Page 152 - IM_FL_Geometry_Print Sample

By engaging with this explicit prompt to take a step back and become familiar with a context and the mathematics that might be involved, students are making sense of problems (MP1).
Instructional Routines
• Notice and wonder
What: This routine can appear as a warm-up or in the launch of a classroom activity. Students are shown some media or a mathematical representation. The prompt to students is “What do you notice? What do you wonder?” Students are given a few minutes to write down things they notice and things they wonder. After students have had a chance to write down their responses, the teacher asks several students to share things they noticed and things they wondered; these are recorded by the teacher for all to see. Usually, the teacher steers the conversation to wondering about something mathematical that the class is about to focus on.
Why: The purpose is to lower the bar for entry into a mathematical task for all students with these two low-stakes questions; by thinking about them and responding, students gain entry into the context and might get their curiosity piqued. Taking steps to become familiar with a context and the mathematics that might be involved is making sense of problems (MP1).
Launch
If desired, demonstrate the process of pouring salt on a triangle yourself. To do so, cut out at least two congruent triangles on card stock and tape them together so they will be sturdy enough to support the weight of the salt. Put a cup on top of a plate. The cup can catch a lot of the salt and also suspend the triangle in the air. The plate will catch the rest of the salt. Pour the salt on slowly and keep pouring after the triangle has reached capacity to show how the salt falls.
Alternatively, show students this video https://vimeo.com/273931735 Display these images for all to see:
Tell students that their job is to think of at least one thing they notice and at least one thing they wonder. Display the image for all to see. Give students 1 minute of quiet think time, and then 1 minute to discuss the things they notice with their partner, followed by a whole-class discussion.
Student Task Statement
Here is a top-down view of a pyramid that forms when we pour salt on a triangle.
Unit 7 Lesson 8: A Special Point 79