Image of the Week: Teacher's Favorite
March 9, 2025
Teacher’s Favorite
Julie Wilkes, 4th grade teacher, Medina, Ohio, US
I asked one of our board members, Julie Wilkes, to share one her favorite activities with you and some advice about how to get started so that the conversation is just as exciting in your classroom as it is in hers. If you’re interested in more guidance, see our Getting Started guide.
Julie, what do you love about this image?
I am drawn to this image because it reminds me of when I traveled to Teotihuacan, Mexico, and climbed to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. It is truly awe-inspiring to see such a grand structure created so long ago with no modern equipment but with such a precise and beautiful mathematical structure. It makes ME notice and wonder!
What happens when you share this activity with your students?
Students wait in anticipation to see the picture that I have chosen for the day. Some responses for this image include:
- I wonder where that is?
- I wonder how far away it is?
- I wonder how long it would take us to get there? I wonder how long it took to build?
- Who built it?
- How old is it?
- What is the perimeter?
- What is the area?
- What is inside?
- How tall is it?
- How many steps are there?
- There is a square shape on the top.
- I think it has four sides.
- There is a pattern on the side that gets bigger as you go from the top to the bottom.
What advice do you have for using this activity?
I start each math period with some short Notice and Wonder (or similar) activity to engage the students. The image does not always line up with the math topic of the day, and in my opinion, it does not need to. It is a great way to let students relax and sink into creative thinking mode.
Here are the steps I take when using this activity:
- Reveal the image.
- Ask: “What do you notice? What do you wonder?”
- I let the question simmer for a bit before I call on students to share. (Don’t be afraid to be quiet!)
- After some wait time, I begin to ask students what they notice and wonder. I allow them to come closer for clarification or to point out what they are trying to explain.
- Sometimes, the talk will slowly fizzle on its own, and sometimes I will have to cut it short.
- I share with them that they have asked a lot of really great mathematical questions and they have used a picture seemingly not about math to do it!
- Remember, at first, students may not think like this, and they may not notice and wonder much, BUT keep trying the routine a few times a week. They will get better and once they develop the skills and habits, get out of their way!
- Sometimes, I have students just share orally, but sometimes I give them time to jot down their ideas before they are allowed to share them.
- These activities allow students to see that math is everywhere if they are willing to look at their world through a different lens.
Julie Wilkes
4th grade teacher
Medina, Ohio, US
Did you notice that the task that drove Julie was an image that she had a personal connection to? When you choose images for your classroom, think about those that your students might feel connected to in some way. It will help them see math in their own world.
To multiplicity, cheers!
Jen Munson and the multiplicity lab group