Packaging Dilemma: Launching a Notice/Wonder

The best mathematical questions often come from real life situations.  One day, Mr. Truske posted on social media about a book he received from Amazon.  The single book was sent in this box:

When I saw the photo, I replied, "That looks like a math problem."  And I was thrilled when he  replied, "Yes - let's plan it!"  Mr. Truske had actually received a total of 6 books from Amazon - all books arrived on the same day but were sent in 3 different boxes.

We decided to use the idea to launch a notice/wonder at the beginning of the year.  Our intent was to involve students in a conversation around mathematics that wasn't specific to content.  We opened the discussion by defining a problem as something for which we did not have a clear solution path.  

​Mr. Truske and I then introduced the first slide to students and asked them to describe what Calvin and Hobbes might be doing.  Answers included "noticing", "wondering", and "thinking".  Several students raised their hands to share that they had used notices and wonders the previous school year - they were eager to share about the packaging dilemma when they saw the next slide!

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