The purpose of this activity is for students to consider what information they need to know in order to determine what is needed to set the table. When students wonder about what mathematics is involved in a situation and identify information they need to know and don’t need to know to answer a question, they model with mathematics (MP4). In the Activity Synthesis, students discuss whether or not they need to know what food is being served in order to set the table. There is not one correct answer to this question, but it is useful for students to consider it before the next activity where they will have to make assumptions about information not given in a situation as they figure out what is needed to set the table for their family. 

During the activity, record the student responses on a chart. This chart will be displayed in the next activity. 

• “Some people shared that Tyler needs to know what food is being served for dinner. Does Tyler need to know what food is being served for dinner? What makes you think that?” (Yes, because then he will know if everyone needs a fork or a spoon. No, because we always give everyone a fork and a knife.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to represent quantities by drawing pictures and writing numbers. Students consider their own family and determine how many of each item they will need to set the table. Because the information is not provided to them, students need to consider how many people are eating dinner and what items are needed. When students make assumptions about information not given in a situation and model a situation using a representation such as a drawing, they model with mathematics (MP4).

• “What parts of your partner’s display helped you learn what they would need to set the table?” (It helped when they wrote numbers to show how many they needed. I liked when they drew a picture to show the plates and cups.)
• “What kind of food did you think about when you made your display? What if a different kind of food was served for dinner instead? Would you need to do anything differently?” (Yes, because if we were having soup, I would give everyone bowls and spoons instead of plates and forks. No, because we always use forks and spoons at dinner.)