4 MPIR – Clothesline
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Overview
Clothesline is one of many Mathematically Productive Instructional Routines (MPIR). They are short (10ish minutes), daily exercises aimed at building number sense. This is one of six different MPIR covered in the Mathematically Productive Instructional Routines collection from the Washington Office of Public Instruction and the Washington Association of Educational Service Districts.
Why Clothesline?
In the Clothesline routine students consider and discuss how to place and space numbers in relation to each other on an open number line. Students strengthen their understanding of number relationships, relative magnitude, precision, and equivalencies through this routine. The dynamic nature of the clothesline allows students to explore, manipulate, and make sense of math concepts without memorizing definitions.
Mathematical Practices:
The specific task used may expand the Mathematical Practice possibilities, but in general, this routine will encourage students to use:
SMP 1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
SMP 2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively
SMP 3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
SMP 6: Attend to precision
SMP 7: Look for and make use of structure.
What is Clothesline?
Using a clothesline and foldable number tents a class number line is created. Values are selected to suit the learning of the students. Students compare and describe relationships among quantities, angles, data points, expressions, or other mathematical values.
Here are some sample videos of Andrew Stadel using the Clothesline Math routine. Find more information about using this routine on his blog.
How Do I Implement Clothesline?
Hang a clothesline across the whiteboard, wall, or anywhere in your classroom! Here is a video by Chris Shore about how to set up the actual clothesline. Use index cards or this template to create a set of mathematical values your students can position, compare and discuss. Give a Card Set to a group of students to go place on the clothesline. The group may add, move, remove or create Benchmarks as needed. While the group is placing values students at their desks are creating their own number line on a lapboard. Once all value cards are placed on the clothesline, ask the class if they agree with the group’s response on the clothesline. Discuss the disagreements and errors.
Another version is what Chris Shore calls “Place or Correct”. Give one card to one student (or a pair of students), and have them place it on the Clothesline. Then hand the next card to another student(s) and offer them to either place that card on the Clothesline OR move a card already on the Clothesline and give their card to another student in class. This strategy can allow for more students to be involved in the placement of value cards and encourages students to be activly processing and working on their whiteboards.
While placing a few markers on the clothesline to start can offer scaffolding for students new to the routine, try leaving it open to students and see how the thinking and discussion grows. Try it with whole numbers, fractions, algebraic expressions, angles, or many other concepts students learn across the grades.
Clothesline Math from Chris Shore is also a great site dedicated to the routine and includes many premade card sets that you can download and print.
Related resources
1. Implementing Clothesline | Chris Shore
2. Clothesline Card Templet
Additional Resources
Links
- Clothesline Math from Chris Shore
- Activities targeting Elementary
- Webinar – Clothesline Math: The Master Number Sence Maker
- Estimation 180 Teacher Resources
Books
- Clothesline Math: The Master Number Sense Maker, by Chris Shore, Shell Education
Related resources
3. Clothesline Process and Resources
Attribution and License
Attribution
- Clothesline photo by Erik-Jan Leusink on Unsplash
- Shape image by OSPI
- Children and teacher photos by Allison Shelley for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action | CC BY NC
License
Except where otherwise noted, this work by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is available under a Creative Commons Attribution license. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
This resource may contain links to websites operated by third parties. These links are provided for your convenience only and do not constitute or imply any endorsement or monitoring by OSPI.
This OER, MPIR- Clothesline, by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, CC BY Attribution, was adapted from MPIR- Clothesline. The adaptations made include updating formatting and removing the Routine Menu & Resource Library.
