One of our favorite ways to kick off math instruction is a simple routine: Which One Doesn’t Belong? Students look at four images, numbers, shapes or graphs and decide which item doesn’t belong — and here’s the magic — every answer can be right as long as it’s justified! Why start with Which One Doesn't Belong?
This routine activates curiosity and gets students talking right away, builds a culture where reasoning matters more than being “correct", and promotes multiple perspectives and shows that math is full of patterns and creativity. Ms. Katus' second grade class is pictured here using this activity to warm up for their Ready Math Classroom lesson.
