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Mathematical Argumentation in Middle School-The What, Why, and How
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Mathematical Argumentation in Middle School-The What, Why, and How
A Step-by-Step Guide With Activities, Games, and Lesson Planning Tools



September 2017 | 192 pages | Corwin

Get them talking: Your formula for bringing math concepts to life!

Want your middle schoolers to intelligently engage with mathematical ideas? Ready to help them construct and critique viable arguments that meet tough Standards for Mathematical Practice 3 standards? Look no further. This research-based gem will help you foster the critical reasoning and argumentation skills every student needs for intelligent discourse within our modern society. Learn how to bring mathematical argumentation alive in your classroom—all within a thoroughly explained four-part model that covers generating cases, conjecturing, justifying, and concluding. 

Filled with content-focused and classroom-ready games, activities, vignettes, sample tasks, and links to online tools and a rich companion website, this innovative guide will help you 

  • Immediately engage students in fun, classroom-ready argumentation activities
  • Plan lessons that foster lively, content-driven, viable argumentation
  • Help students explore mathematical ideas and take ownership of their learning
  • Facilitate deep mathematical understanding
  • Promote students’ precise use of mathematical language to construct, justify, and critique mathematical ideas and mathematical statements or the arguments of others.
  • Encourage logical, clear connections between abstract ideas for enhanced 21st century skills 

This guide delivers all the tools you need to get serious about mathematical argumentation and bring well-planned, well-constructed mathematical discourse to life in your classroom today!


 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Chapter 1. Mathematical Argumentation: Why and What
Argumentation Is Important!

 
What Argumentation Is—and Is Not

 
A Four-Part Model of Argumentation

 
About Truth

 
Teaching as Disciplined Improvisation

 
Improvisation for Argumentation and Norm Setting

 
Sharing Mathematical Authority

 
Getting Started With Argumentation

 
Argumentation Lessons Versus Argumentation in Lessons

 
Working Together

 
 
Chapter 2. Generating Cases
What Does It Mean to Generate Cases?

 
An Activity Rich in Argumentation and Content

 
Vignette: Small Groups Generate Cases

 
Teaching Moves

 
Establishing Norms

 
Planning

 
Tasks

 
Working Together

 
 
Chapter 3. Conjecturing
What Does It Mean to Conjecture?

 
Vignette: Conjecturing Together

 
Teaching Moves

 
Establishing Norms

 
Planning

 
Tasks

 
Working Together

 
 
Chapter 4. Justifying
What Does It Mean to Justify?

 
Vignette: Justifying Multiple Conjectures

 
Teaching Moves for Eliciting Justifications

 
Vignette: Critiquing and Connecting Arguments

 
Teaching Moves for Critiquing and Connecting Arguments

 
Establishing Norms

 
Planning

 
Tasks

 
Working Together

 
 
Chapter 5. Representations in Justifications
What Are Representations?

 
Vignette: Visual Representations Foster Participation

 
Vignette: Gestures Enable a Unique Contribution

 
Teaching Moves

 
Using Dynamic Digital Tools

 
Establishing Norms

 
Planning

 
Tasks

 
Working Together

 
 
Chapter 6. Levels of Justification
Four Levels of Justification

 
Level 0: No Justification

 
Level 1: Case-Based Justifications

 
Level 2: Partially Generalized Justifications Based on Cases

 
Level 3: Fully Generalized Justifications

 
A Rubric for Levels

 
Teaching Moves for Transitions Between Levels

 
Working Together

 
 
Chapter 7. Concluding
What Does It Mean to Conclude?

 
Vignettes: Concluding

 
Teaching Moves

 
Establishing Norms

 
Planning

 
Tasks

 
Working Together

 
 
Chapter 8. Planning
How Can You Plan for Students’ Argumentation?

 
Written Lesson Plans

 
Visualizing a Lesson

 
Vignette: Visualizing Justification

 
Digital Tools

 
Updating and Sharing Lesson Plans

 
Advice on Planning

 
Working Together

 
 
Glossary
 
References
 
Index

If you share my belief that “construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others” are perhaps the nine most important words in the Common Core era, then Mathematical Argumentation in Middle School is just what you need. This powerful and practical book takes us through an accessible process of generating cases, making conjectures, and justifying that fully supports bringing SMP #3 to life in our classrooms.

Steve Leinwand
American Institutes for Research

This great resource gives teachers tools to implement the four cycles of mathematical argumentation and help students develop a “variety of expertise,” as described in the Standards of Mathematical Practice. As students cycle through the phases, they are guided in building “mathematical authority” as independent thinkers and creators of mathematical ideas. I recommend this book to any teacher who wants to amp up the math discussion in their classroom.

Annette Hilts
Vallejo City Unified School District

Now more than ever, we need to provide all children with opportunities to learn to think critically and participate in thoughtful, productive debate in today’s society. This book translates the mathematical practice of argumentation into a four-stage process that can be applied across a wide range of mathematical content. This process utilizes an innovative, research-based approach based on improv games that opens access for all students to participate in the process of mathematical argumentation. Finally, there is a practical guide for making argumentation an everyday practice in mathematics classrooms!

Kristen Bieda
Michigan State University

Sample Materials & Chapters

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1


For instructors

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