This month, we have seen Magma Monday problems used across grade levels in a variety of ways. One thing that has stood out is how differently students chose to get started, even when working on the same problem.
Below are a few snapshots of student thinking that highlight what noticing and sense making looked like in classrooms.
What we are seeing in classrooms
In several classes, students began by trying something that did not quite work and then revising their approach. In the example below, the student tested multiple values before landing on a number that satisfied all of the conditions. The crossed out work shows that checking and adjusting was part of the process, not a mistake to erase.
In other classrooms, students chose to organize information visually or numerically before solving. In the tile pattern problem, some students recreated earlier patterns or tracked how the pattern grew instead of jumping directly to Pattern 6. This helped them decide what stayed the same and what changed.
We also saw students pause to notice hidden constraints. In the three number problem, one student recognized that the smallest number had to be even before continuing. That single observation narrowed the possibilities and guided the rest of the solution.
Instructional moves that support this type of thinking:
Giving students quiet time to think before asking for answers.
Recording shared noticings without evaluating them.
Asking students how they decided where to start instead of how they solved it.
Leaving incorrect or incomplete ideas visible so they could be revised.
These moves shifted the focus from getting to an answer quickly to making sense of the situation.
A reminder as January wraps up
For January, success does not mean every student finished every problem. Success looks like students slowing down, making decisions about how to begin, and revisiting their thinking when needed.
If you have student work or classroom moments you would like to share, you can reply directly to this email. We love seeing how these problems come to life in real classrooms.
Next month, we will build on this foundation by focusing on how students represent and show their thinking in different ways.