Two Options for Classrooms

There is no shortage of demands placed on teachers. When considering math instruction, wouldn’t it be great to have a task that is both effective and sustainable. What I will share in this blog are two examples of a Number of the Day task. The examples shared address elementary, but can be easily adapted for primary or intermediate – the numbers can be increased or decreased, different prompts can be listed, and different operations can be required.

Number of the Day Task 1

I want to share a task that I had the privilege of seeing ‘in action’ in an elementary classroom. This task, Number of the Day, involved students working with a variety of numbers over a period of time. Within the Number of the Day, students have the opportunity to engage with a concept or strategy over days, weeks, or months. Being engaged over a duration of time strengthens student understanding and provides opportunities to revisit a concept or strategy and address any misconceptions.

The Number of the Day task does not have to be time-intensive for teachers. There is no need to recreate the wheel each day. See the picture below for an example of Number of the Day Task 1.

This example highlights how a teacher approached Number of the Day from the perspective of place value. This example was taken from a combined Grade 5/6 classroom.

The teacher would adjust the digit cards daily so that students would work with different numbers. Students would record their responses in their math notebook, or on a whiteboard somedays. This Number of the Day task could occur at the beginning, middle or end of math class.

Number of the Day Task 2

Another example of a Number of the Day task involved fractions. In this example, the teacher provided two numbers (in the review box) and students were required to work with these numbers in relation to fractions, measurement, and division for Grade 5, and fractions, factors, multiples, and measurement for Grade 6. See the picture below for an example of Number of the Day Task 2.

In this example, similar to our first task, students would record their responses in their math notebook, or on a whiteboard somedays. This particular Number of the Day task could occur at the beginning, middle or end of math class.

I would love for readers to post a comment sharing things they would like to see explored in this blog. Another option is to email me at david@costellomath.com

Taken from

Costello, D. (2019). Using What Works: Strategies for Developing a Literacy-Rich Environment in Math.