76 ◆ Structures to Scaffold Success
Starter Frames
It is helpful to give students starter frames as scaffolds. Some of the frames
are as shown in Figure 4.25.
Figure 4.25 Explaining Thinking
I made a plan. I decided to _____________________ because ______________.
I checked my work by ______________________________.
I used ________________________ to model my thinking.
I solved by using the _____________________________ strategy.
I knew that my answer was correct because ____________________________
________________.Use an explanation rubric with the students so that they know what
to look for. Model writing an explanation with your problem of the week.
Always have students explain their thinking in guided math groups and
math workstations.
Figure 4.26 Explanation Rubric
5 4 3 2 1
I wrote exactly
what I did.
I talked about
the models and
the strategies.
I explained
all my steps
in detail.
I explained
what I did and
why I did it.I explained
what I did.
I talked about
my plan.I explained
some of what
I did. I talked
about the
models or the
strategies.
I need to give
more detail.
My explanation
was a bit
confusing.I only
explained a
little bit.
Some of my
explanation
is a bit
confusing.I didn’t
explain my
problem.Key Points
- Strategies should be hanging up on a reference poster.
- Models should be hanging up on a reference poster, too.
- Checklists help students to review their work.