Number Talks

Due to school firewalls and security restrictions, students may not be able to access resources directly from this site. To give a student access, please first save a copy of the resource to a teacher-owned Google account, then connect the student to the teacher-owned copy. See the video tutorial   on "How to share Google files with students" for more information.

Kindergarten - Grade 2

  • Visual Number Talks within 5 and 10

  • Google Slides      
  • This slide deck contains a variety of visual prompts for numbers talks within 5 and within 10. Visuals include children, silly monsters, and fish. Engage students in figuring out “how many” and then find different ways to decompose the set by attending to different attributes.    
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 6/24/24    

  • Bears/Dinos in a Cave

  • Google Slides      
  • Each slide has a statement indicating the total number of creatures, some of which are visible and some are hidden “in” the cave. Students determine the number of hidden creatures. Then the cave is removed to reveal the number of creatures that were hiding. One set of images focuses on quantities within 5. Another set focuses on quantities within 10.    
  • Similar Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 06/26/24     

  • Frogs Behind a Log (within 5)

  • Google Slides      
  • Each slide has a statement indicating the total number of creatures, some creatures that are visible and some creatures that are hidden behind a log. Students should determine the number of hidden creatures, then can move the log graphic to check their thinking. The total number of creatures varies from 2 to 5. The creatures are either frogs or dinosaurs.    
  • Similar Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 10/15/20    

  • Domino Talks

  • Google Slides  
  • Each prompt is a domino image in which the total is given numerically. Students are shown 2 quantities (either both addends or the total and one addend) and determine the third quantity.    
  • Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 6/24/24    

  • Cups and Cubes (Within 10)

  • Google Slides       
  • This activity can be used to develop part-whole reasoning. Each slide has the total (screened by a "?") and 2 parts (2 cups each covers a number of unifix cubes). Reveal any 2 quantities and students must figure out the third.    
  • Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 06/26/24    

  • Fact Families with Pictures

  • Google Slides      
  • This Slide deck is an adaption of the Illustrative Mathematics Task Fact Families with Pictures (1.OA.B) in which students create equations that match an image. This activity helps students relate addition and subtraction. (This task is also available on the page "Cardinality, Addition and Subtraction".)    
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 07/01/24    

  • Addition within 20 using Ten Frames

  • Google Slides      
  • This slide deck provides two ten frames and counters for modeling addition tasks within 20. Three sets of prepared frame images are ready to use: (1) Doubles & Near Doubles, (2) Make/Pretend a 10, (3) Mixed practice.    
  • Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 06/27/24    

  • Addition & Missing Addend Tasks within 100

  • Google Slides      
  • This slide deck contains ready-to-use addition and missing addend prompts for double digit addition tasks. Each task includes a visual representation of each addend using ten frames.    
  • Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 06/26/24    

  • Bundles and Sticks Representations

  • Google Slides      
  • This slide deck contains 6 ready-to-present sets of bundles and sticks representations. Students are asked to figure out which representations show the stated amount. This activity assumes students have prior experience with bundles and sticks as a place value manipulative.    
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 1/29/21    






Grade 3 - Grade 5

  • Number Talk Sentence Starters

  • Google Slides      
  • This Google Slide Deck provides Sentence starters and frames that students can use during a number talk. Also included are questions a teacher might use to facilitate conversation and foster reflection.    
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 7/8/21    

  • Visual Number Talk

  • Google Slides      
  • This bank of "dot" images is useful for introducing number talks with older students. Dot talks provide a safe and engaging way to build a classroom culture in which students share their ideas and learn from peers.    
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 4/14/21    

  • Catch the Counter

  • Google Slides      
  • In this full or small group activity, the teacher (or a student-leader) reads and displays a skip counting sequences with an error built in. The students “Catch the Counter” by signaling when they see or hear the error.    
  • Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 06/27/24    

  • Partially Covered Arrays

  • Google Slides      
  • Adapted from KNP IG M4443.3  , this slide deck consists of array images that are briefly shown, then partially covered. Student figure out how many items are in the array.    
  • Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 10/22/20    

  • Area Tiles

  • Google Slides      
  • This activity includes 9 area number talk prompts with 9 corresponding recording pages. Students are looking for efficient ways to determine the number of tiles in each image.     
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 3/15/21    

  • Sequenced Quick Looks - Doubling Strategies

  • Google Slides      
  • Inspired by the Math Fact Fluency by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling, this slide deck includes sequenced dot images that support doubling strategies when multiplying by 4, 6 or 8.     
  • Video Tutorial  
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 8/25/21    

  • Fraction Missing Addend Puzzles

  • Google Slides      
  • These visual number talk prompts give the total and one addend shown using fraction circle pieces. Students determine the missing addend, then reveal the added to verify their thinking. In level 1, the total is either a whole number or a fraction within 1. Level 2 extends to totals that are greater than one and written as either a mixed number or fraction. In both level 1 and 2, each puzzle is limited to a single denominator. Level 3 extends to unlike denominators, such as in the example shown.     
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 7/1/24    

  • Sequenced Multiplication Stories - Add or subtract a group

  • Google Slides      
  • "Inspired by the book Math Fact Fluency by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling, this slide deck consists of sequenced stories." The first story starts with a basic multiplication fact such as 4x10. The next story involves adding or subtracting a group, encouraging students to use relational reasoning to solve the new non-basic fact such as 4x9 (pictured here).     
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 9/28/21    

  • Fraction Talk Prompts

  • Google Slides      
  • Use these fraction talk prompts to have your students talking and thinking about fractions in new and unique ways.    
  • ()
  • Last Revised: 10/18/23