In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 23, 2025.

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education

Want more? Check out the archive of all of our #MathStratChat posts!

Which Problem Strings are appropriate for your students? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss what they consider when choosing a Problem String for a classroom.

Talking Points:

• A fraction addition example string
• Things to consider when choosing a Problem String:
  • Prewritten vs write your own
  • Time of year
  • Strategies students already own
  • Building a model vs building a strategy
  • Order of sophistication of strategies
  • Building a model vs strategy
  • New content versus review/reteach

See episodes 33, 71, 72, 163, 226, 241 for more on Problem Strings!

Check out our social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 16, 2025.

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education

Want more? Check out the archive of all of our #MathStratChat posts!

What kinds of tasks help students build multi-digit multiplication and division strategies? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss how to sequence tasks to develop the foundational strategies and relationships for multi-digit multiplication and division: Scaling, Over and Adjust, Partial Products, Factoring

Talking Points:

• Benefits of using diverse task types
• Sample of three "messy" tasks to develop:
• Ratio tables
• Area model
• 2 different kinds of division
• Relationship between multiplication and division
• Practice ideas

Get your kit from Hand2mind here: https://www.hand2mind.com/item/foundations-for-strategies-multi-digit-multiplication-division-small-group-kit

Check out our social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 9, 2025.

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education

Want more? Check out the archive of all of our #MathStratChat posts!

What kinds of tasks help students build multi-digit addition and subtraction strategies? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss how to sequence tasks to develop the foundational strategies and relationships for multi-digit addition and subtraction: Friendly numbers, place value, adjusting, the commutative property, decomposing

Talking Points:

• Sequencing tasks is more than just moving from one page to the next in the teacher guide
• Sample of three "messy" tasks to:
  • develop number lines
  • make connections between addition and subtraction
  • analyze strategies
  • solidify a strategy

For more sequences, check out the Foundations for Strategies from Hand2mind!: https://www.hand2mind.com/item/foundations-for-strategies-multi-digit-addition-subtraction-small-group-kit

Check out our social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 2, 2025.

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education

Want more? Check out the archive of all of our #MathStratChat posts!

Math class is richer and more fun when the goal is more than answer-getting!

In this episode Pam and Kim discuss how to sequence tasks to develop the foundational strategies and relationships for single digit multiplication and division: doubling, making use of ten, and partial products/quotients.

Talking Points:
Three sample sequence of tasks that use:

• A product approach
• Student exploration of patterns
• Just in time vocabulary
• Differentiation
• Foundations of multiplicative reasoning, area, geometry
• Contexts to develop 3 major models
• Useful fact practice
• Anchoring the learning

For more sequences, check out the Foundations for Strategies from Hand2mind!: https://www.hand2mind.com/item/foundations-for-strategies-multi-digit-addition-subtraction-small-group-kit

Check out our social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC