Unit Plan 1 (Grade 6 Math): Building Our Math Community & Problem-Solving Norms

Focus: Establish discourse routines, math notebooks, self-checking, and error analysis with rich ratio/rate and number sense tasks.

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: Mathematics (Classroom Routines • Ratios • Number Sense)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Launch a safe, productive math space where students talk, reason, and revise. This week sets class norms, builds a shared problem-solving routine, and warms up content with ratios (light intro to 6.RP.1) and multi-digit division (light spiral of 6.NS.2). Students practice self-checking and error analysis while building stamina and confidence.

Essential Questions

• What does productive math talk look and sound like in our classroom?
• How do I organize my thinking so others can follow—and I can check my own work?
• What does a ratio mean, and how does it connect to “for every” and “per”?
• How can estimation help me verify multi-digit division results?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Use and reference class discourse norms and a problem-solving routine (Read → Represent → Solve → Check → Reflect).
2. Explain a ratio using “for every,” “to,” and clear unit language; represent with tape diagrams or double number lines.
3. Apply estimation, partial quotients, and standard division to check or compute multi-digit division with whole numbers.
4. Conduct error analysis on sample work and write a self-check note that corrects or improves a solution.
5. Share mathematical thinking using diagrams, labels, complete sentences, and units.

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 6

• 6.RP.1 (light intro): Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
• 6.NS.2 (light spiral): Fluently divide multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm.
• Mathematical Practices (threaded all week): MP.1–MP.8 (make sense, reason, argue/critique, model, use tools, attend to precision, look for structure, express regularity).

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can describe a ratio with units (for example, “3 cups of juice for every 2 cups of soda”).
• I can represent a ratio with a tape diagram or double number line and explain my steps.
• I can estimate and divide multi-digit numbers and tell whether my answer is reasonable.
• I can spot and correct errors and write a brief reflection about what changed.
• I can speak, listen, and write using our class norms and sentence starters.