The Five Practices in Practice [Middle School]

Every middle school math teacher needs to understand the practices in this book and know how to use them effectively in the classroom. Use of these practices will empower middle school students to understand mathematics and feel like they can do math!

-- Lois A. Williams, Ed.D., Adjunct Professor, Mathematics Education Consultant, Author

This is a powerful and readable guide to shifting our middle school mathematics instruction toward maximizing our students′ learning.  But it′s the clarity and familiarity of the challenges we all face when trying to implement these five practices - and the practicality and detail of the guidance provided in each chapter to address these challenges - that set this book apart and make it so useful for professional growth.

-- Steve Leinwand, Researcher/Change Agent

This books takes 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions to the next level as readers experience what these practices look like in real mathematics classrooms in grades 6-8. Readers will engage in analysis of videos and student work as they deepen their understanding of the five practices. The authors specifically address the challenges one might face in implementing the classrooms by providing recommendations and concrete examples to avoid these challenges.

-- Cathy Martin, Executive Director, Curriculum & Instruction

Smith and Sherin have hit a home run with this book.  Research has shown the importance of effective discussion in the mathematics classroom.  This book provides the structure and practices to implement discussion as well as classroom scenarios and illustrations to bring those practices to light.  It is a must read for any middle school teacher and those who work with middle school teachers.  Student understanding of math will be improved through the implementation of the ideas in this book.

-- Kevin Dykema, 8th Grade Math Teacher
"I love the practical applications from the middle school classrooms and I love the suggestions for addressing challenging components of each practice. It helped me to more deeply understand the five practices and gave me great questions to ask myself and reflect upon in my classroom. It’s a must read to take your teaching to the next level!" -- Jennifer Outzs
"This book is a comprehensive, ready-to-use, professional development plan inside a book’s covers! Its components include student work, classroom video, features addressing challenges teachers face, as well as providing reflective opportunities to pause and consider. This amazing, must-have resource will truly engage middle school mathematics teachers in ‘doing’ The 5 Practices." -- Francis (Skip) Fennell
"Bring coherence and focus to your class discussions, empower students and assist them in making mathematical connections of substance—Smith and Sherin clarify, exemplify, and profoundly articulate how teachers can bring the 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions to life. Each of the practices is unpacked for clarity, exemplified with classroom video and vignettes and the most significant challenges with implementation are shared and discussed. This is a must read for classroom teachers with immediate impact and steps for improvement provided." -- Travis L. Lemon
"Peg Smith has done it again. Building on her previous work with Mary Kay Stein (2018), Smith and coauthor Miriam Sherin have taken the next step in supporting teachers to engage students in rich mathematics discussions. Filled with examples and insights, both in print and on video, this book allows teachers to ‘see it in action,’ make sense, and reflect on the challenges, and it provides support and guidance to implement the five practices in their own instruction. Perfect for teachers, teacher leaders, coaches, or others who support teachers in their instructional practices, this book literally connects theory to practice and provides honest and thoughtful reflections and guidance to work towards our ultimate goals—students’ mathematics learning and agency." -- Cynthia H. Callard
"Middle school teachers looking to implement the five practices in their classrooms will find this book to be a practical guide for planning and executing meaningful and impactful discourse in their mathematics instruction. This book will help all teachers to more deeply understand the practices framework while taking the ideas to the next level to ensure students develop mathematical understanding beyond routine procedures." -- Linda M. Gojak
"The authors insightfully anticipate teachers’ challenges and have designed a creative tool to support teacher learning. Their book is filled with highly practical reflective questions all tied to the five practices, enabling teachers to think for themselves. The result is a book that empowers middle level teachers to determine the best ways to advance their own professional development to improve students’ mathematical lives." -- Ruth M. Heaton
"This book is so incredibly practical and grounded in the hands-on implementation of the five practices! It takes the ideas of the earlier book, which focused more on the "what" of each practice, and looks closer at the when, why, and how that is so important for teachers in their planning. In each chapter, I found myself nodding in agreement as the authors described challenges in using the five practices and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities to reflect on the practices in relation to my own planning and teaching." -- Kristin Gray
"At Illustrative Mathematics we were looking for a framework that would enable us to embed in our curriculum ambitious but achievable goals for teacher practice. The five practices was the perfect fit: a memorable, learnable set of principles that could be used by novice and veteran teachers alike to get their students thinking and sharing their reasoning." -- Bill McCallum
"This book is packed with practical guidance, support, and actual footage of what it looks like to enact ambitious teaching through these practices. If there’s a teacher or leader out there wondering how to ensure their classroom embraces ambitious teaching that is empowering and equitable, this is your guide. Read it. Practice it. Make it yours. There just isn’t anything else out there pushing us to think and act as strategically in our math classrooms like this does." -- Levi J. Pat