First Week Problem Solving Tasks
The Instructional Frameworks at each grade level recommend spending the first week of school doing general, high cognitive demand tasks with students in order to establish strong communication practices (SMP 3). Students can be enculturated into the discourse, listening and writing practices essential for strong mathematical reasoning while working these problems.
Additional Supporting Articles
Herbel-Eisenmenn, B. & Breyfogle, M. (2005). Questioning our patterns of questioning. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 10(9), 484-489.
Stephan, M. (2014). Establishing standards for mathematical practice. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 19(9), 532-538.