3rd Edition

Open Up Resources 6-8 Mathematics

Publisher
Open Up Resources
Subject
Math
Grades
6-8
Report Release
07/17/2024
Review Tool Version
v1.5
Format
Core: Comprehensive

EdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.

Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Meets Expectations

Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.

Usability (Gateway 3)
Meets Expectations
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About This Report

Report for 6th Grade

Alignment Summary

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for Alignment to the CCSSM. In Gateway 1, the materials meet expectations for focus and coherence. In Gateway 2, the materials meet expectations for rigor and meet expectations for practice-content connections.

6th Grade
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Meets Expectations
Gateway 3

Usability

27/27
0
17
24
27
Usability (Gateway 3)
Meets Expectations
Overview of Gateway 1

Focus & Coherence

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for focus and coherence. For focus, the materials assess grade-level content and provide all students extensive work with grade-level problems to meet the full intent of grade-level standards. For coherence, the materials are coherent and consistent with the CCSSM.

Criterion 1.1: Focus

06/06

Materials assess grade-level content and give all students extensive work with grade-level problems to meet the full intent of grade-level standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for focus as they assess grade-level content and provide all students extensive work with grade-level problems to meet the full intent of grade-level standards.

Indicator 1A
02/02

Materials assess the grade-level content and, if applicable, content from earlier grades.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for assessing grade-level content and, if applicable, content from earlier grades.

Program assessments include Pre-Unit Diagnostic Assessments, Cool Downs, Mid-Unit Assessments, Performance Tasks, and End-of-Unit Assessments which are summative. According to the Course Guide, “At the end of each unit is the end-of-unit assessment. These assessments have a specific length and breadth, with problem types that are intended to gauge students’ understanding of the key concepts of the unit while also preparing students for new-generation standardized exams. Problem types include multiple-choice, multiple-response, short answer, restricted constructed response, and extended response. Problems vary in difficulty and depth of knowledge.” Examples of summative End-of-Unit Assessment problems that assess grade-level standards include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, End-of-Unit Assessment: Version B, Problem 3, “A cube has side lengths of 8 inches. Select all the values that represent the cube’s volume in cubic inches. A. 828^2 B. 838^3 C. 6 \cdot 828^2 D. 6 \cdot 8 E. 8 \cdot 8 \cdot 8.” (6.EE.1)

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, End-of-Unit Assessment: Version B, Problem 4, “It takes Andre 4 minutes to swim 5 laps. a. How many laps per minute is that? b. How many minutes per lap is that? c. If Andre swims 22 laps at the same rate, how long does it take him?” (6.RP.2, 6.RP.3b)

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, End-of-Unit Assessment: Version B, Problem 6, “How many 14\frac{1}{4} inch cubes does it take to fill a box with width 214\frac{1}{4} inches, length 212\frac{1}{2} inches and height 134\frac{3}{4} inches?” (6.G.2)

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, End-of-Unit Assessment: Version A, Problem 4, “Select all the numbers that are common multiples of 4 and 6. A. 1 B. 2 C. 10 D. 12 E. 24 F. 40 G. 60” (6.NS.4)

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, End-of-Unit Assessment: Version A, Problem 2, “Here’s a dot plot of a data set (dot plot shown). Which statement is true about the mean of the data set? A. The mean is less than 5. B. The mean is equal to 5. C. The mean is greater than 5. D. There is not enough information to determine the mean.” (6.SP.5c)

Indicator 1B
04/04

Materials give all students extensive work with grade-level problems to meet the full intent of grade-level standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for giving all students extensive work with grade-level problems to meet the full intent of grade-level standards.

Each lesson is structured into four distinct phases: Warm Up, Instructional Activities, Lesson Synthesis, and Cool Down. This format ensures thorough engagement with grade-level problems and fully meets the educational standards.

The Warm Up initiates each lesson, either preparing students for the day’s topic or enhancing their number sense and procedural fluency. Following this, students participate in one to three activities that delve into the learning standard. These activities, detailed in the Activity Narrative, form the core of the lesson. After completing these activities, students reflect on and synthesize their new knowledge. The lesson concludes with a Cool Down phase, a formative assessment to gauge understanding. Additionally, each lesson includes Independent Practice Problems to reinforce the concepts.

The Warm Up initiates each lesson, either preparing students for the day’s topic or enhancing their number sense and procedural fluency. Following this, students participate in one to three activities that delve into the learning standard. These activities, detailed in the Activity Narrative, form the core of the lesson. After completing these activities, students reflect on and synthesize their new knowledge. The lesson concludes with a Cool Down phase, a formative assessment to gauge understanding. Additionally, each lesson includes Independent Practice Problems to reinforce the concepts.

Instructional materials engage all students in extensive work with grade-level problems. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section C: Triangles, Lessons 8: Area of Triangles, students use strategies to determine base and height of an associated parallelogram to determine the area of a triangle. Warm-Up: Composing Triangles, “Here is Triangle M. Han made a copy of Triangle M and composed three different parallelograms using the original M and the copy, as shown here. a. For each parallelogram Han composed, identify a base and a corresponding height, and write the measurements on the drawing. b. Find the area of each parallelogram Han composed. Show your reasoning.” Three decomposed parallelograms are shown. Activity 1: More Triangles, “Find the areas of at least two of the triangles below. Show your reasoning.” Students are shown 4 triangles drawn on centimeter grid paper. Practice Problems, Problem 5, “a. A parallelogram has a base of 3.5 units and a corresponding height of 2 units. What is its area? b. A parallelogram has a base of 3 units and an area of 1.8 square units. What is the corresponding height for that base? c. A parallelogram has an area of 20.4 square units. If the height that corresponds to a base is 4 units, what is the base?” Materials present all students with extensive work with grade-level problems of 6.G.1 (Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes: apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.) 

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section A: The Burj Khalifa, Lesson 1: The Burj Khalifa, students solve unit rate problems. Activity 1: Window Washing, “A window-washing crew can finish 15 windows in 18 minutes. If this crew were assigned to wash all the windows on the outside of the Burj Khalifa, how long would the crew be washing at this rate?” Activity 2: Climbing the Burj Khalifa, “In 2011, a professional climber scaled the outside of the Burj Khalifa, making it all the way to 828 meters (the highest point on which a person can stand) in 6 hours. Assuming they climbed at the same rate the whole way: a. How far did they climb in the first 2 hours? b. How far did they climb in 5 hours? c. How far did they climb in the final 15 minutes?” Cool Down: Going Up? “The fastest elevators in the Burj Khalifa can travel 330 feet in just 10 seconds. How far does the elevator travel in 11 seconds? Explain your reasoning.” Practice Problems, Problem 3, “The cost of 5 cans of dog food is $4.35. At this price, how much do 11 cans of dog food cost? Explain your reasoning.” Materials present all students with extensive work with grade-level problems of 6.RP.2 (Understand the concept of unit rate a/b associated with a ratio a:b with b \not= 0, and use rate language in the context of a ratio relationship.)

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section B: Equal and Equivalent, Lesson 11: The Distributive Property (Part 3), students write equivalent expressions using the distributive property. Activity 2: Writing Equivalent Expressions Using the Distributive Property, “The distributive property can be used to write equivalent expressions. In each row, use the distributive property to write an equivalent expression. If you get stuck, consider drawing a diagram.” One row shows, “(9-5)x.” Cool Down: Writing Equivalent Expressions, “a. Use the distributive property to write an expression that is equivalent to 12 + 4x. b. Draw a diagram that shows the two expressions are equivalent.” Practice Problems, Problem 3, “Select all the expressions that are equivalent to 16x +36. A. 16(x+20) B. x(16+36) C. 4(4x+9) D. 2(8x+18) E. 2(8x+36)" Materials present students with extensive work with grade-level problems of 6.EE.3 (Apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions).

Instructional materials provide opportunities for all students to engage with the full intent of grade-level standards. Examples include: 

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section A: What are Ratios?, Lesson 1: Introducing Ratios and Ratio Language, students describe two quantities at the same time. Warm Up: What Kind and How Many?, students see a variety of color cubes connected together and brainstorm various ways to sort them. Activity 1: The Teacher’s Collection, students use ratio language to describe dinosaurs that are shown in a picture, “The ratio of purple to orange dinosaurs is 4 to 2.” Activity 2: The Student’s Collection, students write ratios to describe items from their own collection that were brought from home, “Write at least two sentences that describe ratios in the collection. Remember, there are many ways to write a ratio.” Cool Down: A Collection of Animals, students see a picture of dogs, mice and cats, “Write two sentences that describe a ratio of types of animals in this collection.” The materials meet the full intent of 6.RP.1 (Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.)

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section B: Meaning of Fraction Division, Lesson 7: What Fraction of a Group, students divide quantities into groups, even when they can’t make a whole group. Warm Up: Estimating a Fraction of a Number, Problem 1, “Estimate the quantities: a. What is 13\frac{1}{3} of 7? b. What is 45\frac{4}{5} of 923\frac{2}{3}? c. What is 247\frac{4}{7} of 1019\frac{1}{9}?” Activity 2: Fractional Batches of Ice Cream, Problem 2, students write and solve division equations, “One batch of an ice cream recipe uses 9 cups of milk. A chef makes different amounts of ice cream on different days. Here are the amounts of milk she used: Monday: 12 cups, Tuesday: 2212\frac{1}{2} cups, Thursday: 6 cups, and Friday: 712\frac{1}{2} cups. What fraction of a batch of ice cream did she make on these days? For each day, write a division equation, draw a tape diagram, and find the answer. a. Thursday. b. Friday.” Cool Down: A Partially Filled Container, “There is 13\frac{1}{3} gallon of water in a 3-gallon container. What fraction of the container is filled? a. Write a multiplication equation and a division equation to represent the situation. b. Draw a tape diagram to represent the situation. Then, answer the question.” Practice Problems, Problem 2, “Whiskers the cat weighs 223\frac{2}{3} kg. Piplio weighs 4 kg. For each question, write a multiplication equation and division equation, decide whether the answer is greater than 1 or less than 1, and then find the answer. a. How many times as heavy as Piglio is Whiskers? b. How many times as heavy as Whiskers is Piglio?” The materials meet the full intent of 6.NS.1 (Interpret and compute quotients of fractions, and solve word problems involving division of fractions by fractions.) 

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section A: Data, Variability, and Statistical Questions, Lesson 2: Statistical Questions, students determine whether questions are statistical and describe data variability. Warm Up: Pencils on a Plot, students measure and collect pencil length data, “a. Measure your pencil to the nearest 14\frac{1}{4} inch. Then, plot your measurement on the class dot plot. b. What is the difference between the longest and shortest pencil lengths in the class? c. What is the most common pencil length? d. Find the difference in lengths between the most common length and the shortest pencil.” Activity 1: What’s in the Data? Problem 2, “How are survey questions 3 and 5 different from the other questions? Question 3: What grade are you in? Question 5: How many inches are in 1 foot?” Activity 2: What Makes a Statistical Question? Problem 5, “How many minutes of recess do sixth-grade students have each day? a. Is variability expected in the data? yes or no b. Is the question statistical? yes or no.” Cool Down: Questions About Temperature, “Here are two questions: Question A: Over the past 10 years, what is the warmest temperature recorded, in degrees Fahrenheit, for the month of December in Miami, Florida? Question B: At what temperature does water freeze in Miami, Florida? a. Decide if each question is statistical or non-statistical. Explain your reasoning. b. If you decide that a question is statistical, describe how you would find the answer. What data would you collect?” Practice Problems, Problem 3, “Here is a list of questions about the students and teachers at a school. Select all the questions that are statistical questions. A. What is the most popular lunch choice? B. What school do these students attend? C. How many math teachers are in the school? D. What is a common age for the teachers at the school? E. About how many hours of sleep do students generally get on a school night? F. How do students usually travel from home to school?” The materials meet the full intent of 6.SP.1 (Recognize a statistical question as one that anticipates variability in the data related to the question and accounts for it in the answers.)

Criterion 1.2: Coherence

08/08

Each grade’s materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for coherence. The materials: address the major clusters of the grade, have supporting content connected to major work, and make connections between clusters and domains. The materials make explicit connections from grade-level work to knowledge from earlier grades and connections from grade-level work to future grades.

Indicator 1C
02/02

When implemented as designed, the majority of the materials address the major clusters of each grade.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations that, when implemented as designed, the majority of the materials address the major clusters of each grade. 

When implemented as designed, the majority (at least 65%) of the materials, when implemented as designed, address the major clusters of the grade. Examples include:

  • The approximate number of units devoted to major work of the grade (including assessments and supporting work connected to the major work) is 5 out of 8, approximately 63%.

  • The number of lessons devoted to major work of the grade, including supporting work connected to major work is 86 out of 133, approximately 65%. 

  • The number of instructional days devoted to major work of the grade and supporting work connected to major work (includes required lessons and assessments) is 91 out of 141, approximately 65%. 

An instructional day analysis is most representative of the materials, including the required lessons and End-of-Unit Assessments from the required Units. As a result, approximately 65% of materials focus on major work of the grade.

Indicator 1D
02/02

Supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations that supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade.

Each lesson contains Learning Targets that provide descriptions of what students should be able to do after completing the lesson. Standards being addressed are identified and defined. Materials connect learning of supporting and major work to enhance focus on major work. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section C: Triangles, Lesson 10: Bases and Heights of Triangles, Activity 2: Some Bases are Better than Others, connects the supporting work of 6.G.1 (Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes) to the major work of 6.EE.2c (Evaluate expressions at specific values of their variables). Students identify the base and height of a triangle and use them to find the area of a triangle, “For each triangle, identify and label a base and height. If needed, draw a line segment to show the height. Then, find the area of the triangle. Show your reasoning. (The side length of each square on the grid is 1 unit.)” Students are given four triangles on grids to calculate area.

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section D: Fractions in Lengths, Areas, and Volumes, Lesson 14: Fractional Lengths in Triangles and Prisms, Cool Down: Triangles and Cubes, Problems 1 and 2, connects the supporting work  6.G.1 (Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, and special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes) and 6.G.2 (Find the volume of a right rectangular prism with fractional edge lengths by packing it with unit cubes of the appropriate unit fraction edge lengths, and show that the volume is the same as would be found by multiplying the edge lengths of the prism) to the major work of 6.NS.1 (Interpret and compute quotients of fractions, and solve word problems involving division of fractions by fractions). Students use what they know about fractions and operations to find the area of triangles and the volume of prisms, “A triangle has a base of 325\frac{2}{5} inches and an area of 5110\frac{1}{10} square inches. Find the height of the triangle. Show your reasoning. Answer each of the following questions and show your reasoning. a. How many cubes with an edge length of 13\frac{1}{3} inch are needed to build a cube with an edge length of 1 inch? b. What is the volume, in cubic inches, of one cube with an edge length of 13\frac{1}{3} inch?” 

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section D: Dividing Decimals, Lesson 13: Dividing Decimals by Decimals, Activity 1: Placing Decimal Points in the Quotient, Problem 1, connects the supporting work of 6.NS.3 (Fluently add, subtract, multiply, and divide multi digit decimals using the standard algorithm for each operation) to the major work of 6.EE.4 (Identify when two expressions are equivalent). Students use base-ten understanding of numbers to move the decimal point in the divisor and then use their understanding of equivalent expressions to move the decimal in the quotient, “Think of one or more ways to find 3 ÷ 0.12. Show your reasoning.”

Indicator 1E
02/02

Materials include problems and activities that serve to connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains in a grade.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for including problems and activities that serve to connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains in a grade.

Each lesson contains Learning Targets that describe what the students should be able to do after completing the lesson. The standards being addressed are identified and defined.

Materials connect major work to major work throughout the grade level when appropriate. Examples include.

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section B: Equal and Equivalent, Lesson 7: Revisit Percentages, Activity 2: Puppies Grow Up, Revisited, Problems 1-3, connects the major work of 6.EE.A (Apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions.) to the major work of 6.RP.A (Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems.) Students use repeated calculations and then write an algebraic expression with a variable to solve problems, “Puppy A weighs 8 pounds, which is about 25% of its adult weight. What will be the adult weight of Puppy A? Puppy B weighs 8 pounds, which is about 75% of its adult weight. What will be the adult weight of Puppy B? If you haven’t already, write an equation for each situation. Then, show how you could find the adult weight of each puppy by solving the equation.” 

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section D: Relationships Between Quantities, Lesson 16: Two Related Quantities (Part 1),  Activity 1: Painting the Set, connects the major work of 6.EE.C (Represent and analyze quantitative relationships between dependent and independent variables.) to the major work of 6.RP.A (Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems.) Students write two equations relating the two quantities in the ratio and represent them with graphs, “Lin needs to mix a specific color of paint for the set of the school play. The color is a shade of orange that uses 3 parts yellow for every 2 parts red. a. Complete the table to show different combinations of red and yellow paint that will make the shade of orange Lin needs. b. Lin notices that the number of cups of red paint is always 25\frac{2}{5} of the total number of cups. She writes the equation  r = 25\frac{2}{5}t to describe the relationship. Which is the independent variable? Which is the dependent variable? Explain how you know. c. Write an equation that describes the relationship between r  and y where y is the independent variable. d. Write an equation that describes the relationship between r  and y where y is the independent variable. e. Use the points in the table to create two graphs that show the relationship between r and y. Match each relationship to one of the equations you wrote.” Students use the applet in presentation mode.

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section B: Inequalities, Lesson 8: Writing and Graphing Inequalities, Activity 1: Stories About 9, Problem 1, connects the major work of 6.EE.B (Reason about and solve one-variable equations and inequalities.) to the major work of 6.NS.C (Apply and extend previous understandings of numbers to the system of rational numbers.) Students represent real-world situations with inequality statements and identify possible values which make it true, “Drag the green and red open points over the blue points, matching each story, graph, and description. A fishing boat can hold fewer than 9 people. A food scale can measure up to 9 kilograms of weight. Lin needs more than 9 ounces of butter to make cookies for her party. A magician will perform her magic tricks only if there are at least 9 people in the audiences.” Students use an applet in presentation mode to match situations with solutions.

Materials provide connections from supporting work to supporting work throughout the grade level when appropriate. Examples include:

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section C: Mean and MAD, Lesson 12: Using Mean and MAD to Make Comparisons, Activity 1: Which Player Would You Choose? Problem 2, connects the supporting work of 6.NS.B (Computer fluently with multi-digit numbers and find common factors and multiples.) to the supporting work of 6.SP.B (Summarize and describe distributions.) Students calculate MAD and compare data sets, “An eighth-grade student decided to join Andre and Noah and kept track of his scores. His data set is shown here. The mean number of baskets he made is 6. a. Complete the table. b. Calculate the MAD. Show your reasoning. c. Draw a dot plot to represent his data and mark the location of the mean with a triangle. d. Compare the eighth-grade student’s mean and MAD to Noah’s mean and MAD. What do you notice? e. Compare their dot plots. What do you notice about the distributions? f. What can you say about the two players’ shooting accuracy and consistency?”

  • Unit 9: Putting it All Together, Section A: Making Connections, Lesson 1: Fermi Problems, Activity 2: Stacks and Stacks of Cereal Boxes, connects the supporting work of 6.NS.B (Compute fluently with multi-digit numbers and find common factors and multiples.) to the supporting work of 6.G.A (Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume.) Students estimate the total volume occupied by all of the breakfast cereal purchased in a year in the United States, “Imagine a warehouse that has a rectangular floor and that contains all of the boxes of breakfast cereal bought in the United States in one year. If the warehouse is 10 feet tall, what could the side lengths of the floor be? Vital information to have on hand includes: Every year, people in the U.S. buy 2.7 billion boxes of breakfast cereal. A “typical” cereal box has dimensions of 2.5 inches by 7.75 inches by 11.75 inches.”

Indicator 1F
02/02

Content from future grades is identified and related to grade-level work, and materials relate grade-level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.

The materials reviewed for Open-Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations that content from future grades is identified and related to grade-level work, and materials relate grade-level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.

The Course Guide contains a Scope and Sequence explaining content standard connections. Some Unit Overviews, Lesson Narratives, and Activity Syntheses describe the progression of standards for the concept being taught. Each Lesson contains a Preparation section identifying learning standards (Building on, Addressing, or Building toward). Content from future grades is identified and related to grade-level work. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Unit 1 Overview, “In grade 8, students will understand “identical copy of” as “congruent to” and understand congruence in terms of rigid motions, that is, motions such as reflection, rotation, and translation. In grade 6, students do not have any way to check for congruence except by inspection, but it is not practical to cut out and stack every pair of figures one sees. Tracing paper is an excellent tool for verifying that figures “match up exactly,” and students should have access to this and other tools at all times in this unit. Thus, each lesson plan suggests that each student should have access to a geometry toolkit, which contains tracing paper, graph paper, colored pencils, scissors, and an index card to use as a straightedge or to mark right angles. Providing students with these toolkits gives opportunities for students to develop abilities to select appropriate tools and use them strategically to solve problems (MP5). Note that even students in a digitally enhanced classroom should have access to such tools; apps and simulations should be considered additions to their toolkits, not replacements for physical tools. In this grade, all figures are drawn and labeled so that figures that look congruent actually are congruent; in later grades when students have the tools to reason about geometric figures more precisely, they will need to learn that visual inspection is not sufficient for determining congruence. Also note that all arguments laid out in this unit can (and should) be made more precise in later grades, as students’ geometric understanding deepens.”

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Unit 2 Overview, “...After some work with double number line diagrams, students use tables to represent equivalent ratios. Because equivalent pairs of ratios can be written in any order in a table and there is no need to attend to the distance between values, tables are the most flexible and concise of the three representations for equivalent ratios, but they are also the most abstract. Use of tables to represent equivalent ratios is an important stepping stone toward use of tables to represent linear and other functional relationships in grade 8 and beyond. Because of this, students should learn to use tables to solve all kinds of ratio problems, but they should always have the option of using discrete diagrams and double number line diagrams to support their thinking.”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 7: Comparing Numbers and Distance from Zero, Activity 2: Info Gap: Points on the Number Line, “In this info gap activity, students use comparisons of order and absolute value of rational numbers to determine the location of unknown points on the number line. In doing so students reinforce their understanding that a number and its absolute value are different properties. Students will also begin to understand that the distance between two numbers, while being positive, could be in either direction between the numbers. This concept is expanded on further when students study arithmetic with rational numbers in grade 7.”

Materials relate grade-level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section A: Reasoning to Find Area, Lesson 2: Finding Area by Decomposing and Rearranging, Lesson Narrative, “This lesson begins by revisiting the definitions for area that students learned in earlier grades. The goal here is to refine their definitions (MP6) and come up with one that can be used by the class for the rest of the unit. They also learn to reason flexibly about two-dimensional figures to find their areas, and to communicate their reasoning clearly (MP3).”

  • Course Guide, Scope and Sequence, Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, “Work with ratios in grade 6 draws on earlier work with numbers and operations. In elementary school, students worked to understand, represent, and solve arithmetic problems involving quantities with the same units. In grade 4, students began to use two-column tables, e.g., to record conversions between measurements in inches and yards. In grade 5, they began to plot points on the coordinate plane, building on their work with length and area. These early experiences were a brief introduction to two key representations used to study relationships between quantities, a major focus of work that begins in grade 6 with the study of ratios.”

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section A: Making Sense of Division, Lesson 1: Size of Divisor and Size of Quotient, Building on, students relate prior work in 5th grade “5.NBT.6 Find whole- number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models,” to current work related to dividing fractions in 6th grade. 

Indicator 1G
Read

In order to foster coherence between grades, materials can be completed within a regular school year with little to no modification.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 foster coherence between grades and can be completed within a regular school year with little to no modification. 

According to the Grade 6 Course Guide, About These Materials, “Each course contains nine units. Each of the first eight are anchored by a few big ideas in grade-level mathematics. Units contain between 11 and 23 lesson plans. Each unit has a diagnostic assessment for the beginning of the unit (Check Your Readiness) and an end-of-unit assessment. Longer units also have a mid-unit assessment. The last unit in each course is structured differently, and contains optional lessons that help students apply and tie together big ideas from the year. The time estimates in these materials refer to instructional time. Each lesson plan is designed to fit within a class period that is at least 45 minutes long. Some lessons contain optional activities that provide additional scaffolding or practice for teachers to use at their discretion.”

According to the Grade 6 Course Guide:

  • 8 end-of-unit assessments 

  • 133 days of lessons 

  • 14 days of optional lessons 

  • 8 days of optional check your readiness assessments 

  • 5 days of optional mid-unit assessments throughout the materials 

  • 141 days required (lower range) to 168 days required and optional (upper range)

According to the Grade 6 Course Guide, About These Materials, A Typical Lesson, “A typical lesson has four phases: 1. a Warm-up (5-10 minutes) 2. one or more instructional activities (10-25 minutes) 3. the lesson synthesis (5-10 minutes) 4. a Cool-down (about 5 minutes).”

Overview of Gateway 2

Rigor & the Mathematical Practices

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for rigor and balance and practice-content connections. The materials help students develop procedural skills, fluency, and application. The materials also make meaningful connections between the Standards for Mathematical Content and the Standards for Mathematical Practice (MPs).

Criterion 2.1: Rigor and Balance

08/08

Materials reflect the balances in the Standards and help students meet the Standards’ rigorous expectations, by giving appropriate attention to: developing students’ conceptual understanding; procedural skill and fluency; and engaging applications.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for rigor. The materials develop conceptual understanding of key mathematical concepts, give attention throughout the year to procedural skill and fluency, and spend sufficient time working with engaging applications of mathematics. There is a balance of the three aspects of rigor within the grade.

Indicator 2A
02/02

Materials develop conceptual understanding of key mathematical concepts, especially where called for in specific content standards or cluster headings.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for developing conceptual understanding of key mathematical concepts, especially where called for in specific content standards or cluster headings.

According to the Course Guide, About These Materials, Design Principles, “Each unit begins with a pre-assessment that helps teachers gauge what students know about both prerequisite and upcoming concepts and skills, so that teachers can gauge where students are and make adjustments accordingly. The initial lesson in a unit is designed to activate prior knowledge and provide an easy entry to point to new concepts, so that students at different levels of both mathematical and English language proficiency can engage productively in the work. As the unit progresses, students are systematically introduced to representations, contexts, concepts, language and notation. As their learning progresses, they make connections between different representations and strategies, consolidating their conceptual understanding, and see and understand more efficient methods of solving problems, supporting the shift towards procedural fluency. The distributed practice problems give students ongoing practice, which also supports developing procedural proficiency.” 

Materials develop conceptual understanding throughout the grade level. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section B: Equivalent Ratios, Lesson 4: Color Mixtures, Activity 1: Turning Green, Problem 1, students develop conceptual understanding of ratios and proportions as they use an applet to mix different batches of the same recipe to obtain different shades of the same color. “a. In the left cylinder, mix 5 ml of blue and 15 ml of yellow. This is a single batch of green. b. Suppose you have one batch of green but want to make more. Which of the following would produce the same shade of green? If you’re unsure, try creating the mixture in the right cylinder. Start with the amounts in a single batch (5 ml of blue and 15 ml of yellow) and … 1. add 20 ml of blue and 20 ml of yellow 2. double the amount of blue and the amount of yellow 3. triple the amount of blue and the amount of yellow 4. mix a single batch with a double batch 5. double the amount of blue and triple the amount of yellow For one of the mixtures that produces the same shade, write down the number of ml of blue and yellow used in the mixture. For the same mixture that produces the same shade, draw a diagram of the mixture. Make sure your diagram shows the number of milliliters of blue, yellow, and the number of batches. c. Someone was trying to make the same shade as the original single batch, but started by adding 20 ml of blue and 20 ml of yellow. How can they add more but still create the same shade of green? d. Invent a recipe for a bluer shade of green. Write down the amounts of yellow and blue that you used, and draw a diagram. Explain how you know it will be bluer than the original single batch of green before testing it out.” (6.RP.1)

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section A: Equations in One Variable, Lesson 3: Staying in Balance, Activity 1: Match Hangers with Equations, Problem 1, students develop conceptual understanding of balanced equations by using hanger models to help them solve missing values in equations. “Match each hanger to an equation. 1. ___ + 3 = 6; 2. 3 · ___ = 6; 3. 6 = ___ + 1; 4. 6 = 3 · ___.” Four hanger models are shown. (6.EE.7)

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 4: Ordering Rational Numbers, Activity 2: Comparing Points on a Line, Problem 1, students develop conceptual understanding of greater than and less than to describe order and position on a number line. Students are shown a number line with points M and N to the left of zero and points P and R to the right of zero. “Use each of the following terms at least once to describe or compare the values of points M, N, P, R. greater than, less than, opposite of (or opposites), negative number.” (6.NS.6)

Materials allow students to demonstrate conceptual understanding throughout the grade level independently. Examples include:

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section C: Rates, Lesson 7: Equivalent Ratios Have the Same Unit Rate, Activity 1: Price of Burritos, students independently develop conceptual understanding of equivalent ratios have the same unit rate. “a. Two burritos cost $14. Complete the table to show the cost for 4, 5, and 10 burritos at that rate. Next, find the cost for a single burrito in each case. b. What do you notice about the values in this table? c. Noah bought b burritos and paid c dollars. Lin bought twice as many burritos as Noah and paid twice the cost he did. How much did Lin pay per burrito? d. Explain why, if you can buy b burritos for c dollars, or buy 2 \cdot b burritos for 2 \cdot c dollars, the cost per item is the same in either case.” (6.RP.2, 6.RP.3)

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section B: Meanings of Fraction Division, Lesson 6: Using Diagrams to Find the Number of Groups, Activity 1: Representing Groups of Fractions with Tape Diagrams, Problem 2, students independently develop conceptual understanding of division using tape-diagrams to represent how many in a group. “Write a multiplication equation and a division equation for each question. Then, draw a tape diagram and find the answer. a. How many 34\frac{3}{4}s are in 1? b. How many 23\frac{2}{3}s are in 3? c. How many 32\frac{3}{2}s are in 5?” (6.NS.1) 

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section A: Warming Up to Decimals, Lesson 1: Using Decimals in a Shopping Context, Warm Up, Snacks from the Concession Stand, students develop conceptual understanding of estimation and computation for all operations with multi-digit decimals. “Clare went to a concession stand that sells pretzels for $3.25, drinks for $1.85, and bags of popcorn for $0.99 each. She bought at least one of each item and spent no more than $10. a. Could Clare have purchased 2 pretzels, 2 drinks, and 2 bags of popcorn? Explain your reasoning. b. Could she have bought 1 pretzel, 1 drink, and 5 bags of popcorn? Explain your reasoning.” (6.NS.3)

Indicator 2B
02/02

Materials give attention throughout the year to individual standards that set an expectation for procedural skill and fluency.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for giving attention throughout the year to individual standards that set an expectation of procedural skill and fluency.

According to the Course Guide sections “About These Materials”, and “Design Principles,” “Each unit begins with a pre-assessment that helps teachers gauge what students know about both prerequisite and upcoming concepts and skills, so that teachers can gauge where students are and make adjustments accordingly. The initial lesson in a unit is designed to activate prior knowledge and provide an easy entry to point to new concepts, so that students at different levels of both mathematical and English language proficiency can engage productively in the work. As the unit progresses, students are systematically introduced to representations, contexts, concepts, language and notation. As their learning progresses, they make connections between different representations and strategies, consolidating their conceptual understanding, and see and understand more efficient methods of solving problems, supporting the shift towards procedural fluency. The distributed practice problems give students ongoing practice, which also supports developing procedural proficiency.” Materials develop procedural skills and fluency throughout the grade level. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section F: Squares and Cubes, Lesson 17: Squares and Cubes, Launch, students develop procedural skill and fluency as they determine whether or not numbers are perfect squares. “The number 9 is a perfect square. a. Find four numbers that are perfect squares and two numbers that are not perfect squares. b. A square has a side length of 7 km. What is its area? c. The area of a square is 64 sq cm. What is its side length?” (6.EE.1) 

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section D: Dividing Decimals, Lesson 10: Using Long Division, Activity 1: Lin Uses Long Division, Problem 2, students develop procedural skill and fluency as they complete long division problems using the standard algorithm. “Lin’s method is called long division. Use this method to find the following quotients. Check your answer by multiplying it by the divisor. a. 846 ÷\div 3 b. 1,816 ÷\div 4 c. 768 ÷\div 12.” (6.NS.2)

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section C: Expressions with Exponents, Lesson 15: Equivalent Exponential Expressions, Activity 2: Exponent Experimentation, students develop procedural skill and fluency as they evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents. “Find a solution to each equation in the list that follows. a. 64 = x2x^2 b. 64 = x3x^3 c. 2x2^x = 32 d. x = (25)3(\frac{2}{5})^3 e. 169\frac{16}{9} = x2x^2 f. 2 \cdot 252^5 = 2x2^x g. 2x = 242^4 h. 434^3 = 8x8^x.” (6.EE.1)

Materials provide opportunities for students to independently demonstrate procedural skills and fluency throughout the grade level. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section C: Representing Equivalent Ratios, Lesson 6: Introducing Double Number Line Diagrams, Practice Problems, Problem 2, students independently demonstrate procedural skill and fluency as they use double number lines to solve ratio and rate problems. “This double number line diagram shows the amount of flour and eggs needed for 1 batch of cookies. a. Complete the diagram to show the amount of flour and eggs needed for 2, 3, and 4 batches of cookies. b. What is the ratio of cups of flour to eggs? c. How much flour and how many eggs are used in 4 batches of cookies? d. How much flour is used with 6 eggs? e. How many eggs are used with 15 cups of flour?” (6.RP.3)

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section E: Let’s Put it to Work, Lesson 14: Using Operations on Decimals to Solve Problems, Practice Problems, Problem 1, students independently demonstrate procedural skill and fluency as they add, subtract, multiply, and divide multi-digit decimals using the standard algorithm. “A roll of ribbon was 12 meters long. Diego cut 9 pieces of ribbon that were 0.4 meter each to tie some presents. He then used the remaining ribbon to make some wreaths. Each wreath required 0.6 meter. For each question, explain your reasoning. a. How many meters of ribbon were available for making wreaths? b. How many wreaths could Diego make with the available ribbon?” (6.NS.3)

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section B: Inequalities, Lesson 10: Interpreting demonstrates procedural skills and fluency throughout the grade level independently from skill and fluency as they create inequalities from scenarios. “ a. Jada is taller than Diego. Diego is 54 inches tall (4 feet, 6 inches). Write an inequality that compares Jada’s height in inches, j, to Diego’s height. b. Jada is shorter than Elena. Elena is 5 feet tall. Write an inequality that compares Jada’s height in inches, j, to Elena’s height.” (6.EE.5)

Indicator 2C
02/02

Materials are designed so that teachers and students spend sufficient time working with engaging applications of the mathematics.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for being designed so that teachers and students spend sufficient time working with engaging applications of mathematics.

According to the Course Guide sections “About These Materials” and “Design Principles,” “Students have opportunities to make connections to real-world contexts throughout the materials. Frequently, carefully-chosen anchor contexts are used to motivate new mathematical concepts, and students have many opportunities to make connections between contexts and the concepts they are learning. Additionally, most units include a real-world application lesson at the end. In some cases, students spend more time developing mathematical concepts before tackling more complex application problems, and the focus is on mathematical contexts.”

Materials include multiple routine and non-routine applications of mathematics throughout the grade level. Examples include:

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section C: Algorithm for Fractional Division, Lesson 11: Using an Algorithm to Divide Fractions, Activity 2: All in Order, Problem 3, students engage in a non-routine application problem as they explore relationships between dividends, divisors, and quotients. “Without computing, estimate each quotient and arrange them in three groups: close to 0, close to 1, and much larger than 1. Be prepared to explain your reasoning30 ÷\div 12\frac{1}{2}, 9 ÷\div 10, 18 ÷\div 19, 15,000 ÷\div 1,500,000, 30 ÷\div 0.45, 9 ÷\div 10,000, 18 ÷\div 0.18, 15,000 ÷\div 14,500 ." (6.NS.1)

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section B: Equal and Equivalent, Lesson 7: Revisit Percentages, Activity 1: Representing a Percentage Problem with an Equation, Problem 3, students engage in a non-routine application problem as they represent basic percentage problems using an equation. “Write an equation to help you find the value of each variable. Solve the equation. a. 60% of c is 43.2 b. 38% of e is 190.” (6.EE.7)

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section D: Relationships Between Quantities, Lesson 17: Two Related Quantities (Part 2), Activity 1: The Walk-a-Thon, Problem 1, students engage in a routine application problem as they calculate unit rates. “Complete the table to show how far each participant walked during the walk-a-thon.” Students are given a table with missing values. Columns are titled: time in hours, miles walked by Diego, miles walked by Elena, and miles walked by Andre. (6.RP.3)

Materials provide opportunities for students to independently demonstrate multiple routine and non-routine applications of mathematics throughout the grade level. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section F: Let’s Put it to Work, Lesson 17: A Fermi Problem, Activity 2: Researching Your Own Femi Problem, students independently engage in a non-routine application problem as they use ratio reasoning to solve problems. “a. Brainstorm at least five Fermi problems that you want to research and solve. If you get stuck, consider starting with “How much would it cost to …?” or “How long would it take to …?” b. Pause here so your teacher can review your questions and approve one of them. c. Use the graphic organizer to break your problem down into sub-questions. d. Find the information you need to get closer to answering your question. Measure, make estimates, and perform any necessary calculations. If you get stuck, consider using tables or double number line diagrams. e. Create a visual display that includes your Fermi problem and your solution. Organize your thinking so it can be followed by others.” (6.RP.3)

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Mid-Unit Assessment: Version A, Problem 1, students independently engage in a routine application problem as they divide fractions, “Jada made 6 cups of blueberry jam and divided the jam equally among 4 containers. How much jam went into each container? a. 23\frac{2}{3} of a cup b. 1 cup, c. 32\frac{3}{2} of a cup, d. 24 cups.” (6.NS.1) 

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section A: Equations in One Variable, Lesson 4, Practice Solving Equations and Representing Situations with Equations: Cool Down: More Storytime, students independently engage in a non-routine application problem as they create a word problem for a given equation. “ a. Write a story to match the equation x + 212\frac{1}{2} = 10. b. Explain what x represents in your story. c. Solve the equation. Explain or show your reasoning.” (6.EE.7)

Indicator 2D
02/02

The three aspects of rigor are not always treated together and are not always treated separately. There is a balance of the three aspects of rigor within the grade.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations in that the three aspects of rigor are not always treated together and are not always treated separately. There is a balance of the three aspects of rigor within the grade.

All three aspects of rigor are present independently throughout each grade level. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section C: Representing Equivalent Ratios, Lesson 9: Constant Speed, Practice Problems, Problem 1, students develop procedural skill and fluency as they calculate distances using unit rate. “Han ran 10 meters in 2.7 seconds. Priya ran 10 meters in 2.4 seconds. a. Who ran faster? Explain how you know. b. At this rate, how long would it take each person to run 50 meters? Explain or show your reasoning.” (6.RP.3)

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section B: Meanings of Fraction Division, Lesson 5: How Many Groups (Part 2), Cool Down: Bags of Tangerines, students apply their understanding of fraction multiplication and division to write expressions that represent a situation. “A grocery store sells tangerines in 25\frac{2}{5} kg bags. A customer bought 4 kg of tangerines for a school party. How many bags did he buy? a. Select all equations that represent the situation. A. 4 \cdot 25\frac{2}{5} = ? ; B. ? \cdot 25\frac{2}{5} = 4 ; C. 25\frac{2}{5} ÷\div 4 = ? ; D. 4 ÷\div 25\frac{2}{5} = ? ; E. ? ÷\div 25\frac{2}{5} = 4.” (6.NS.1)

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section A: Data, Variability, and Statistical Questions, Lesson 2: Statistical Questions, Activity 1: What’s in the Data? Problem 1, students demonstrate conceptual understanding as they reason abstractly and quantitatively about numerical data sets to match them with questions that are likely to produce the data. “Ten sixth-grade students at a school were each asked five survey questions. Their answers to each question are shown here. Match each of the following questions to a data set that could represent the students’ answers. Explain your reasoning. a. Question 1: Flip a coin 10 times. How many heads did you get? b. Question 2: How many books did you read in the last year? c. Question 3: What grade are you in? d. Question 4: How many dogs and cats do you have? e. Question 5: How many inches are in 1 foot?” A data table with 5 data sets and 10 numbers in each set is shown. (6.SP.1)

Multiple aspects of rigor are engaged simultaneously to develop students’ mathematical understanding of a single topic/unit of study throughout each grade level. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section E: Part-Part-Whole Ratios, Lesson 16, Solving More Ratio Problems, Activity 2: Salad Dressing and Moving Boxes, students build conceptual understanding while applying ratio reasoning to solve problems. “Solve each problem, and show your thinking. Organize it so it can be followed by others. If you get stuck, consider drawing a double number line, table, or tape diagram. a. A recipe for salad dressing calls for 4 parts oil for every 3 parts vinegar. How much oil should you use to make a total of 28 teaspoons of dressing? b. Andre and Han are moving boxes. Andre can move 4 boxes every half hour. Han can move 5 boxes every half hour. How long will it take Andre and Han to move all 72 boxes?” (6.RP.3)

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section D: Fractions in Length, Areas, and Volumes, Lesson 15: Volume of Prisms, Activity 1: Cubes with Fractional Edge Lengths, Problem 2, students develop procedural skill and fluency as they apply fraction reasoning to find volume. “Lin and Noah are packing small cubes into a larger cube with an edge length of 112\frac{1}{2} inches. Lin is using cubes with an edge of 12\frac{1}{2} inch, and Noah is using cubes and edge length of 14\frac{1}{4} inch. a. Who would need more cubes to fill the 112\frac{1}{2} inch cube? Be prepared to explain your reasoning. b. If Lin and Noah each use their small cubes to find the volume of the larger 112\frac{1}{2} inch cube, will they get the same answer? Explain or show your reasoning.” (6.G.2)

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section B: Equal and Equivalent, Lesson 11: The Distributive Property (Part 3), Activity 2: Writing Equivalent Expressions Using the Distributive Property, Are You Ready For More? Students build conceptual understanding and develop procedural skill and fluency as they write equivalent expressions using the distributive property. “This rectangle has been cut up into squares of varying sizes. Both small squares have side length 1 unit. The square in the middle has side length x units. a. Suppose that x is 3. Find the area of each square in the diagram. Then find the area of the large rectangle. b. Find the side lengths of the large rectangle assuming that x is 3. Find the area of the large rectangle by multiplying the length times the width. Check that this is the same area you found before. c. Now suppose that we do not know the value of x. Write and expression for the side lengths of the large rectangle that involves x.” (6.EE.2).

Criterion 2.2: Math Practices

10/10

Materials meaningfully connect the Standards for Mathematical Content and Standards for Mathematical Practice (MPs).

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for practice-content connections. The materials meaningfully connect the Standards for Mathematical Content and the Standards for Mathematical Practice (MPs).

Indicator 2E
02/02

Materials support the intentional development of MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them; and MP2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively, for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for supporting the intentional development of MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them; and MP2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively, for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards. 

Students have opportunities to engage with the Math Practices across the year. Course Guide, How to Use the Materials, Noticing and Assessing Student Progress in Mathematical Practices, The Standards for Mathematical Practices Chart, “The unit-level Mathematical Practice chart is meant to highlight a handful of lessons in each unit that showcase certain Mathematical Practices. Some units, due to their size or the nature of their content, may have fewer predicted chances for students to engage in a particular Mathematical Practice. A dash in the chart indicates that there may not be enough opportunities to reliably look for this Mathematical Practice in the unit. One primary place Mathematical Practice 4 is tagged is the optional modeling lesson at the end of each unit. Aside from these lessons, optional activities and lessons are not included in this chart.” The Mathematical Practices are also identified in Lesson Preparation Narratives and Lesson Activities Narratives for some lessons.

There is intentional development of MP1 to meet its full intent in connection to grade-level content. Students make sense of problems and persevere in solving them as they work with the teacher's support and independently throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section E: Surface Area, Lesson 12: What is Surface Area?, Lesson Narrative, “Students begin exploring surface area in concrete terms, by estimating and then calculating the number of square sticky notes it would take to cover a filing cabinet. Because students are not given specific techniques ahead of time, they need to make sense of the problem and persevere in solving it (MP1).” Warm Up: Covering the Cabinet (Part 1), students analyze and make sense of problems as they estimate surface area. “Your teacher will show you a video about a cabinet or some pictures of it. Estimate an answer to the question: How many sticky notes would it take to cover the cabinet, excluding the bottom?”

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section D: Solving Ratio and Rate Problems, Lesson 14: Solving Equivalent Ratio Problems, Lesson Narrative, “The purpose of this lesson is to give students further practice in solving equivalent ratio problems and introduce them to the info gap activity structure. The info gap structure requires students to make sense of problems by determining what information is necessary, and then to ask for information they need to solve it. This may take several rounds of discussion if their first requests do not yield the information they need (MP1).” Warm Up: What Do You Want to Know?, students reflect on and revise their problem solving strategies as they solve ratio problems. “Consider the problem: A red car and a blue car enter the highway at the same time and travel at a constant speed. How far apart are they after 4 hours? What information would you need to be able to solve the problem?”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section C: The Coordinate Plane, Lesson 18: Using Common Multiples and Common Factors, Lesson Narrative, “In this lesson, students apply what they have learned about factors and multiples to solve a variety of problems. In the first activity, students to use what they have learned about common factors and common multiples to solve less structured problems in context (MP1).” Activity 1: Factors and Multiples, Problem 1, students use a variety of strategies to make sense of common factor and common multiple problems. “Party. Elena is buying cups and plates for her party. Cups are sold in packs of 8 and plates are sold in packs of 6. She wants to have the same number of plates and cups. a. Find a number of plates and cups that meets her requirement. b. How many packs of each supply will she need to buy to get that number? c. Name two other quantities of plates and cups she could get to meet her requirement.”

There is intentional development of MP2 to meet its full intent in connection to grade-level content. Students reason abstractly and quantitatively as they work with the teacher's support and independently throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fraction, Section A: Making Sense of Division, Lesson 2: Meanings of Division, Lesson Narrative, “As they represent division situations with diagrams and equations to interpret division equations in context, students reason quantitatively and abstractly (MP2).” Activity 1: Bag of Almonds, Problem 1, students represent division situations symbolically. “A baker has 12 pounds of almonds. She puts them into bags, so that each bag has the same weight. Clare and Tyler drew diagrams and wrote equations to show how they were thinking about 12 ÷\div 6. How do you think Clare and Tyler thought about 12 ÷\div 6? Explain what each diagram and the parts of each equation could mean about the situation with the bag of almonds. Make sure to include the meaning of the missing number.” Students are given 2 diagrams, Clare’s diagram has 12 divided into 2 equal parts, each labeled 6. Her equation is __ \cdot 6 = 12. Tyler’s diagram has 12 divided into 6 equal parts, each labeled 2. His equation is 6 \cdot __ = 12. 

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section C: Multiplying Decimals, Lesson 8: Calculating Products of Decimals, Instructional Routine, “The application invites students to use MP2, deciding what mathematical operations to perform based on context and then using context to understand how to deal with the result of complex calculations.” Activity 1: Calculating Products of Decimals, Problem 1, students explain the meaning of numbers and symbols in a multiplication expression. “A common way to find a product is to calculate a product of whole numbers, then place the decimal point in the product. Here is an example for (2.5) \cdot (1.2). Use what you know about decimals and place value to explain why the decimal point of the product is placed where it is.”

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section D: Median and IQR, Lesson 17: Using Box Plots, Lesson Narrative, “In the previous lesson, students analyzed a dot plot and a box plot in order to study the distribution of a data set. They saw that, while the box plot summarizes the distribution of the data and highlights some key measures, it was not possible to know all the data values of the distribution from the box plot alone. In this lesson, students use box plots to make sense of the data in context (MP2), compare distributions, and answer statistical questions about them.” Warm Up: Using Box Plots, students understand the relationship between five-number summaries and box plots. “Ten sixth-grade students were asked how much sleep, in hours, they usually get on a school night. Here is the five-number summary of their responses. Minimum: 5 hours, Median: 7.5 hours, Maximum: 9 hours, First Quartile: 7 hours, and Third quartile: 8 hours. a. On the grid, draw a box plot for this five-number summary. b. What questions could be answered by looking at this box plot?”

Indicator 2F
02/02

Materials support the intentional development of MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for supporting the intentional development of MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards.

Students have opportunities to engage with the Math Practices across the year. Course Guide, How to Use the Materials, Noticing and Assessing Student Progress in Mathematical Practices, The Standards for Mathematical Practices Chart, “The unit-level Mathematical Practice chart is meant to highlight a handful of lessons in each unit that showcase certain Mathematical Practices. Some units, due to their size or the nature of their content, may have fewer predicted chances for students to engage in a particular Mathematical Practice. A dash in the chart indicates that there may not be enough opportunities to reliably look for this Mathematical Practice in the unit. One primary place Mathematical Practice 4 is tagged is the optional modeling lesson at the end of each unit. Aside from these lessons, optional activities and lessons are not included in this chart.” The Mathematical Practices are also identified in Lesson Preparation Narratives and Lesson Activities Narratives for some lessons.

Students construct viable arguments in connection to grade-level content as they work with the teacher's support and independently throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section C, Representing Equivalent Ratios, Lesson 10, Comparing Situations by Examining Ratios. Lesson Narrative, “In each case, the numbers are purposely chosen so that reasoning directly with equivalent ratios is a more appealing method than calculating how-many-per-one and then scaling. The reason for this is to reinforce the concept that equivalent ratios describe the same rate, before formally introducing the notion of unit rate and methods for calculating it. However, students can use any method. Regardless of their chosen approach, students need to be able to explain their reasoning (MP3) in the context of the problem.” Activity 1: Concert Tickets, “Diego paid $47 for 3 tickets to a concert. Andre paid $141 for 9 tickets to a concert. Did they pay at the same rate? Explain your reasoning.”

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section D: Relationships Between Quantities, Lesson 16: Two Related Quantities (Part 1), Instructional Routine, “The purpose of this Warm Up is for students to remember that unit price can be used to figure out which price option is a better deal and also how to compute unit price. When students explain their reasoning, they may engage in constructing arguments and critiquing the reasoning of their classmates (MP3). The question, “Which one would you choose?” is purposefully asked because there is not one correct answer. While there is a choice that is a better deal, that is not the question. In defending their reasoning, students may have other reasons for their choice based on how they make sense of the context. For example, students might reason that a 5-gallon container is easier to store, or that 3 1-gallon containers are easier to share, or they might reject both options because they don’t like honey.” Warm Up: Which One Would You Choose?, “Which one would you choose? Be prepared to explain your reasoning. A 5-pound jug of honey for $15.35. Three 1.5-pound jars of honey for $13.05.”

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section B: Dot Plots and Histograms, Lesson 8: Describing Distributions on Histograms, Instructional Routines, “This Warm Up encourages students to make sense of histograms in terms of center and spread. It prompts students to hold mathematical conversations and explain their reasoning (MP3), and gives the teacher the opportunity to hear how students compare data sets represented by histograms.” Warm Up: Which One Doesn’t Belong: Histograms, “Which histogram does not belong? Be prepared to explain your reasoning.” Students are given 4 histograms to examine. Histogram A has five rectangles and a range from 75-125, with the largest distribution from 95-105 at 30. Histogram B has five rectangles and a range from 55-105, with the largest distribution from 75-85 at just over 30. Histogram C has 9 rectangles with a range from 55-155, with the largest distribution from 95-105 somewhere between 25-30. Histogram D has five rectangles and a range from 75-125, with the largest distribution from 95-105 at 25. 

Students critique the reasoning of others in connection to grade-level content as they work with the support of the teacher and independently throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section A: What are Ratios?, Lesson 2: Representing Ratios with Diagrams, Instructional Routines, “Writing and using ratio language requires attention to detail. This task further develops students’ ability to describe ratio situations precisely by attending carefully to the quantities, their units, and their order in the ratio. Students work in pairs to match ratios of sauce ingredients to discrete diagrams and to explain reasoning (MP3).” Activity 3: Card Sort, Spaghetti Sauce, “Your teacher will give you cards describing different recipes for spaghetti sauce. In the diagrams: a circle represents a cup of tomato sauce, a square represents a tablespoon of oil, a triangle represents a teaspoon of oregano. a. Take turns with your partner to match a sentence with a diagram. For each match that you find, explain to your partner how you know it’s a match. For each match that your partner finds, listen carefully to their explanation. If you disagree, discuss your thinking and work to reach an agreement. b. After you and your partner have agreed on all of the matches, check your answers with the answer key. If there are any errors, discuss why and revise your matches. c. There were two diagrams that each matched with two different sentences. Which were they? Diagram ___ matched with both sentences ___ and ___. Diagram ____ matched with both sentences ___ and ____.”

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section C: Expressions with Exponents, Lesson 14: Evaluating Expressions with Exponents, Instructional Routines, “In this activity, students use the order of operations to evaluate expressions with exponents. They engage in MP3 as they listen and critique their partner’s reasoning when they do not agree on the answers.” Activity 2: Expression Explosion, “Evaluate the expressions in one of the columns. Your partner will work on the other column. Check with your partner after you finish each row. Your answers in each row should be the same. If your answers aren’t the same, work together to find the error.”

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section B: Dot Plots and Histograms, Lesson 5: Using Dot Plots to Answer Statistical Questions, Instructional Routines, “During the partner discussion, - the teacher will identify two students and another one who agrees with Clare and another who agrees with Tyler - to share during the whole-class discussion (MP3).” Warm Up: Packs on Backs, “This dot plot shows the weights of backpacks, in kilograms, of 50 sixth-grade students at a school in New Zealand. a. The dot plot shows several dots at 0 kilograms. What could a value of 0 mean in this context? b. Clare and Tyler studied the dot plot. Clare said, ‘I think we can use 3 kilograms to describe a typical backpack weight of the group because it represents 20%—or the largest portion—of the data.’ Tyler disagreed and said, 1I think 3 kilograms is too low to describe a typical weight. Half of the dots are for backpacks that are heavier than 3 kilograms, so I would use a larger value.’ Do you agree with either of them? Explain your reasoning.”

Indicator 2G
02/02

Materials support the intentional development of MP4: Model with mathematics; and MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically, for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for supporting the intentional development of MP4: Model with mathematics; and MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically, for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards.

Students have opportunities to engage with the Math Practices across the year. Course Guide, How to Use the Materials, Noticing and Assessing Student Progress in Mathematical Practices, The Standards for Mathematical Practices Chart, “The unit-level Mathematical Practice chart is meant to highlight a handful of lessons in each unit that showcase certain Mathematical Practices. Some units, due to their size or the nature of their content, may have fewer predicted chances for students to engage in a particular Mathematical Practice. A dash in the chart indicates that there may not be enough opportunities to reliably look for this Mathematical Practice in the unit. One primary place Mathematical Practice 4 is tagged is the optional modeling lesson at the end of each unit. Aside from these lessons, optional activities and lessons are not included in this chart.” The Mathematical Practices are also identified in Lesson Preparation Narratives and Lesson Activities Narratives for some lessons.

There is intentional development of MP4 to meet its full intent in connection to grade-level content. Students make sense of problems and persevere in solving them as they work with the teacher's support and independently throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section E: Let’s Put it to Work, Lesson 17: Painting a Room, Lesson Narrative, “Students determine the area of the walls of a bedroom, estimate the amount of paint needed to paint them, and determine the cost associated with the project (MP4). Along the way, they reason about areas of two-dimensional figures, convert units of measurements, solve ratio and rate problems, and work with percentages. Though there is a single correct measure for the total area of the walls to be painted, the amount of paint needed will depend on some assumptions and decisions students make about the work involved.” Activity 1: How Much it Costs to Paint, students use the math they know to estimate needed supplies and their associated costs. “Here is the floorplan for a bedroom: Imagine you are planning to repaint all the walls in this room, including inside the closet. The east wall is 3 yards long. The south wall is 10 feet long but has a window, 5 feet by 3 feet, that does not need to be painted. The west wall is 3 yards long but has a door, 7 feet tall and 3 feet wide, that does not need to be painted. The north wall includes a closet, 6.5 feet wide, with floor-to- ceiling mirrored doors that do not need to be painted. There is, however, a smaller wall between the west wall and the closet that does need to be painted on all sides. The wall is 0.5 feet wide and extends 2 feet into the room. The ceiling in this room is 8 feet high. All of the corners are right angles. a. If you paint all the walls in the room, how many square feet do you need to cover? b. An advertisement about the paint that you want to use reads: “Just 2 quarts covers 175 square feet!” If you need to apply two coats of paint on all the walls, how much paint do you need to buy? c. Paint can only be purchased in 1-quart, 1-gallon, and 5-gallon containers. How much will all supplies for the project cost if the cans of paint cost $10.90 for a quart, $34.90 for a gallon, and $165.00 for 5 gallons? d. You have a coupon for 20% off all quart-sized paint cans. How does that affect the cost of the project?” 

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section E: Let’s Put it to Work, Lesson 17: Fitting Boxes into Boxes, Lesson Narrative, “In this three-part culminating activity, students use what they have learned to determine the most economical way to ship jewelry boxes using the United States Postal Service (USPS) flat-rate options. In Part 1, students make sense of the task, outline what they will need to know and do to answer the question, and map out their plan. In Part 2, they model the problem, calculate the number of jewelry boxes that will fit into each shipping box, and determine the associated costs. Students experiment with different orientations for the jewelry boxes to optimize space and minimize cost. In Part 3, they present, reflect, and discuss. Students explain their strategies and reasoning (MP3) and evaluate the decisions about how to fit all 270 jewelry boxes so they ship at the lowest cost (MP4). As a class, students reflect on how the orientation of the jewelry boxes and the size of the shipping boxes affected the unit cost for shipping each box of jewelry.” Activity 3: Determining Shipping Costs (Part 3), students check to see if they used appropriate model, and revise calculations as needed. “a. Share and discuss your work with the other members of your group. Your teacher will display questions to guide your discussion. Note the feedback from your group so you can use it to revise your work. b. Using the feedback from your group, revise your work to improve its correctness, clarity, and accuracy. Correct any errors. You may also want to add notes or diagrams, or remove unnecessary information. c. Which shipping boxes should the artist use? As a group, decide which boxes you recommend for shipping 270 jewelry boxes. Be prepared to share your reasoning.” 

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section E: Let’s Put It to Work, Lesson 18: Using Data to Solve Problems, Lesson Narrative, “In this lesson, students compare the center and spread of different distributions. They determine what these different measures (mean and MAD or median and IQR) represent in context. They select an appropriate representation for the distribution based on the structure of the data, an appropriate set of measures of center and spread, and interpret their meaning in the context (MP4).” Activity 3: Will the Yellow Perch Survive?, students identify important information as they use a histogram to determine appropriate measures of center and variability, and draw conclusions about certain fish populations. “Scientists studying the yellow perch, a species of fish, believe that the length of a fish is related to its age. This means that the longer the fish, the older it is. Adult yellow perch vary in size, but they are usually between 10 and 25 centimeters. Scientists at the Great Lakes Water Institute caught, measured, and released yellow perch at several locations in Lake Michigan. The table shows a summary that is based on a sample of yellow perch from one of these locations. Problem 1, Use the data to make a histogram that shows the lengths of the captured yellow perch. Each bar should contain the lengths shown in each row in the table. Problem 2, How many fish were measured? How do you know? Problem 3, Use the histogram to answer the following questions. a. How would you describe the shape of the distribution? b. Estimate the median length for this sample. Describe how you made this estimate. c. Predict whether the mean length of this sample is greater than, less than, or nearly equal to the median length for this sample of fish? Explain your prediction. d. Would you use the mean or the median to describe a typical length of the fish being studied? Explain your reasoning.” 

There is intentional development of MP5 to meet its full intent in connection to grade-level content. Students use appropriate tools strategically as they work with the teacher's support and independently throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section C: Representing Equivalent Ratios, Lesson 7: Creating Double Line Diagrams, Lesson Narrative, “Double number lines are included in the first few activity statements to help students find an equivalent ratio involving one item or one unit. In later activities and lessons, students make their own strategic choice of an appropriate representation to support their reasoning (MP5).” Activity 1: Just a Little Green, students use double number lines as they reason about equivalent ratios, “The other day, we made green water by mixing 5 ml of blue water with 15 ml of yellow water. We want to make a very small batch of the same shade of green water. We need to know how much yellow water to mix with only 1 ml of blue water. a. On the number line for blue water, label the four tick marks shown. On the number line for yellow water, draw and label tick marks to show the amount of yellow water needed for each amount of blue water. b. How much yellow water should be used for 1 ml of blue water? Circle where you can see this on the double number line. c. How much yellow water should be used for 11 ml of blue water? d. How much yellow water should be used for 8 ml of blue water? e. Why is it useful to know how much yellow water should be used with 1 ml of blue water?” 

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section B: Equal and Equivalent, Lesson 6: Write Expressions Where Letters Stand for Numbers, Lesson Narrative, “This lesson is a shift from previous work in this unit. Up until now, we were focused on writing and solving equations. Starting in this lesson, we begin to focus on writing expressions to represent situations. Students write expressions that record operations with numbers and with letters standing in for numbers. Students can choose to represent expressions with tape diagrams if they wish (MP5).” Activity 1: Lemonade Sales and Heights, students use appropriate tools and strategies as they write expressions to represent situations. “Problem 1: Lin set up a lemonade stand. She sells the lemonade for $0.50 per cup. a. Complete the table to show how much money she would collect if she sold each number of cups. b. How many cups did she sell if she collected $127.50? Be prepared to explain your reasoning. Problem 2: Elena is 59 inches tall. Some other people are taller than Elena. a. Complete the table to show the height of each person. b. If Noah is 6434\frac{3}{4} inches tall, how much taller is he than Elena?”

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section B: Dot Plots and Histograms, Lesson 4: Dot Plots, Lesson Narrative, “In this lesson, students continue to choose appropriate representation (MP5) to display categorical and numerical data, reason abstractly and quantitatively (MP2) by interpreting the displays in context, and study and comment on features of data distributions they show. Here they begin to use the everyday meaning of the word “typical” to describe a characteristic of a group. They are also introduced to the idea of using center and spread to describe distributions generally. Planted here are seeds for the idea that values near the center of the distribution can be considered “typical” in some sense. These concepts are explored informally at this stage but will be formalized over time, as students gain more experience in describing distributions and more exposure to different kinds of distributions.” Activity1: Pizza Toppings (Part 2), students use appropriate tools and strategies as they represent information graphically. “a. Use the tables from the Warm Up to display the number of toppings as a dot plot. Label your drawing clearly. b. Use your dot plot to study the distribution for the number of toppings. What do you notice about the number of toppings that this group of customers ordered? Write 2–3 sentences summarizing your observations.”

Indicator 2H
02/02

Materials attend to the intentional development of MP6: Attend to precision; and attend to the specialized language of mathematics for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for supporting the intentional development of MP6: Attend to precision; and attend to the specialized language of mathematics, for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards. 

Students have opportunities to engage with the Math Practices across the year. Course Guide, How to Use the Materials, Noticing and Assessing Student Progress in Mathematical Practices, The Standards for Mathematical Practices Chart, “The unit-level Mathematical Practice chart is meant to highlight a handful of lessons in each unit that showcase certain Mathematical Practices. Some units, due to their size or the nature of their content, may have fewer predicted chances for students to engage in a particular Mathematical Practice. A dash in the chart indicates that there may not be enough opportunities to reliably look for this Mathematical Practice in the unit. One primary place Mathematical Practice 4 is tagged is the optional modeling lesson at the end of each unit. Aside from these lessons, optional activities and lessons are not included in this chart.” The Mathematical Practices are also identified in Lesson Preparation Narratives and Lesson Activities’ Narratives for some lessons.

There is intentional development of MP6 to meet its full intent in connection to grade-level content. Students attend to precision as they work with the support of the teacher and independently throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section C: Rates, Lesson 8: More About Constant Speed, Activity 2: Swimming and Biking, Instructional Routines, “This problem has less scaffolding than the previous activity. There are many different unit rates students may choose to calculate while solving this problem. Specifying the units and explaining the context for a rate gives students an opportunity to attend to precision (MP6).” Activity 2: Swimming and Biking, students attend to precision as they use rates to solve problems involving constant speed. “Jada bikes 2 miles in 12 minutes. Jada’s cousin swims 1 mile in 24 minutes. Problem 1: Who is moving faster? How much faster? Problem 2: One day Jada and her cousin line up on the end of a swimming pier on the edge of a lake. At the same time, they start swimming and biking in opposite directions. a. How far apart will they be after 15 minutes? b. How long will it take them to be 5 miles apart?”

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section B: Meanings of Fraction Division, Lesson 5: How Many Groups? (Part 2), Lesson Narrative, “In this lesson, students continue to work with division situations involving questions like ‘how many groups?’ or ‘how many of this in that?’ Unlike in the previous lesson, they encounter situations where the quotient is not a whole number, and they must attend to the whole when representing the answer as a fraction (MP6).” Activity 2: Drawing Diagrams to Show Equal-Sized Groups, students attend to precision as they use diagrams and equations to represent situations. “For each situation, draw a diagram for the relationship of the quantities to help you answer the question. Then write a multiplication equation or a division equation for the relationship. Be prepared to share your reasoning. a. The distance around a park is 32\frac{3}{2} miles. Noah rode his bicycle around the park for a total of 3 miles. How many times around the park did he ride? b. You need 34\frac{3}{4} yard of ribbon for one gift box. You have 3 yards of ribbon. How many gift boxes do you have ribbon for? c. The water hose fills a bucket at 13\frac{1}{3} gallon per minute. How many minutes does it take to fill a 2-gallon bucket?” 

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section D: Common Factors and Common Multiples, Lesson 16: Common Factors, Lesson Narrative, “In this lesson, students use contextual situations to learn about common factors and the greatest common factor of two whole numbers. They develop strategies for finding common multiples and least common multiples. They develop a definition of the terms common factor and greatest common factor for two whole numbers (MP6).” Activity 1: DIego’s Bake Sale, students attend to precision as they find greatest common factors in context to put equal amounts of baked goods into bags. “Diego is preparing brownies and cookies for a bake sale. He would like to make equal-size bags for selling all of the 48 brownies and 64 cookies that he has. Organize your answer to each question so that it can be followed by others. a. How can Diego package all the 48 brownies so that each bag has the same number of them? How many bags can he make, and how many brownies will be in each bag? Find all the possible ways to package the brownies. b. How can Diego package all the 64 cookies so that each bag has the same number of them? How many bags can he make, and how many cookies will be in each bag? Find all the possible ways to package the cookies. c. How can Diego package all the 48 brownies and 64 cookies so that each bag has the same combination of items? How many bags can he make, and how many of each will be in each bag? Find all the possible ways to package both items. d. What is the largest number of combination bags that Diego can make with no left over? Explain to your partner how you know that it is the largest possible number of bags.”

Students attend to the specialized language of mathematics as they work with support of the teacher and independently throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section D: Polygons, Lesson 11: Polygons, Instructional Routines, “This activity prompts students to develop a working definition of polygon [sic] that makes sense to them, but that also captures all of the necessary aspects that make a figure a polygon (MP6).” Activity 1: What Are Polygons, students use the specialized language of mathematics as they define polygons and categorize them by type. “Here are five polygons: Here are six figures that are not polygons: a. Select the figures that are polygons. b. What do the figures you circled have in common? What characteristics helped you decide whether a figure was a polygon?”

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section A: What are Ratios? Lesson 2: Representing Ratios with Diagrams, Lesson Narrative, “Students used physical objects to learn about ratios in the previous lesson. Here they use diagrams to represent situations involving ratios and continue to develop ratio language. The use of diagrams to represent ratios involves some care so that students can make strategic choices about the tools they use to solve problems. Both the visual and verbal descriptions of ratios demand careful interpretation and use of language (MP6).” Activity 1: A Collection of Snap Cubes, students use the specialized language of mathematics as they read ratio information and represent it in a diagram. “Here is a collection of snap cubes. 1. Choose two of the colors in the image, and draw a diagram showing the number of snap cubes for these two colors. 2. Trade papers with a partner. On their paper, write a sentence to describe a ratio shown in their diagram. Your partner will do the same for your diagram. 3. Return your partner’s paper. Read the sentence written on your paper. If you disagree, explain your thinking.”

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section D: Percentages, Lesson 10: What Are Percentages? Lesson Narrative, “This lesson is the first of two that introduce students to percentages as a rate per 100 (MP6) and the ways they are used to describe different types of situations.” Activity 2: Coins on a Number Line, students use the specialized language of mathematics as they reason about percents of 1 dollar. “A $1 coin is worth 100% of the value of a dollar. Here is a double number line that shows this. a. The coins in Jada’s pocket are worth 75% of a dollar. How much are they worth (in dollars)? b. The coins in Diego’s pocket are worth 150% of a dollar. How much are they worth (in dollars)? c. Elena has 3 quarters and 5 dimes. What percentage of a dollar does she have?”

Indicator 2I
02/02

Materials support the intentional development of MP7: Look for and make use of structure; and MP8: Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning, for students, in connection to the grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for supporting the intentional development of MP7: Look for and make use of structure; and MP8: Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning, for students, in connection to grade-level content standards, as expected by the mathematical practice standards.

Students have opportunities to engage with the Math Practices across the year. Course Guide, How to Use the Materials, Noticing and Assessing Student Progress in Mathematical Practices, The Standards for Mathematical Practices Chart, “The unit-level Mathematical Practice chart is meant to highlight a handful of lessons in each unit that showcase certain Mathematical Practices. Some units, due to their size or the nature of their content, may have fewer predicted chances for students to engage in a particular Mathematical Practice. A dash in the chart indicates that there may not be enough opportunities to reliably look for this Mathematical Practice in the unit. One primary place Mathematical Practice 4 is tagged is the optional modeling lesson at the end of each unit. Aside from these lessons, optional activities and lessons are not included in this chart.” The Mathematical Practices are also identified in Lesson Preparation Narratives and Lesson Activities Narratives for some lessons.

There is intentional development of MP7 to meet its full intent in connection to grade-level content. Students look for and use structure as they work independently with the teacher's support throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section A: Reasoning to Find Area, Lesson 3: Reasoning to Find Area, Lesson Narrative, “This lesson is the third of three lessons that use the following principles for reasoning about figures to find area: If two figures can be placed one on top of the other so that they match up exactly, then they have the same area. If a figure is composed from pieces that don’t overlap, the sum of the areas of the pieces is the area of the figure. If a given figure is decomposed into pieces, then the area of the given figure is the sum of the areas of the pieces. Following these principles, students can use several strategies to find the area of a figure. They can: Decompose it into shapes whose areas they can calculate. Decompose and rearrange it into shapes whose areas they can calculate. Consider it as a shape with one or more missing pieces, calculate the area of the shape, then subtract the areas of the missing pieces. Enclose it with a figure whose area they can calculate, consider the result as a region with missing pieces, and find its area using the previous strategy. Use of these strategies involves looking for and making use of structure (MP7); explaining them involves constructing logical arguments (MP3). For now, rectangles are the only shapes whose areas students know how to calculate, but the strategies will become more powerful as students’ repertoires grow. This lesson includes one figure for which the ‘enclosing’ strategy is appropriate, however, that strategy is not the main focus of the lesson and is not included in the list of strategies at the end.” Activity 1: On The Grid, students analyze the problem and look for an approach as they find areas of regions. “Each grid square is 1 square unit. Find the area, in square units, of each shaded region without counting every square. Be prepared to explain your reasoning.” Four composite shapes are pictured.

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section D: Percentages, Lesson 11, Percentages and Double Number Lines, Lesson Narrative, “Students continue to have double number lines as a reasoning tool to use if they want. In several cases the double number line is provided. There are two reasons for this. First, the equal intervals on the provided double number line are useful for reasoning about percentages. Second, using the same representation that was used earlier for other ratio and rate reasoning reinforces the idea of a percentage as a rate per 100 (MP7). It is perfectly acceptable, however, for students to use strategies other than double number lines for solving percentage problems.” Activity 2: Puppies Grow Up, Problem 1, students look for patterns or structure as they 100% of quantities given other percentages. “Jada has a new puppy that weighs 9 pounds. The vet says that the puppy is now at about 20% of its adult weight. What will be the adult weight of the puppy?” Problem 2, “Andre also has a puppy that weighs 9 pounds. The vet says that this puppy is now at about 30% of its adult weight. What will be the adult weight of Andre’s puppy?”  

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section B: Adding and Subtracting Decimals, Lesson 4: Adding and Subtracting Decimals with Many Non-Zero Digits, Instructional Routines, “Students deepen their understanding of regrouping by tackling problems that are more challenging and that prompt them to notice and use structure (MP7). Students build on both their work with whole-number differences (such as 1000 - 256) to find differences such as 1 - 0.256. To add and subtract digits, they may think in terms of bundling and unbundling base-ten units, but there are also other opportunities to use structure here. Let’s take the example 1,000 - 256. Since 1,000 = 999 + 1, students could calculate 1,000 - 256 by first finding 999 - 256 = 743, and then adding 1 to get 744. They could use the same reasoning to find sums and differences of decimals.” Activity 2: Missing Numbers, students look for structure in expression as they regroup addition and subtraction problems. “Write the missing digits in each calculation so that the value of each sum or difference is correct. Be prepared to explain your reasoning. a. 0.404 + ___ = 1 b. 9.8765 + ___ =10 c. 0.7 - ___ = 0.012 d. 7 - ___ = 3.4567 e. 70 - ___ = 0.0089” 

There is intentional development of MP8 to meet its full intent in connection to grade-level content. Students look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning as they work independently with the teacher's support throughout the units. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section D: Solving Ratio and Rate Problems, Lesson 12: Navigating a Table of Equivalent Ratios, Lesson Narrative, “Students see that a table accommodates different ways of reasoning about equivalent ratios, with some being more direct than others. They notice (MP8) that to find an unknown quantity, they can: Find the multiplier that relates two corresponding values in different rows (e.g., “What times 5 equals 8?”) and use that multiplier to find unknown values. (This follows the multiplicative thinking developed in previous lessons.) Find an equivalent ratio with one quantity having a value of 1 and use that ratio to find missing values.” Activity 2: Hourly Wages, students use the method of calculating unit rate to find equivalent ratios. “Lin is paid $90 for 5 hours of work. She used the following table to calculate how much she would be paid at this rate for 8 hours of work. a. What is the meaning of the 18 that appears in the table? b. Why was the number 15\frac{1}{5} used as a multiplier? c. Explain how Lin used this table to solve the problem. d. At this rate, how much would Lin be paid for 3 hours of work? For 2.1 hours of work?”

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section B: Meanings of Fraction Division, Lesson 4: How Many Groups (Part 1), Lesson Narrative, “This lesson is the first in a group of six lessons that trace out a gradual progression of learning—from reasoning with specific quantities, to using a symbolic formula for division of fractions (MP8).” Warm Up: Equal-sized Groups, students generalizations of multiplication as representing equal-sized groups and the relationship between multiplication and division. “Write a multiplication equation and a division equation for each statement or diagram. a. Eight $5 bills are worth $40. b. There are 9 thirds in 3 ones.” Part c. shows a bar diagram equally divided into 5 sections each labeled 15\frac{1}{5}."

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section C: Expressions with Exponents, Lesson 12: Meaning of Exponents, Instructional Routines, “The purpose of this task is to show a simple context where exponent notation is naturally useful. The task lends itself to connecting repeated calculations with an expression involving exponents (MP8). This motivates creating a shorthand notation that can be used to answer the questions.” Activity 1: The Genie’s Offer, students create shortcuts by using exponents to represent repeated multiplication. “You find a brass bottle that looks really old. When you rub some dirt off of the bottle, a genie appears! The genie offers you a reward. You must choose one: $50,000; or a magical $1 coin. The coin will turn into two coins on the first day. The two coins will turn into four coins on the second day. The four coins will double to 8 coins on the third day. The genie explains the doubling will continue for 28 days. a. The number of coins on the third day will be 2 \cdot 2 \cdot 2. Can you write another expression using exponents for the number of coins there will be on the third day? b.What do 252^5and 262^6represent in this situation? Evaluate 252^5 and 262^6 without a calculator. c. How many days would it take for the number of magical coins to exceed $50,000? d. Will the value of the magical coins exceed a million dollars within the 28 days? Explain or show your reasoning.”

Overview of Gateway 3

Usability

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for Usability. The materials meet expectations for Criterion 1, Teacher Supports; Criterion 2, Assessment; Criterion 3, Student Supports.

Criterion 3.1: Teacher Supports

09/09

The program includes opportunities for teachers to effectively plan and utilize materials with integrity and to further develop their own understanding of the content.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for Teacher Supports. The materials: provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for enacting the student and ancillary materials; contain adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade-level concepts and concepts beyond the current grade so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject; include standards correlation information that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series; provide explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies; and provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.

Indicator 3A
02/02

Materials provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials, with specific attention to engaging students in order to guide their mathematical development.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for providing teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials, with specific attention to engaging students in order to guide their mathematical development.

Within the Course Guide, several sections (Design Principles, A Typical Lesson, How to Use the Materials, and Key Structures in This Course) provide comprehensive guidance that will assist teachers in presenting the student and ancillary materials. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, About These Materials, The Five Practices, “Selected activities are structured using Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions (Smith & Stein, 2011), also described in Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All (NCTM, 2014), and Intentional Talk: How to Structure and Lead Productive Mathematical Discussions (Kazemi & Hintz, 2014). These activities include a presentation of a task or problem (may be print or other media) where student approaches are anticipated ahead of time. Students first engage in independent think-time followed by partner or small-group work on the problem. The teacher circulates as students are working and notes groups using different approaches. Groups or individuals are selected in a specific, recommended sequence to share their approach with the class, and finally the teacher leads a whole-class discussion to make connections and highlight important ideas.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, About These Materials, A Typical Lesson, “A note about optional activities: A relatively small number of activities throughout the course have been marked “optional.” Some common reasons an activity might be optional include: The activity addresses a concept or skill that is below grade level, but we know that it is common for students to need a chance to focus on it before encountering grade-level material. If the pre-unit diagnostic assessment (”Check Your Readiness”) indicates that students don’t need this review, an activity like this can be safely skipped. The activity addresses a concept or skill that goes beyond the requirements of a standard. The activity is nice to do if there is time, but students won’t miss anything important if the activity is skipped. The activity provides an opportunity for additional practice on a concept or skill that we know many students (but not necessarily all students) need. Teachers should use their judgment about whether class time is needed for such an activity. A typical lesson has four phases: 1. A Warm Up 2. One or more instructional activities 3. The lesson synthesis 4. A Cool Down.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, How To Use These Materials, Each Lesson and Unit Tells a Story, “The story of each grade is told in nine units. Each unit has a narrative that describes the mathematical work that will unfold in that unit. Each lesson in the unit also has a narrative. Lesson Narratives explain: The mathematical content of the lesson and its place in the learning sequence. The meaning of any new terms introduced in the lesson. How the mathematical practices come into play, as appropriate. Activities within lessons also have narratives, which explain: The mathematical purpose of the activity and its place in the learning sequence. What students are doing during the activity. What teacher needs to look for while students are working on an activity to orchestrate an effective synthesis. Connections to the mathematical practices, when appropriate.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, Scope and Sequence lists each of the nine units, a Pacing Guide to plan instruction, and Dependency Diagrams. These Dependency Diagrams show the interconnectedness between lessons and units within Grade 6 and across all grades.

  • Resources, Glossary, provides a visual glossary for teachers that includes both definitions and illustrations. Some images use examples and nonexamples, and all have citations referencing what unit and lesson the definition is from.

Materials include sufficient annotations and suggestions presented within the context of the specific learning objectives. Several components focus specifically on the content of the lesson. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section D: Solving Ratio and Rate Problems, Lesson 11: Representing Ratios with Tables, Activity 1: A Huge Amount of Sparkling Orange Juice, Instructional Routines, “Here, students are asked to find missing values for significantly scaled-up ratios. The activity serves several purposes: To uncover a limitation of a double number line (e.g., that it is not always practical to extend it to find significantly scaled-up equivalent ratios), To reinforce the multiplicative reasoning needed to find equivalent ratios (especially in cases when drawing diagrams or skip counting is inefficient), and To introduce a table as a way to represent equivalent ratios. To find equivalent ratios involving large values, some students may simply try to squeeze numbers on the extreme right side of the paper, ignoring the previously equal intervals. Others may use multiplication (or division) and write expressions or equations to capture the given scenarios. Notice students’ reasoning processes, especially any struggles with the double number line (e.g., the lines not being long enough, requiring much marking and writing, the numbers being too large, etc.), as these can motivate a need for a more efficient strategy.”

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Unit Overview, “In this unit, tables and double number line diagrams are intended to help students connect percentages with equivalent ratios, and reinforce an understanding of percentages as rates per 100. Students should internalize the meaning of important benchmark percentages, for example, they should connect ‘75% of a number’ with ‘34\frac{3}{4} times a number’ and ‘0.75 times a number.’ Note that 75% (“seventy-five per hundred”) does not represent a fraction or decimal (which are numbers), but that ‘75% of a number’ is calculated as a fraction of or a decimal times the number.”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 7: Comparing Numbers and Distance from Zero, Lesson Narrative, “It is a common mistake for students to mix up ‘greater’ or ‘less’ with absolute value. A confused student might say that -18 is greater than 4 because they see 18 as being the ‘bigger’ number. What this student means to express is 18\lvert -18 \rvert > 4. The absolute value of -18 is greater than 4 because -18 is more than 4 units away from 0.” 

Indicator 3B
02/02

Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade-level/course-level concepts and concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for containing adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade/course-level concepts and concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their knowledge of the subject.

Unit Overviews, Instructional Routines, and Activity Synthesis sections within units and lessons include adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade-level concepts. Examples include:

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section A: Making Sense of Division, Lesson 3: Interpreting Division Situations, Activity 1: Homemade Jams, Instructional Routines, “This activity allows students to draw diagrams and write equations to represent simple division situations. Some students may draw concrete diagrams; others may draw abstract ones. Any diagrammatic representation is fine as long as it enables students to make sense of the relationship between the number of groups, the size of a group, and a total amount. The last question is likely more challenging to represent with a diagram. Because the question asks for the number of jars, and because the amount per jar is a fraction, students will not initially know how many jars to draw (unless they know what 634÷346\frac{3}{4}\div\frac{3}{4} is). Suggest that they start with an estimate, and as they reason about the problem, add jars to (or remove jars from) their diagram as needed.”

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section C: Expressions with Exponents, Lesson 14: Evaluating Expressions with Exponents, Activity 1: Calculating Surface Area, Activity Synthesis, “In finding the surface area, there is a clear reason to find 10210^2 and then multiply by 6. Tell students that sometimes it is not so clear in which order to evaluate operations. There is an order that we all generally agree on, and when we want something done in a different order, brackets are used to communicate what to do first. When an exponent occurs in the same expression as multiplication or division, we evaluate the exponent first, unless brackets say otherwise. Examples: (34)2=122=144{(3\cdot4)}^2 = {12}^2 = 144, since the brackets tell us to multiply (3 \cdot 4) first. But 3 \cdot 424^2 = 3 \cdot 16 = 48, because since there are no brackets, we evaluate the exponent before multiplying. If students bring up PEMDAS or another mnemonic for remembering the order of operations, point out that PEMDAS can be misleading in indicating multiplication before division, and addition before subtraction. Discuss the convention that brackets or parentheses indicate that something should be evaluated first, followed by exponents, multiplication or division (evaluated left to right), and last, addition or subtraction (evaluated left to right).” 

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Unit Overview, “Previously, when students worked only with non-negative numbers, magnitude and order were indistinguishable: if one number was greater than another, then on the number line it was always to the right of the other number and always farther from zero. In comparing two signed numbers, students distinguish between magnitude (the absolute value of a number) and order (relative position on the number line), distinguishing between ‘greater than’ and ‘greater absolute value,’ and ‘less than’ and ‘smaller absolute value’. Students examine opposites of numbers, noticing that the opposite of a negative number is positive.”

Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of concepts beyond grade 6 so that teachers can improve their knowledge of the subject. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Unit 1 Overview, “In grade 8, students will understand “identical copy of” as “congruent to” and understand congruence in terms of rigid motions, that is, motions such as reflection, rotation, and translation. In grade 6, students do not have any way to check for congruence except by inspection, but it is not practical to cut out and stack every pair of figures one sees. Tracing paper is an excellent tool for verifying that figures ‘match up exactly” and students should have access to this and other tools at all times in this unit.”

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Unit 2 Overview, “The terms proportion and proportional relationship are not used anywhere in the grade 6 materials. A proportional relationship is a collection of equivalent ratios, and such collections are objects of study in grade 7. In high school- after their study of ratios, rates, and proportional relationships- students discard the term “unit rate,” referring to a to b, a:b, and ab\frac{a}{b} as “ratios.”

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section D: Dividing Decimals, Lesson 11: Dividing Numbers that Result in Decimals, Activity 2 Synthesis, "Problems like 1 ÷ 25 are challenging because the first step is 0: there are zero groups of 25 in 1. This means that we need to introduce a decimal and put a 0 to the right of the decimal. But one 0 is not enough. It is not until we add the second 0 to the right of the decimal that we can find 4 groups of 25 in 100. Because we moved two places to the right of the decimal, these 4 groups are really 0.04, which is the quotient of 1 by 25." "Problems like 1 ÷ 3 are not fully treated until grade 7. At this point, we can observe that the long division process will go on and on because there is always a remainder of 1."

Indicator 3C
02/02

Materials include standards correlation information that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for including standards correlation information that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series.

Correlation information can be found within different sections of the Course Guide and within the Standards section of each lesson. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, About These Materials, Task Purposes, “A note about standards alignments: There are three kinds of alignments to standards in these materials: building on, addressing, and building towards. Oftentimes a particular standard requires weeks, months, or years to achieve, in many cases building on work in prior grade-levels. When an activity reflects the work of prior grades but is being used to bridge to a grade-level standard, alignments are indicated as ‘building on’. When an activity is laying the foundation for a grade-level standard but has not yet reached the level of the standard, the alignment is indicated as ‘building towards’. When a task is focused on the grade-level work, the alignment is indicated as ‘addressing’.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, How To Use These Materials, Noticing and Assessing Student Progress in Mathematical Practices, “The unit-level Mathematical Practice chart is meant to highlight a handful of lessons in each unit that showcase certain Mathematical Practices. Some units, due to their size or the nature of their content, may have fewer predicted chances for students to engage in a particular Mathematical Practice. A dash in the chart indicates that there may not be enough opportunities to reliably look for this Mathematical Practice in the unit. One primary place Mathematical Practice 4 is tagged is the optional modeling lesson at the end of each unit. Aside from these lessons, optional activities and lessons are not included in this chart.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, Scope and Sequence, “In the unit dependency chart, an arrow indicates that a particular unit is designed for students who already know the material in a previous unit. Reversing the order would have a negative effect on mathematical or pedagogical coherence.” Unit Dependency Diagrams identify connections between units and Section Dependency Diagrams identify specific connections within the grade level.

  • Resources, Course Guide, Lesson and Standards, provides two tables: a Standards by Lesson table, and a Lessons by Standard table. Teachers can utilize these tables to identify standard/lesson alignment.

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section B: Meanings of Fraction Division, Lesson 7: What Fraction of a Group?, “Addressing 6.NS.A.1 Interpret and compute quotients of fractions, and solve word problems involving division of fractions by fractions, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations to represent the problem.”

Explanations of the role of specific grade-level mathematics can be found within the Unit Overviews, Section Overviews, and Lesson Narratives. Examples include:

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Overview, “In this unit, students learn an efficient algorithm for division and extend their use of other base-ten algorithms to decimals of arbitrary length. Because these algorithms rely on the structure of the base-ten system, students build on the understanding of place value and the properties of operations developed during earlier grades (MP7). The unit begins with a lesson that revisits sums and differences of decimals to hundredths, and products of a decimal and whole number. The tasks are set in the context of shopping and budgeting, allowing students to be reminded of appropriate magnitudes for results of calculations with decimals. The next section focuses on extending algorithms for addition, subtraction, and multiplication, which students used with whole numbers in earlier grades, to decimals of arbitrary length.”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section C: The Coordinate Plane, Section Overview, “The third section of the unit focuses on the coordinate plane. In grade 5, students learned to plot points in the coordinate plane, but they worked only with non-negative numbers, thus plotted points only in the first quadrant. In a previous unit, students again worked in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, plotting points to represent ratio and other relationships between two quantities with positive values. In this unit, students work in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane, plotting pairs of signed number coordinates in the plane. They understand that for a given data set, there are more and less strategic choices for the scale and extent of a set of axes. They understand the correspondence between the signs of a pair of coordinates and the quadrant of the corresponding point. They interpret the meanings of plotted points in given contexts (MP2), and use coordinates to calculate horizontal and vertical distances between two points.”

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section D: Median and IQR, Lesson 14: Comparing Mean and Median, Lesson Narrative, “In this lesson, students investigate whether the mean or the median is a more appropriate measure of the center of a distribution in a given context. They learn that when the distribution is symmetrical, the mean and median have similar values. When a distribution is not symmetrical, however, the mean is often greatly influenced by values that are far from the majority of the data points (even if there is only one unusual value). In this case, the median may be a better choice. At this point, students may not yet fully understand that the choice of measures of center is not entirely black and white, or that the choice should always be interpreted in the context of the problem (MP2) and should hinge on what insights we seek or questions we would like to answer. This is acceptable at this stage. In upcoming lessons, they will have more opportunities to include these considerations into their decisions about measures of center.”

Indicator 3D
Read

Materials provide strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 provide strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement. 

The materials include an introductory Family Letter, and the student edition contains lesson summaries and video lesson summaries. Examples include: 

  • Resources, Family Letter, What supports are in the materials to help my student succeed?, “Each lesson includes a lesson summary that describes the key mathematical work of the lesson and provides worked examples when relevant. Students can use this resource if they are absent from class, to check their understanding of the day’s topics, and as a reference when they are working on practice problems or studying for an assessment. Each lesson is followed by a practice problem set. These problems help students synthesize their knowledge and build their skills. Some practice problems in each set relate to the content of the current lesson, while others revisit concepts from previous lessons and units. Distributed practice like this has been shown to be more effective at helping students retain information over time. Each lesson includes a few learning targets, which summarize the goals of the lesson. Each unit’s complete set of learning targets is available on a single page, which can be used as a self-assessment tool as students progress through the course. Family support materials are included several times in each unit. These materials give an overview of the unit's math content and provide a problem to work on with your student.”

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section B: Adding and Subtracting Decimals, Lesson 4: Adding and Subtracting Decimals with Many Non-Zero Digits, Student Edition, Lesson Summary, “Base-ten diagrams work best for representing subtraction of numbers with few non-zero digits, such as 0.16-0.09. For numbers with many non-zero digits, such as 0.25103-0.04671, it would take a long time to draw the base-ten diagram. With vertical calculations, we can find this difference efficiently. Thinking about base-ten diagrams can help us make sense of this calculation. The thousandth in 0.25103 is unbundled (or decomposed) to make 10 ten- thousandths so that we can subtract 7 ten-thousandths. Similarly, one of the hundredths in 0.25103 is unbundled (or decomposed) to make 10 thousandths.” 

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Student Edition, Video Lesson Summaries, “Each video highlights key concepts and vocabulary included in one or more lessons in the unit. These lesson videos are based on the Lesson Summaries found at the end of each lesson. Here are some possible ways to use these videos: Keep informed on concepts and vocabulary learned in class. Review and check understanding of the included lessons. Watch and pause at key points to predict what comes next or think up other examples of vocabulary terms (the bolded words). Video 1: Data and Variability (Lessons 1–3), Video 2: Distributions and Histograms (Lessons 4–8), Video 3: Mean (Lessons 9–10), Video 4: Variability and MAD (Lessons 11–12), Video 5: Median (Lessons 13–14), Video 6: Five Number Summary and Box Plots (Lessons 15–17).”

Indicator 3E
02/02

Materials provide explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for providing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

The materials explain and provide examples of the program's instructional approaches and include and reference research-based strategies. Both the instructional approaches and the research-based strategies are included in the Course Guide. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, About These Materials, Design Principles, The Five Practices, “Selected activities are structured using Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions (Smith & Stein, 2011), also described in Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All (NCTM, 2014), and Intentional Talk: How to Structure and Lead Productive Mathematical Discussions (Kazemi & Hintz, 2014). These activities include a presentation of a task or problem (may be print or other media) where student approaches are anticipated ahead of time. Students first engage in independent think-time followed by partner or small-group work on the problem. The teacher circulates as students are working and notes groups using different approaches. Groups or individuals are selected in a specific, recommended sequence to share their approach with the class, and finally the teacher leads a whole-class discussion to make connections and highlight important ideas.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, How to Use These Materials, Instructional Routines, “The kind of instruction appropriate in any particular lesson depends on the learning goals of that lesson. Some lessons may be devoted to developing a concept, others to mastering a procedural skill, yet others to applying mathematics to a real-world problem. These aspects of mathematical proficiency are interwoven. These lesson plans include a small set of activity structures and reference a small, high-leverage set of teacher moves that become more and more familiar to teachers and students as the year progresses. Some of the instructional routines, known as Mathematical Language Routines (MLR), were developed by the Stanford University UL/SCALE team. The purpose of each MLR is described here, but you can read more about supports for students with emerging English language proficiency in the Supports for English Language Learners section.”

  • Resources, About These Materials, What is a “Problem-Based” Curriculum, Attitudes and Beliefs We Want to Cultivate, “Many people think that mathematical knowledge and skills exclusively belong to “math people.” Yet research shows that students who believe that hard work is more important than innate talent learn more mathematics. We want students to believe anyone can do mathematics and that persevering at mathematics will result in understanding and success. In the words of the NRC report Adding It Up, we want students to develop a “productive disposition—[the] habitual inclination to see mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile, coupled with a belief in diligence and one’s own efficacy.”

Indicator 3F
01/01

Materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for providing a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.

In the Course Guide, Materials, there is a list of materials needed for each unit and each lesson. Lessons that do not have materials are indicated by none; lessons that need materials have a list of all the materials required. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, Required Materials, “1/2-inch cubes, 1/4-inch graph paper. base-ten blocks, beakers, bingo chips, blank paper, colored pencils, Cuisenaire rods, decks of playing cards, demonstration nets with and without flaps, dot stickers, drink mix, empty containers, food coloring, four-function calculators, gallon-sized jug, geometry toolkits, glue or gluesticks, graduated cylinders, graph paper, graphing technology, grocery store circulars, household items, inch cubes, index cards, internet-enabled device, liter-sized bottle, markers, masking tape, measuring tapes, metal paper fasteners, meter sticks, nets of polyhedra, origami paper, paper cups, pattern blocks, pre-assembled or commercially produced tangrams, pre-assembled polyhedra, quart-sized bottle, rulers, rulers marked with centimeters, rulers marked with inches, salt, scale, scissors, snap cubes, sticky notes, stopwatches, straightedges, string, students’ collections of objects, tape, teacher’s collection of objects, teaspoon, tools for creating a visual display, tracing paper, tray, water, yardsticks.”

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section B: Equivalent Ratios, Lesson 5: Defining Equivalent Ratios, Required Materials, “tools for creating a visual display.”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 1: Positive and Negative Numbers, Required Materials, “rulers.”

Indicator 3G
Read

This is not an assessed indicator in Mathematics.

Indicator 3H
Read

This is not an assessed indicator in Mathematics.

Criterion 3.2: Assessment

10/10

The program includes a system of assessments identifying how materials provide tools, guidance, and support for teachers to collect, interpret, and act on data about student progress towards the standards.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for Assessment. The materials identify the content standards and mathematical practices assessed in formal assessments. The materials provide multiple opportunities to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance, and suggestions for following-up with students. The materials include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level standards and mathematical practices across the series.

Indicator 3I
02/02

Assessment information is included in the materials to indicate which standards are assessed.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for having assessment information included in the materials to indicate which standards are assessed.

The materials consistently and accurately identify grade-level content standards for formal assessments in the Lesson Cool Down, Mid-Unit Assessments and End-of-Unit Assessments within each assessment answer key. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, Assessments, Summative Assessments, “All summative assessment problems include a complete solution and standard alignment. Multiple-choice and multiple response problems often include a reason for each potential error a student might make. Restricted constructed response and extended response items include a rubric.”

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section D: Dividing Decimals, Lesson 10: Using Long Division, Cool Down: Dividing by 15, “6.NS.B.2, Use long division to find the value of 1,875 ÷\div 15.”

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Unit Assessments, Mid-Unit Assessment, Version A, Problem 4, “6.EE.B.6, 6.EE.B.7, “29\frac{2}{9} of the students in a school are in sixth grade. a. How many sixth graders are there if the school has 90 students? b. How many sixth graders are there if the school has 27 students? c. If the school has x students, write an expression for the number of sixth graders in terms of x. d. How many students are in the school if 42 of them are sixth graders?”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Unit Assessments, End-of-Unit Assessment, Version B, Problem 2, “6.NS.B.4, Select ALL the numbers that are a common multiple of 8 and 12. A. 96 B. 80 C. 48 D. 32 E. 24 F. 20 G. 4.”

The materials consistently and accurately identify grade-level mathematical practice standards for formal assessments. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, How to Use These Materials, Noticing and Assessing Student Progress in Mathematical Practices, How Can You Use the Mathematical Practices Chart, “No single task is sufficient for assessing student engagement with the Standards for Mathematical Practice. For teachers looking to assess their students, consider providing students the list of learning targets to self-assess their use of the practices, assigning students to create and maintain a portfolio of work that highlights their progress in using the Mathematical Practices throughout the course, monitoring collaborative work and noting student engagement with the Mathematical Practices. Because using the mathematical practices is part of a process for engaging with mathematical content, we suggest assessing the Mathematical Practices formatively. For example, if you notice that most students do not use appropriate tools strategically (MP5), plan in future lessons to select and highlight work from students who have chosen different tools. Since the Mathematical Practices in action can take many forms, a list of learning targets for each Mathematical Practice is provided to support teachers and students in recognizing when engagement with a particular Mathematical Practice is happening. The intent of the list is not that students check off every item on the list. Rather, the ‘I can’ statements are examples of the types of actions students could do if they are engaging with a particular Mathematical Practice.

  • Resources, Course Guide, How to Use the Materials, Noticing and Assessing Student Progress In Mathematical Practices, Standards for Mathematical Practice Student Facing Learning Targets, “MP2: I Can Reason Abstractly and Quantitatively: I can think about and show numbers in many ways. I can identify the things that can be counted in a problem. I can think about what the numbers in a problem mean and how to use them to solve the problem. I can make connections between real-world situations and objects, diagrams, numbers, expressions, or equations.”

Indicator 3J
04/04

Assessment system provides multiple opportunities throughout the grade, course, and/or series to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for including an assessment system that provides multiple opportunities throughout the grade, course, and/or series to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.

Materials provide opportunities to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, Assessments, Summative Assessments, End-of-Unit Assessments, “All summative assessment problems include a complete solution and standard alignment. Multiple-choice and multiple response problems often include a reason for each potential error a student might make. Restricted constructed response and extended response items include a rubric. Unlike formative assessments, problems on summative assessments generally do not prescribe a method of solution.”

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Mid-Unit Assessment, Version A, Problem 6, students complete a table to represent the relationship between the number of raffle tickets sold and the amount of money earned then use this information to answer questions. “Diego is selling raffle tickets for $1.75 per ticket. a. Complete the table to show how much money he would earn if he sold each number of tickets. b. How many tickets would Diego need to sell to earn $140? Explain your reasoning.” Solution, “Minimal Tier 1 response: Work is complete and correct, with complete table and correct answer for part B. Sample: See table above1.75r = 140, r = 140 ÷\div 1.75, r = 80. Tier 2 response: Work shows good conceptual understanding and mastery, with either minor errors or correct work with insufficient explanation or justification. Acceptable errors: a reasonable response to part b is based on an incorrect expression in the last cell of the table. Sample errors: a substituted value for is recorded in the last column of the table, but keeps the multiplicative relationship of 1.75. Tier 3 response: Work shows a developing but incomplete conceptual understanding, with significant errors. Sample errors: The table reflects a lack of understanding of the multiplicative relationship, which affects the equation in part b. Work involves a misinterpretation of the situation that affects all or most problem parts, but work does show understanding of writing equations to represent situations and interpreting solutions to equations.” 

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, End-of-Unit Assessment, Version A, Problem 6, student find the median and interquartile range of a data set. “Ten students each attempted 10 free throws. This list shows how many free throws each student made. 8, 5, 6, 6, 4, 9, 7, 6, 5, 9 a. What is the median number of free throws made? b. What is the IQR (interquartile range)?” Solution, “a. 6 free throws. (The ordered list is 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9. The two middle terms in the ordered list are both b.) 3 free throws. (The first half of the data is 4, 5, 5, 6, 6; its median is 5. The second half of the data is 6, 7, 8, 9, 9; its median is 8. The IQR is 3, since 8 - 5 = 3.)”

Materials provide opportunities to determine students' learning and general suggestions to teachers for following up with students. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, Assessments, Pre-Unit Diagnostic Assessments, “What if a large number of students can’t do the same pre-unit assessment problem? Teachers are encouraged to address below-grade skills while continuing to work through the on-grade tasks and concepts of each unit, instead of abandoning the current work in favor of material that only addresses below-grade skills. Look for opportunities within the upcoming unit where the target skill could be addressed in context. For example, an upcoming activity might require solving an equation in one variable. Some strategies might include: ask a student who can do the skill to present their method, add additional questions to the Warm Up with the purpose of revisiting the skill, add to the activity launch a few related equations to solve, before students need to solve an equation while working on the activity, pause the class while working on the activity to focus on the portion that requires solving an equation. Then, attend carefully to students as they work through the activity. If difficulty persists, add more opportunities to practice the skill, by adapting tasks or practice problems.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, Assessments, Cool Downs, “What if the feedback from a Cool Down suggests students haven’t understood a key concept? Choose one or more of these strategies: Look at the next few lessons to see if students have more opportunities to engage with the same topic. If so, plan to focus on the topic in the context of the new activities. During the next lesson, display the work of a few students on that Cool Down. Anonymize their names, but show some correct and incorrect work. Ask the class to observe some things each student did well and could have done better. Give each student brief, written feedback on their Cool Down that asks a question that nudges them to re-examine their work. Ask students to revise and resubmit. Look for practice problems that are similar to, or involve the same topic as the Cool Down, then assign those problems over the next few lessons.”

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, End-of-Unit Assessment, Version B, Problem 7, students find volume of rectangular prisms. “Elena has two aquariums, each shaped like a rectangular prism. For each question, explain or show your reasoning. a. One aquarium has a length of 72\frac{7}{2} feet, a width of 43\frac{4}{3} feet, and a height of 32\frac{3}{2} feet. What is the volume of the aquarium? b. Elena paints the back of the second aquarium. It has a height of 134\frac{3}{4} feet. The painted area is 556\frac{5}{6} square feet. What is its length?” Guidance for teachers, “While most students should understand the context of the problem, some may still have difficulty understanding without a diagram. The second problem is about area, even though the aquarium is described as a rectangular prism. If students struggle to find the volume of a rectangular prism, provide additional instruction either in a small group or individually using OUR Math Grade 6 Unit 4 Lesson 15 Activity 2 and/or Practice Problems 1, 2, and 4.”

Indicator 3K
04/04

Assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level/course-level standards and practices across the series.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for providing assessments that include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level/ course-level standards and practices across the series.

Formative assessments include lesson activities, Cool Downs, and Practice Problems in each unit section. Summative assessments include Mid-Unit Assessments and End-of-Unit Assessments. Assessments regularly demonstrate the full intent of grade-level content and practice standards through various item types, including multiple-choice, multiple response, short answer, restricted constructed response, and extended response. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Mid-Unit Assessment, Version B, Problem 5, students find area of parallelograms. “Draw two parallelograms, each with an area of 16 square units. The two parallelograms should not be identical copies of each other.” Students are given a grid to draw the parallelograms. (6.G.1)

  • Unit 2, Introducing Ratios, End-of-Unit Assessment, Version B, Problem 2, students attend to precision as they, “Select all the ratios that are equivalent to 9:6. A. 6:9, B. 3:2, C. 13:10, D. 5:2, E. 18:12.” (MP6)

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section C: Algorithm for Fraction Division, Lesson 11: Using an Algorithm to Divide Fractions, Cool Down: Watering a Fraction of House Plants, Problem 2, students create and solve fraction division equations. “If 43\frac{4}{3} liters of water are enough to water 25\frac{2}{5} of the plants in the house, how much water is necessary to water all the plants in the house? Write an equation to represent the situation, and then find the answer.” (6.NS.1)

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section A: Equations in One Variable, Lesson 5: A New Way to Interpret a over b, Practice Problems, Problem 3, students use division using fractional notation to solve equations. “Solve each equation. A. 4a = 32 B. 4 = 32b C. 10c = 26 D. 26 = 100d.” (6.EE.7)

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Mid-Unit Assessment, Version A, Problem 3, students model with mathematics as they choose expressions that represent an area model. “Select all the expressions that represent the total area of the rectangle. A. 4s B. 13\frac{1}{3}s + 12  C. 13\frac{1}{3}s + 13\frac{1}{3}s + 4 D. 13\frac{1}{3}s + 4 E. 13\frac{1}{3}(s + 12).” (MP4)

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Mid-Unit Assessment, Version A, Problem 6, students construct and compare dot plots. “a. Draw two dot plots, each with 7 or fewer data points, so that: Both dot plots display data with approximately the same mean. The data displayed in Dot Plot A has a much larger MAD (mean absolute deviation) than the data displayed in Dot Plot B. b. How can you tell, visually, that one dot plot displays data with a larger MAD than another?” (6.SP.4 and 6.SP.5)

Indicator 3L
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Assessments offer accommodations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without changing the content of the assessment.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 provide assessments which offer accommodations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without changing the content of the assessment.

The general accommodations are provided in the Course Guide in the section Universal Design for Learning and Access for Students with Disabilities. These assessment accommodations are offered at the program level and are not specific to each assessment. Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, Supports for Students with Disabilities, Instructional Strategies That Support Access, Eliminate Barriers, “Eliminate any unnecessary barriers that students may encounter that prevent them from engaging with the important mathematical work of a lesson. This requires flexibility and attention to areas such as the physical environment of the classroom, access to tools, organization of lesson activities, and means of communication.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, Supports for Students with Disabilities, Instructional Strategies That Support Access, Processing Time, “Increased time engaged in thinking and learning leads to mastery of grade-level content for all students, including students with disabilities. Frequent switching between topics creates confusion and does not allow for content to deeply embed in the mind of the learner. Mathematical ideas and representations are carefully introduced in the materials in a gradual, purposeful way to establish a base of conceptual understanding. Some students may need additional time, which should be provided as required.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, Supports for Students with Disabilities, Instructional Strategies That Support Access, Visual Aids, “Visual aids such as images, diagrams, vocabulary anchor charts, color coding, or physical demonstrations are suggested throughout the materials to support conceptual processing and language development. Keeping relevant visual aids posted in the classroom supports independence by allowing students to access them as needed, and is especially beneficial for students with challenges related to working or short term memory.”

  • Resources, Course Guide, Supports for Students with Disabilities, Instructional Strategies That Support Access, Manipulatives, “Physical manipulatives help students make connections between concrete ideas and abstract representations. Often, students with disabilities benefit from hands-on activities, which allow them to make sense of the problem at hand and communicate their own mathematical ideas and solutions.”

Criterion 3.3: Student Supports

08/08

The program includes materials designed for each student’s regular and active participation in grade-level/grade-band/series content.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 meet expectations for Student Supports. The materials provide: strategies and supports for students in special populations and for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level mathematics; multiple extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage with grade-level mathematics at higher levels of complexity; and manipulatives, both virtual and physical, that are accurate representations of the mathematical objects they represent and, when appropriate, are connected to written methods.

Indicator 3M
02/02

Materials provide strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level/series mathematics.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for providing strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level/series mathematics.

Materials regularly provide strategies, supports, and resources for students in special populations to help them access grade-level mathematics, as suggested in each lesson. According to the Resources, Course Guide, Supports for Students with Disabilities, “Supplemental instructional strategies, labeled ‘Supports for Students with Disabilities,’ are included in each lesson. They are designed to help teachers meet the individual needs of a diverse group of learners. Each  is aligned to one of the three principles of Universal Design for Learning, to provide multiple means of engagement, representation, or action and expression, and includes a suggested strategy to increase access and eliminate barriers. These lesson specific supports can be used as needed to help students succeed with a specific activity, without reducing the mathematical demand of the task, and can be faded out as students gain understanding and fluency.” Examples of supports for special populations include: 

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section C: Rates, Lesson 9: Solving Rate Problems, Activity 1: Card Sort: Is It a Deal?, Supports for Students with Disabilities, “Representation: Comprehension, Chunk this task into more manageable parts to differentiate the degree of difficulty or complexity by beginning with fewer cards. For example, give students a subset of the cards to start with and introduce the remaining cards once students have identified which initial cards were good deals. Provides accessibility for: Conceptual Processing, Organization.”

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section B: Adding and Subtracting Decimals, Lesson 2: Using Diagrams to Represent Addition and Subtraction, Activity 1: Squares and Rectangles, Supports for Students with Disabilities, “Representation: Language and Symbols, Activate or supply background knowledge. Some students may benefit from continued access to physical base-ten blocks (if available), a paper version of the base-ten figures (from the Blackline Master), or the digital applet. Encourage students to begin with physical representations before drawing a diagram. Provides accessibility for: Conceptual Processing.”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section B: Inequalities, Lesson 9: Solutions of Inequalities, Activity 1: Amusement Park Rides, Supports for Students with Disabilities, “Representation: Language and Symbols, Create a display of important terms and vocabulary. Invite students to suggest language or diagrams to include that will support their understanding of: inequality, solution to an inequality. Provides accessibility for: Conceptual Processing, Language, Memory.”

Indicator 3N
02/02

Materials provide extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage with grade-level/course-level mathematics at higher levels of complexity.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for providing extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage with grade-level/course-level mathematics at higher levels of complexity.

While there are no instances where advanced students do more assignments than classmates, materials provide multiple opportunities for students to investigate grade-level content at a higher level of complexity. These are found after activities and labeled “Are You Ready for More?” According to the Resources, Course Guide, How To Use The Materials, Are You Ready For More?, “Select classroom activities include an opportunity for differentiation for students ready for more of a challenge. We think of them as the ‘mathematical dessert’ to follow the ‘mathematical entrée’ of a classroom activity. Every extension problem is made available to all students with the heading “Are You Ready for More?” These problems go deeper into grade-level mathematics and often make connections between the topic at hand and other concepts. Some of these problems extend the work of the associated activity, but some of them involve work from prior grades, prior units in the course, or reflect work that is related to the K–12 curriculum but a type of problem not required by the standards. They are not routine or procedural, and they are not just “the same thing again but with harder numbers.” Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section B: Parallelograms, Lesson 5: Bases and Heights of Parallelograms, Activity 1: The Right Height, Are You Ready for More?, “In the applet, the parallelogram is made of solid line segments, and the height and supporting lines are made of dashed line segments. A base (b) and corresponding height (h) are labeled. Experiment with dragging all of the movable points around the screen. Can you change the parallelogram so that … 1. its height is in a different location? 2. it has horizontal sides? 3. it is tall and skinny? 4. it is also a rectangle? 5. it is not a rectangle, and has b = 5 and h = 3?”

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section B: Meanings of Fraction Division, Lesson 5: How Many Groups? (Part II), Activity 2: Drawing Diagrams to Show Equal-sized Groups, Are You Ready for More?, “How many heaping teaspoons are in a heaping tablespoon? How would the answer depend on the shape of the spoons?”

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section C: Multiplying Decimals, Lesson 5: Decimal Points in Products, Activity 2: Fractionally Speaking: Multiples of Powers of Ten, Are You Ready for More?, “Ancient Romans used the letter I for 1, V for 5, X for 10, L for 50, C for 100, D for 500, and M for 1,000. Write a problem involving merchants at an agora, an open-air market, that uses multiplication of numbers written with Roman numerals.”

Indicator 3O
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Materials provide varied approaches to learning tasks over time and variety in how students are expected to demonstrate their learning with opportunities for students to monitor their learning.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 provide varied approaches to learning tasks over time and variety in how students are expected to demonstrate their learning with opportunities for students to monitor their learning.

Students engage with problem-solving in a variety of ways. Per the Course Guide, each lesson consists of four stages, beginning with a Warm Up, which prepares students for the day’s lesson or strengthens their procedural skills. After the Warm-Up, students participate in one to three activities, the purpose of which is explained in the activity narrative. Then students engage in the Lesson Synthesis to consolidate their learning from the lesson. This is followed by a Cool Down where students independently demonstrate their understanding of the day’s learning. Examples of varied approaches include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section E: Part-Part-Whole Ratios, Lesson 15: Part-Part-Whole Ratios, Activity 1: Cubes of Paint, Problem 1, students represent ratios. “A recipe for maroon paint says, “Mix 5 ml of red paint with 3 ml of blue paint. Use snap cubes to represent the amounts of red and blue paint in the recipe. Then, draw a sketch of your snap-cube representation of the maroon paint. a. What amount does each cube represent? b. How many milliliters of maroon paint will there be?”

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section D: Dividing Decimals, Lesson 12: Dividing Decimals by Whole Numbers, Warm Up: Number Talk: Dividing by Four, students use the distributive property to divide decimals. “Find each quotient mentally. a. 80 ÷\div 4 b. 12 ÷\div 4 c. 1.2 ÷\div 4 d. 81.2 ÷\div 4.” Activity Synthesis, “Ask students to share their strategies for each problem. Record and display their responses for all to see. To involve more students in the conversation, consider asking: Who can restate ____’s reasoning in a different way? Did anyone have the same strategy but would explain it differently? Did anyone solve the problem in a different way? Does anyone want to add on to ____’s strategy? Do you agree or disagree? Why?”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section B: Inequalities, Lesson 9: Solutions of Inequalities, Cool Down: Solutions of Inequalities, Problem 1, students find solutions to inequalities. “a. Select all numbers that are solutions to the inequality w < 1.5, -5, 0, 0.9, -1.3 b. Draw a number line to represent this inequality.”

Indicator 3P
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Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Suggested grouping strategies are consistently present within the activity Launch and include guidance for whole group, small group, pairs, or individuals. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section C: Triangles, Lesson 7: From Parallelograms to Triangles, Activity 1: A Tale of Two Triangles (Part 1), Launch, “Arrange students in groups of 3–4. Give students access to geometry toolkits and allow for 2 minutes of quiet think time for the first two questions. Then, ask them to share their drawings with their group and discuss how they drew their lines. If group members disagree on whether a quadrilateral can be decomposed into two identical triangles, they should note the disagreement, but it is not necessary to come to an agreement. They will soon have a chance to verify their responses. Next, ask students to use tracing paper to check that the pairs of triangles that they believe to be identical are indeed so (i.e., they would match up exactly if placed on top of one another). Tell students to divide the checking work among the members of their group to optimize time. Though students have worked with tracing paper earlier in the unit, some may not recall how to use it to check the congruence of two shapes; some explicit guidance might be needed. Encourage students to work carefully and precisely. A straightedge can be used in tracing but is not essential and may get in the way. Once students finish checking the triangles in their list and verify that they are identical (or correct their initial response), ask them to answer the last question. Students using the digital activity can decompose the shapes using an applet. Encourage students to use the segment tool rather than free-drawing a segment to divide the shapes.”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 3: Comparing Positive and Negative Numbers, Activity 2: Rational Numbers on a Number Line, Launch, “Allow 10 minutes quiet work time followed by whole-class discussion. Students using the digital materials can graph the points and check them with the applet. Marks at each half, quarter, and eighth of a unit can be shown to help plot the points or to self-check for accuracy.”

  • Unit 8: Data Sets and Distributions, Section B: Dot Plots and Histograms, Lesson 7: Using Histograms to Answer Statistical Questions, Warm Up: Which One Doesn’t Belong: Questions, Launch, “Arrange students in groups of 2-4. Display the questions for all to see. Give students 1 minute of quiet think time and ask students to indicate when they have noticed one question that does not belong and can explain why. When the minute is up, give students 2 minutes to share with their group their reasoning on why a question doesn’t belong, and then, together, find at least one reason each question doesn’t belong.”

Indicator 3Q
02/02

Materials provide strategies and supports for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to regularly participate in learning grade-level mathematics.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for providing strategies and supports for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to regularly participate in learning grade-level mathematics.

Teachers consistently provide guidance to support students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English, providing scaffolds for them to meet or exceed grade-level standards. According to the Resources, Course Guide, Supports for English Language Learners, Design, “Each lesson includes instructional strategies that teachers can use to facilitate access to the language demands of a lesson or activity. These support strategies, labeled ‘Supports for English Language Learners,’ stem from the design principles and are aligned to the language domains of reading, writing, speaking, listening, conversing, and representing in math (Aguirre & Bunch, 2012). They provide students with access to the mathematics by supporting them with the language demands of a specific activity without reducing the mathematical demand of the task. Using these supports will help maintain student engagement in mathematical discourse and ensure that the struggle remains productive. Teachers should use their professional judgment about which routines to use and when, based on their knowledge of the individual needs of students in their classroom.” Examples include:

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section B: Unit Conversion, Lesson 4: Converting Units, Warm Up: Number Talk: Fractions of a Number, Supports for English Language Learners, “Speaking: MLR8 Discussion Supports, Display sentence frames to support students when they explain their strategy. For example, ‘First, I ____ because …’ or ‘I noticed ____ so I …’ Some students may benefit from the opportunity to rehearse what they will say with a partner before they share with the whole class. Design Principle: Optimize output.”

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section C: Expressions with Exponents, Lesson 13: Expressions with Exponents, Activity 1: Is the Equation True? Supports for English Language Learners, “Speaking, Writing: MLR8 Discussion Supports, Revoice language and push for clarity in reasoning when students discuss their strategies for determining whether the equations are true or false. Provide a sentence frame such as ‘The equation is true (or false) because ____.’ This will strengthen students’ mathematical language use and reasoning when discussing the meaning of exponents and operations that can make the equivalence of expressions true or false. Design Principle: Maximize linguistic & cognitive meta-awareness.”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 3: Comparing Positive and Negative Numbers, Activity 2: Rational Numbers on a Number Line, Supports for English Language Learners, “Speaking: MLR2 Collect and Display, During the class discussion, record and display words and phrases that students use to explain why they decided certain inequality statements are true or false. Highlight phrases that include a reference to ‘to the right of,’ ‘to the left of,’ and a distance from zero. If students use gestures to support their reasoning, do your best to connect words to the gestures. Design Principles: Optimize output, Support sense-making.”

Indicator 3R
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Materials provide a balance of images or information about people, representing various demographic and physical characteristics.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 provide a balance of images or information about people, representing various demographic and physical characteristics.

Materials represent a variety of genders, races, and ethnicities. All are indicated with no biases and represent different populations. Names refer to various backgrounds, such as Priya, Han, Mai, and Diego. Settings include rural, urban, and multicultural environments. Examples include:

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section B: Unit Conversion, Lesson 2: Anchoring Units of Measurement, Cool Down: So Much in Common, “Lin and Elena have discovered they have so much in common. a. Lin and Elena walk 500 units to school. Who walks 500 feet, and who walks 500 yards? Explain your reasoning. b. They each have a fish tank holding 20 units of water. Whose tank holds 20 gallons, and whose tank holds 20 cups? Explain your reasoning. c. They each have a brother who weighs 40 units. Whose brother weighs 40 pounds, and whose weighs 40 kilograms? Explain your reasoning.” 

  • Unit 5: Arithmetic in Base Ten, Section B: Adding and Subtracting Decimals, Lesson 4: Adding and Subtracting Decimals with Many Non-Zero Digits, Warm Up: The Cost of a Photo Print, Problem 2, “Clare bought a photo for 17 cents and paid with a $5 bill. Look at the previous question. Which way of writing numbers could Clare use to find the change she should receive? Be prepared to explain how you know.” 

  • Unit 6: Expressions and Equations, Section C: Expressions with Exponents, Lesson 13: Expressions and Equations, Cool Down: Coin Calculation, “Andre and Elena knew that after 28 days they would have 2282^{28}coins, but they wanted to find out how many coins that actually is. Andre wrote: 2282^{28} = 2 \cdot 28 = 56. Elena said, ‘No, exponents mean repeated multiplication. It should be 28 \cdot 28, which works out to be 784.’ Do you agree with either of them? Explain your reasoning.”

Indicator 3S
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Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 partially provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning.

The materials include a Spanish version of the Family Letter. According to the Course Guide, Supports for English Language Learners, “This curriculum builds on foundational principles for supporting language development for all students. This section aims to provide guidance to help teachers recognize and support students’ language development in the context of mathematical sense-making. Embedded within the curriculum are instructional routines and practices to help teachers address the specialized academic language demands in math when planning and delivering lessons, including the demands of reading, writing, speaking, listening, conversing, and representing in math (Aguirre & Bunch, 2012). Therefore, while these instructional routines and practices can and should be used to support all students learning mathematics, they are particularly well-suited to meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students who are learning mathematics while simultaneously acquiring English.”

Indicator 3T
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Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning.

Materials connect to the linguistic, cultural, and conventions used in mathematics to support student learning. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Area, Section B: Parallelograms, Lesson 6: Area of Parallelograms, Practice Problems, Problem 4, “The Dockland Building in Hamburg, Germany is shaped like a parallelogram. If the length of the building is 86 meters and its height is 55 meters, what is the area of this face of the building?” 

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section C: Rates, Lesson 5: Comparing Speeds and Prices, Activity 2: The Best Deal on Beans, Launch, “While some students may help with grocery shopping at home, it is likely many have not and need extra information to understand what ‘the best deal’ means. Before students begin, ask if anyone is familiar with the weekly fliers that many stores send out to advertise special deals. Show students some advertisements from local stores, if available. Ask students to share what ‘a good deal’ and ‘the best deal’ mean to them. Many students are likely to interpret these in terms of low prices (per item or otherwise) or ‘getting more for less money’, but some may have other practical or personal considerations. (Examples: it is not a good deal if you buy more than you can use before it goes bad. It is not a good deal if you have to travel a long distance to the store.) Acknowledge students’ perspectives and how ‘messy’ such seemingly simple terms can be. Clarify that in this task, we are looking for ‘the best deal’ in the sense of lowest cost per can.” Student Work Time, “Four different stores posted ads about special sales on 15 oz cans of baked beans. a. Which store is offering the best deal? Explain your reasoning. b. The last store listed is also selling 28 oz cans of baked beans for $1.40 each. How does that price compare to the other prices?” 

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 1: Positive and Negative Numbers, Activity 2: High Places, Low Places, Launch, “Tell students, The term ‘elevation’ is commonly used to describe the height of a place (such as a city) or an object (such as an aircraft) compared to sea level. Denver, CO, is called ‘The Mile High City’ because its elevation is 1 mile or 5,280 feet above sea level.” Student Work Time, Problem 1, “Here is a table that shows elevations of various cities. a. On the list of cities, which city has the second highest elevation? b. How would you describe the elevation of Coachella, CA in relation to sea level? c. How would you describe the elevation of Death Valley, CA in relation to sea level? d. If you are standing on a beach right next to the ocean, what is your elevation? e. How would you describe the elevation of Miami, FL?”

Indicator 3U
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Materials provide supports for different reading levels to ensure accessibility for students.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 provide supports for different reading levels to ensure accessibility for students.

In Resources, Course Guide, Supports for Students with Disabilities, Representation, “Teachers can reduce barriers and leverage students’ individual strengths by inviting students to engage with the same content in different ways. Supports that align to this principle offer instructional strategies that provide students with multiple means of representation and include suggestions that offer alternatives for the ways information is presented or displayed, help develop students’ understanding and use of mathematical language and symbols; illustrate connections between and across mathematical representations using color and annotations, identify opportunities to activate or supply background knowledge, and describe organizational methods and approaches designed to help students internalize learning.” Examples include:

  • Resources, Course Guide, Supports for English Language Learners, Mathematical Language Routines, Mathematical Language Routine 6: Three Reads, Purpose, “To ensure that students know what they are being asked to do, create opportunities for students to reflect on the ways mathematical questions are presented, and equip students with tools used to actively make sense of mathematical situations and information (Kelemanik, Lucenta, & Creighton, 2016). This routine supports reading comprehension, sense-making, and meta-awareness of mathematical language. It also supports negotiating information in a text with a partner through mathematical conversation.” How it Happens, “In this routine, students are supported in reading a mathematical text, situation, or word problem three times, each with a particular focus. The intended question or main prompt is intentionally withheld until the third read so that students can concentrate on making sense of what is happening in the text before rushing to a solution or method. Read #1: Shared Reading (one person reads aloud while everyone else reads with them) The first read focuses on the situation, context, or main idea of the text. After a shared reading, ask students ‘what is this situation about?’ This is the time to identify and resolve any challenges with any non-mathematical vocabulary. (1 minute) Read #2: Individual, Pairs, or Shared Reading After the second read, students list any quantities that can be counted or measured. Students are encouraged not to focus on specific values. Instead they focus on naming what is countable or measurable in the situation. It is not necessary to discuss the relevance of the quantities, just to be specific about them (examples: ‘number of people in her family’ rather than ‘people’, ‘number of markers after’ instead of’“markers’). Some of the quantities will be explicit (example: 32 apples) while others are implicit (example: the time it takes to brush one tooth). Record the quantities as a reference to use when solving the problem after the third read. (3–5 minutes) Read #3: Individual, Pairs, or Shared Reading During the third read, the final question or prompt is revealed. Students discuss possible solution strategies, referencing the relevant quantities recorded after the second read. It may be helpful for students to create diagrams to represent the relationships among quantities identified in the second read, or to represent the situation with a picture (Asturias, 2014). (1–2 minutes).”

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section D: Fractions in Lengths, Areas, and Volumes, Lesson 12: Fractional Lengths, Activity 1: How Many Would It Take? (Part I), Instructional Routines, “In this activity, students use division to solve problems involving lengths. No methods are specified for any of the questions, so students need to choose an appropriate strategy. The info gap structure requires students to make sense of problems by determining what information is necessary, and then to ask for information they need to solve it. This may take several rounds of discussion if their first requests do not yield the information they need (MP1). It also allows them to refine the language they use and ask increasingly more precise questions until they get the information they need (MP6).”

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 7 Comparing Numbers and Distance from Zero, Activity 2: Info Gap: Points on the Number Line, Instructional Routines, “In this info gap activity, students use comparison of order and absolute value of rational numbers to determine the location of unknown points on the number line. In doing so students reinforce their understanding that a number and its absolute value are different properties. Students will also begin to understand that the distance between two numbers, while being positive, could be in either direction between numbers. This concept is expanded on further when students study arithmetic with rational numbers in grade 7. The info gap structure requires students to make sense of problems by determining what information is necessary, and then to ask for information they need to solve it. This may take several rounds of discussion if their first requests do not yield the information they need (MP1). It also allows them to refine the language they use and ask increasingly more precise questions until they get the information they need (MP6).”

Indicator 3V
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Manipulatives, both virtual and physical, are accurate representations of the mathematical objects they represent and, when appropriate, are connected to written methods.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 meet expectations for providing manipulatives, both virtual and physical, that are accurate representations of the mathematical objects they represent and, when appropriate, are connected to written methods.

Suggestions and/or links to manipulatives are consistently included within materials to support the understanding of grade-level math concepts. Examples include:

  • Unit 2: Introducing Ratios, Section B: Equivalent Ratios, Lesson 4: Color Mixtures, Required Preparation, “Mix blue water and yellow water; each group of 2 students will need 1 cup each. To make colored water, add 1 teaspoon of food coloring to 1 cup of water. It would be best to give each mixture to students in a beaker or another containing a pour spout. If possible, conduct this lesson in a room with a sink. Note that a digital version of this activity is available. It is embedded in the digital version of the student materials, but if classrooms using the print version of materials have access to enough student devices, it could be used in place of mixing actual colored water.” 

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section B: Unit Conversion, Lesson 3: Measuring with Different-Sized Units, Warm Up: Width of Paper, Launch, “This activity is written to use 9-cm and 6-cm Cuisenaire rods, which are often blue and dark green, respectively. If your set of Cuisennaire rods has different colors, or if using small and large paper clips as substitutes, instruct students to modify the task accordingly. Hold up two sizes of rods or paper clips for students to see. Give them quiet think time but not the manipulatives. Later, allow students to use the rods or paper clips to measure the paper if they need or wish to do so.” 

  • Unit 7: Rational Numbers, Section A: Negative Numbers and Absolute Value, Lesson 2: Points on a Number Line, Required Preparation, “Each student needs access to a ruler marked with centimeters and at least 1 sheet of tracing paper. If the tracing paper is less than 20 cm wide, then students will need to construct their number lines in the “Folded Number Lines” activity to go from -7 to 7, or otherwise construct their number line on the diagonal of the tracing paper.” Warm up, “The purpose of this activity is to prime students for locating negative fractions on a number line. Students discern the value of a number by analyzing its position relative to landmarks on the number line. In these cases, students estimate that the point is halfway between 2 and 3 and use their understanding about fractions and decimals to identify numbers equal or close to 2.5. In later activities, students do the same process when describing negative rational numbers, except with those numbers increasing in magnitude going from left to right. Notice students who argue that 2.49 is correct or incorrect.”

Criterion 3.4: Intentional Design

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The program includes a visual design that is engaging and references or integrates digital technology, when applicable, with guidance for teachers.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources 6-8 Math Grade 6 integrate technology such as interactive tools, virtual manipulatives/objects, and/or dynamic mathematics software in ways that engage students in the grade-level standards; include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other; have a visual design that supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject that is neither distracting nor chaotic; and provides teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

Indicator 3W
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Materials integrate technology such as interactive tools, virtual manipulatives/objects, and/or dynamic mathematics software in ways that engage students in the grade-level/series standards, when applicable.

The materials reviewed for Open-Up Resources Grade 6 integrate technology such as interactive tools, virtual manipulatives/objects, and/or dynamic mathematics software in ways that engage students in the grade-level/series standards, when applicable.

According to the Course Guide, About These Materials, “There are two ways students can interact with these materials. Students can work solely with printed workbooks or pdfs. Alternatively, if all students have access to an appropriate device, students can look at the task statements on that device and write their responses in a notebook or the print companion for the digital materials. It is recommended that if students are to access the materials this way, they keep the notebook carefully organized so that they can go back to their work later. Teachers can access the teacher materials either in print or in a browser. A classroom with a digital projector is recommended.” Applets are provided in various lessons. Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Unit 3: Unit Rates and Percentages, Section B: Unit Conversion, Lesson 3: Measuring with Different-Sized Units, Required Preparation: “If students will use the digital scale simulation: Prepare a way for students to access the applet in this lesson.” Instructional Routines: “You will need the Blackline Master for this activity. Page 1 is a net for the box needed for station 1. If you are using the paper scale simulation instead of a real scale or the applet, pages 2–13 are the parts needed to assemble Station 4.” Student Work Time, “Use the applet to record the weights of different objects in different units.” “Station 3: If not using real water, open the digital applet.”

Indicator 3X
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Materials include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 do not include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable.

According to the Course Guide, About These Materials, The Five Practices, “Selected activities are structured using Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions (Smith & Stein, 2011), also described in Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All (NCTM, 2014), and Intentional Talk: How to Structure and Lead Productive Mathematical Discussions (Kazemi & Hintz, 2014). These activities include a presentation of a task or problem (may be print or other media) where student approaches are anticipated ahead of time. Students first engage in independent think-time followed by partner or small-group work on the problem. The teacher circulates as students are working and notes groups using different approaches. Groups or individuals are selected in a specific, recommended sequence to share their approach with the class, and finally the teacher leads a whole-class discussion to make connections and highlight important ideas.” While the materials embed opportunities for mathematical community building through student task structures and discourse, materials do not reference digital technology.

Indicator 3Y
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The visual design (whether in print or digital) supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic.

The materials reviewed for Open Up Resources Grade 6 have a visual design (whether in print or digital) that supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic.

According to the Course Guide, How to Use These Materials, Each Lesson and Unit Tells a Story, “The story of each grade is told in nine units. Each unit has a narrative that describes the mathematical work that will unfold in that unit. Each lesson in the unit also has a narrative. Lesson Narratives explain: The mathematical content of the lesson and its place in the learning sequence. The meaning of any new terms introduced in the lesson. How the mathematical practices come into play, as appropriate. Activities within lessons also have narratives, which explain: The mathematical purpose of the activity and its place in the learning sequence. What students are doing during the activity. What teacher needs to look for while students are working on an activity to orchestrate an effective synthesis. Connections to the mathematical practices, when appropriate.” Examples from the materials include:

  • Each lesson follows a common format with the following components: Warm-up, one to three Activities, Lesson Synthesis, and Cool-down. The consistent structure includes a user-friendly layout as each lesson component is included in order from top to bottom on the page.

  • Student materials, in printed consumable format, include appropriate font size, direction amount and placement, and space on the page for students to show their mathematical thinking.

  • The teacher's digital format is easy to navigate and engaging. There is ample space in the printable Student Task Statements, Assessment PDFs, and workbooks for students to capture calculations and write answers.

Indicator 3Z
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Materials provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable.

The materials reviewed for Open-Up Resources Grade 6 provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable.

Lessons containing applets provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning. Examples include:

  • Unit 1: Area and Surface Volume, Section A: Reasoning to Find Area, Lesson 2: Finding Area by Decomposing and Rearranging, Activity 1, “Classrooms using the digital activities can use physical tangram pieces or an applet with the same shapes to determine the relationships between the areas.” Student Work Time, “This applet has one square and some small, medium, and large right triangles. The area of the square is 1 square unit. Click on a shape and drag to move it. Grab the point at the vertex and drag to turn it.”

  • Unit 4: Dividing Fractions, Section B: Meanings of Fraction Division, Lesson 7: What Fraction of a Group?, Activity 1, “Students using the digital materials can use the applet to compare the segments. The segments can be moved by dragging endpoints with open circles. The yellow “pins” can help students keep track of the groups.” Student Work Time, “The segments in the applet represent 4 different lengths of rope. Compare one rope to another, moving the rope by dragging the open circle at one endpoint. You can use the yellow pins to mark off lengths.”