Number Talks for Middle Schoolers

Originally posted March 22, 2021

If I could recommend just one thing for K–12 classrooms, it would be number talks. As a warm-up routine, they take less than 10 minutes — and they pay huge dividends in building number sense, connecting strategies, and honoring flexible thinking.

I finally finished a full set of 90 number talks for middle schoolers — enough for the entire school year if you do the routine every other day. But don’t stop there — share them with your elementary and high school colleagues too. Hopefully these will inspire others to modify or create their own.

The first four slides in the deck include my notes on the routine. I just want to add this:

Each slide (or group of three) is intentional — crafted so that multiple strategies can surface and students can learn from one another. These aren’t just math problems. They’re opportunities to think aloud, compare approaches, and make connections.

My plan is to tweet these out individually, one at a time, and then add people’s responses as follow-up slides. Because student thinking — and your thinking — is where the real magic lives.

And what should you do on the other 90 days of the school year?
You already know. :)