Figuring Out Fluency Grades 5-9: Operations With Rational Numbers and Algebraic Equations: A Classroom Companion

"This book is awesome! What stood out to me was the deep understanding I was able to have about what fluency actually means. Too often the message has been fluency and accuracy, especially at the middle school level. By providing teachers with tools for building fluency with integers, expressions, and algebra, this book shifts that message to also focus on flexibility and strategy selection."

Lindsey Henderson
Secondary Mathematics Specialist, Utah State Board of Education 
Salt Lake City, UT

Because fluency practice is not a worksheet.

Fluency in mathematics is more than adeptly using basic facts or implementing algorithms. It is not about speed or recall. Real fluency is about choosing strategies that are efficient, flexible, lead to accurate solutions, and are appropriate for the given situation. Developing fluency is also a matter of equity and access for all learners.

The landmark book Figuring Out Fluency in Mathematics Teaching and Learning offered educators the inspiration to develop a deeper understanding of procedural fluency, along with a plethora of pragmatic tools for shifting classrooms toward a fluency approach. Now, teachers have the chance to apply that inspiration through explicit instruction and practice every day with the classroom companion Figuring Out Fluency―Operations With Rational Numbers and Algebraic Equations. With this book, teachers can

• Dive deeper into the Significant Strategies for fluency explained in the anchor book as they apply to rational number operations
• Explore how these strategies can be applied for proportional reasoning, solving equations for unknowns, and solving systems of linear equations
• Access over 100 classroom-ready activities, including worked examples, routines, and games.
• Find activities to explicitly teach students how to use and choose strategies to operate on rational numbers and solve algebraic equations
• Download all of the needed support tools, game boards, and other resources from the companion website for immediate implementation

Give each and every student the knowledge and power to become skilled and confident mathematical thinkers and doers.

John J. SanGiovanni is a mathematics coordinator in Howard County, Maryland. There, he leads mathematics curriculum development, digital learning, assessment, and professional development. John is passionate about growing new mathematics leaders in the district and through McDaniel College. In addition to the Figuring Out Fluency series, some of his many Corwin books include Daily Routines to Jump-Start Problem Solving, Grades K–8; Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Math; the Daily Routines to Jump-Start Math series; and Productive Math Struggle: A 6-Point Action Plan for Fostering Perseverance. John is a national mathematics curriculum and professional learning consultant who also speaks frequently at national conferences and institutes. He is active in state and national professional organizations, recently serving on the board of directors for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and on the board of directors for NCSM.