standard_description: Recognize a statistical question as one that anticipates variability in the data related to the question and accounts for it in the answers. For example, “How old am I?” is not a statistical question, but “How old are the students in my school?” is a statistical question because one anticipates variability in students’ ages.
problem_activity: Narrative
The purpose of this Number Talk is to elicit the ways students look for to use the structure of two-digit numbers to subtract (MP7). These understandings help students develop fluency and will be helpful later in this lesson when students will need to be able to find the difference between the estimate and actual measurement of an object.
Launch
Display one expression.
“Give me a signal when you have an answer and can explain how you got it.”
1 minute: quiet think time
Activity
Record answers and strategy.
Keep expressions and work displayed.
Repeat with each expression.
Student Facing
Find the value of each expression mentally.
\(37 - 20\)
\(37 - 21\)
\(37 - 17\)
\(37 - 16\)
Student Response
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Activity Synthesis
“How could you use
\(37-20\)
to help you with
\(37 - 21\)
?”


aligns: no