What is Tell Me Everything?
In this routine, the teacher selects a number. He/she then asks the students to tell them everything they know about the number. Some teachers have students record this information in math journals or on white boards.
What is the learning?
Depending on the number the teacher selects and how he/she records the students' thinking, different mathematical concepts can be highlighted. As well, when the students are asked to share what they know about a particular number they are using the curricular competency communicating and representing. Students can demonstrate their understanding of the number through concrete, pictorial, and abstract representations. This could involve using patterns, place value, computation, money, etc. Therefore the content learning is open and provides choice for the students.
Supporting websites/videos/blogs:
Kristen Gray, author of MathMinds website, and a math educator in Delware, has created a video showing what Tell Me Everything could look like in a Kindergarten class.