand out each worksheet.

EXAMPLES ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

For the activity worksheet, students will write an example from their own math experience that demonstrates how they have used each of the eight standards.

REWRITE PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet asks students to rewrite each of the eight standards in their own words.

8 STANDARDS OF MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

For the homework assignment, students will write two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, they will write about which standard they like to use the most or find most helpful. In the second paragraph, they will write about which standard they find most challenging.

Worksheet Answer Keys

This lesson plan includes answer keys for the practice worksheet and the homework assignment, though both note that students’ answers will vary. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

Additional information