What's Right About Wrong Answers

Book excerpt: You can't learn to hit a three-point shot without missing a lot of shots. You can't learn to play a piece of music correctly without striking a lot of wrong notes. And, as Nancy Anderson explains in What's Right About Wrong Answers: Learning From Math Mistakes, Grades 4-5 , You can't learn math without making mistakes. Anderson turns mistakes on their head and helps you cleverly use them to students' advantage. Each of the twenty-two activities in this book focuses on important ideas in grades 4 5 mathematics. By examining comic strips, letters to a fictitious math expert from confused students, and sample student work containing mistakes, your learners explore typical math mistakes, reflect on why they’re wrong, and move toward deeper understanding. Each activity includes: A summary of the mathematical content and highlighted error Common Core connections Prerequisite knowledge that students need Big underlying math ideas Suggestions for implementing the activity Each activity can be used to enhance units of instruction and help students prepare for assessments that are aligned with the Common Core and similar state standards.