8 fun back to school math activities!
Math escape rooms, whodunnit adventures and powerpoint games!
Heading back to the classroom at school or home? Let’s make it fun and enjoyable for kids. Learning happens naturally when kids are enjoying the challenge of a task. More often than not with students it’s about how the activity is presented that makes it more exciting and these days it’s easy to find heaps of great resources online that you can download, print out or do interactively.
Our math activities are designed to keep your students engaged and excited about math. They are at a level that should reinforce your students math knowledge and skill and present problems that most students will be familiar with.
Here’s our top 8 list:
A science experiment gone wrong, the teachers are trapped by some crazy plants that have taken over the school and the principle needs help to get everything back in order! A fun math escape room which comes with both a printable version and a google slide version.
Great for upper elementary and middle school students. Print, Boom Card, & Google Slide Version!
Students have to use their math skills to eliminate suspects (teachers) so they can find out who raided the school staffroom. You can use the teacher suspects supplied – or edit in your own teachers if you dare…
This bundle has all your holidays and seasons covered, including: Christmas (Standard+Advanced), Thanksgiving, Halloween, Back to School, Easter (Standard+Advanced), Chinese New Year, and Saint Patrick’s Day.
With advanced versions of the Easter and Christmas products!
Your students will LOVE doing these. Great for upper elementary (primary) school students and lower middle school also.
Grades 4-7:
This PowerPoint math game is great to use as a fun back to school math warm-up or just as a fun activity to review some math skills. It can be used as a whole class activity, a small group activity, or an individual activity if the students have their own devices.
A fun way to get your students thinking about math again during back to school time.
Includes 3 multiplication hidden messages.
Also includes 3 back to school number puzzles: a school theme, a bus theme and a bag theme.
The above activities are great to do as fun back to school math activities. However, during this time of year having a focus on building positive relationships, both student-student, and student-teacher, is important. There are many ways to do this, and one way is to simply to get to know your students, find out about them and what makes them tick. The next 3 activities listed, are not math activities, but can help to achieve this.
This is a fun activity to get to know your students. Perfect for the beginning of the school year or if your meeting a new group of students.
Included is both U.K and U.S spelling versions.
This is a great back to school activity to on the first day – especially if you have a class full of students who don’t know each other. This activity gets your new class moving around and finding out information about their fellow classmates.
Back to School Activities 5th grade – 8th Grade: All About Me and My Family.
Perfect for the first weeks of middle school, this unit will help you to build better relationships with your students and increase the home-school link. Also suitable for upper elementary.
Want fun math activities for upper elementary or middle school students that will last you the whole year? Then you should check out the math fun bundle, which is described below. This mega math bundle will have your students enjoying math not only at back to school time, but throughout the whole school year. It includes 38 products! CSI math booklets, escape rooms, mystery pictures, math games, hidden messages, math orienteering, multiplication activities and more. Products can be purchased individually, but you can SAVE BIG by getting them all as part of this bundle.
“I can’t even believe to express how AMAZING of a bundle this is. It literally has EVERYTHING I could possible need for Math Enrichment and extension projects for my students.” – Alexandria W.
Let’s explore what’s in the bundle below. There will also be links to individual activities within the bundle if you just want to grab parts of it.
CSI MATH ACTIVITIES: USE MATH TO FIGURE IT OUT.
Many of the activities in the mega bundle are CSI math activities, which are a fun way engage your students in math. Students must use math to solve clues to figure out who the culprit was. It will have your students enjoying math throughout the year. Included are a range of activities and topics ranging from general math and individual math topics to holiday and season themed activities. Perfect for upper elementary or middle school students, just print and go. Some of these activities also have google slide or BOOM card versions, great for distance learning – check the listing to see which ones. Take a look below for more info.
Each activity follows a short story and has a suspect list. Students must then solve a series of clues using math. Each clue solved will allow them to cross one or two suspects off the suspect list!
The mega bundle includes all the math activities that can be found in my CSI bundle activities. There are general activities with clues that focus on a range of math topics, such as basic facts, decimals, fractions, volume etc. There are also three math activities which focus on a specific topic; a measurement one, pre-algebra one, and fractions/decimals/percentages one. They each follow along an engaging math story where your students can save the world from Aliens, or go on a quest with a bunch of gnomes!
Also included in the mega bundle are Holiday themed math activities – which can also be found in a bundle by clicking above. These activities each follow a story based around a holiday. Students must solve clues to find out who stole Santas sleigh, or which teacher raided the school staffroom!
Advanced versions are included for the Christmas and Easter activities.
Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, these math activities are great for the start of every new season. Also good for students who may not celebrate some holidays such as Christmas. These can be found in the mega math bundle, or by clicking the link above if you just want these activities.
MATH ESCAPE ROOMS AND MATH STORIES.
These math mysteries are similar to the CSI activities, but don’t involve crossing suspects off the suspect list. They each have a short reading, story, at the start. The students then progress throughout the story solving math questions and clues as they go. This will either let them “escape” or complete the story. I hope to add more escape rooms in the future, which will be added to this bundle once completed.
Each maze has intersections which have multiplication problems – but only the intersection which give certain answers can be traveled through. Each maze also has a blank template to allow students to create their own math mazes. These are great to use as early finisher activities, or math warm-ups.
These math games are perfect for math centers or just to have as fun printable math games for middle school and upper elementary students. Included are; math board games, whole class games, printables, and a PowerPoint math game. Math games are a great way to engage all students and allow your students to practice their math in a fun way. Some of the games in this unit are best played in pairs while others can be played as a whole class. Dice and counters may be required for some games. Included are the following games and activities:
I Have Who Has: Multiplication & Place Value. Four in a Row. PowerPoint Math Game: Mystery Box. Bowl a Fact. Paper plane and paper helicopter activities. Monster Battle, Printable Math Board Games: Bundle: Multiplication, Decimals, & Addition. Math Dominos: Decimals, Fractions. Multiplication Bingo. Time Machines: Board Game. Beat the Teacher: Probability game Greedy Pig. Land Grab: Area based game. Probability Game. Race to the Moon: Board game.
This mega math bundle also contains a range of other math activities, from hidden math messages, mystery pictures, number puzzles, to projects such as creating a garden using math and science or creating an orienteering course on your school grounds.
A pack of 6 hidden math messages using multiplication and basic facts. Also a hidden message using Roman numerals. Students will love these worksheets as it allows them to use their multiplication and basic fact knowledge to find a hidden mystery quote.
MORE MATH FUN – DOES THIS BUNDLE EVER STOP!
Click on the pictures below for links to other math activities found in the mega math bundle.
Keeping your kids engaged in Math throughout the year can be challenging, especially when there is an exciting event such as Easter or Christmas just around the corner. Here at the Math-Activities Club, we strive to make engaging resources for all seasons and holidays of the year. Below is a list of 12 of our favorite activities that we have created and that will keep your kids engaged and loving math throughout the year!
Math Activities and Worksheets for the Seasons, Winter Math Activities, Summer Math Activities, Spring Math Activities, and Fall / Autumn Math Activities.
Let’s start with the seasons. Below are 5 math activities, that have a seasonal theme to them. The Winter, Spring, and Fall activities have been completed, and the Summer ones are coming soon!
Someone is transforming into the abominable snowman and creating havoc in the village! Students have to solve a series of math clues to find out who (which suspect) it is.
Throughout the adventure, your students will need to solve a series of math problems until they have found out which suspect is the abominable snowman!
These number math activities will get your students thinking and using problem solving skills. Perfect as an early finishers activity for elementary or middle school students.
Each math puzzle has a different winter theme such as a; snowflakes, Christmas tree, or snowman.
In a far-off world full of talking animals is a magic orb which brings spring to the land – but someone has stolen it! Students have to solve a series of clues to find out who (which suspect) has it.
Throughout the adventure, your students will need to solve a series of math problems until they have found out which suspect has the golden orb!
This is another great activity to do in spring which combines both math and science! School gardens are becoming increasingly popular and there is so much learning that can come out of them.
This unit covers both practical and written tasks, such as; needs of plants and plant parts activities, using math to calculate soil volumes and plant areas, and even creating a budget for plant selection!
Students have to use their math skills and go on an Autumn/Fall Math adventure.
Your land, which once was in never-ending summer, is now turning cold and dark. You must find the wizard and get him to reverse the spell before it becomes too late and the land stays cold and dark forever.
Throughout the adventure, your students will need to solve a series of math problems until they have found the wizard and stopped the fall out of summer from continuing!
If there is one thing that is hard to do in life, it is trying to get kids to focus on Math right before a big holiday such as Christmas, or Easter. These activities below just might help you achieve that impossible task! Math activities for all the major holidays; Christmas, Easter, Chinese new years, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Back to School and Saint Patricks Day.
This activity has a short story at the start which sets up your class for an adventure where they have to find out which of the creatures is the skeleton bride’s forgotten fiancé. Also included with this resource is a video!
The Jones family loves Thanksgiving. It is a time to get together with friends and family, enjoy a good meal, and be thankful for everyone in their lives.
Students have to use their math skills to eliminate suspects (teachers) so they can find out who raided the school staffroom. You can use the teacher suspects supplied – or edit in your own teachers if you dare…
Five clues are given to the students and each clue (worksheet) allows them to eliminate 1-2 suspects.
Students have to use their math skills to eliminate suspects so they can find out who stole the leprechaun’s gold. A great way to enjoy math on St. Patrick’s day!
Want to save $$$ and get all these products for a discount in a bundle? Then click on the image to the left and it will take you a my C.S.I and math story bundle where you can get all these activities bundled together for a great price.
The assumption many students have about learning math is that there is minimal writing required in order to understand the concepts. When in actuality, writing is very much a part of the learning process. In fact, when done successfully, writing can deepen a student’s understanding of mathematical concepts.
Writing does not have to be a separate subject only taught in isolation. It can be taught at the same time as math because writing is a means by which to learn something rather than just a subject taught in school. It provides the brain additional think time to process concepts as the hand writes on paper. As a result, teaching these two subjects together only enhances the learning experience for students because they can strengthen their writing skills while computing and strengthen their math skills while writing.
Students tend to struggle in math due to a lack of time and effort to process the newly taught concepts, both of which can be eradicated by teachers implementing more writing activities into their lessons. Currently, in most math classes, students do not write for extensive periods of time or even often enough. Of course, students write numbers to solve math problems, but rarely do they write using words to express their thinking. This lack of writing in the learning process is a missed opportunity to help students gain proficiency in mathematical concepts.
Knowing that writing can enhance student skillsets in math, teachers need to build time for it into their math instruction. They can start by giving writing assignments in small increments, slowly adding in more writing time over subsequent weeks until students are writing and solving math problems in unison. It might feel awkward at first for students, but so do most new skills while you are acquiring them. Over time, writing and solving math problems in unison will become habit and feel quite natural for everyone.
There are a variety of ways in which teachers can weave writing in throughout their math block- before, during, and after learning experiences.
Gearing Up for Learning
A pre-learning activity helps students’ brains get into ‘learning mode’ before jumping into the heavy content of the lesson. Teachers should take advantage of this method by incorporating a small writing activity for students to complete at the start of the math lesson. Warming up through writing about math can be completed in just a matter of minutes.
Students can…
Review the lesson objective or topic and write their predictions for what they think they will learn, how they will learn it, why it is important, and so on
Goal set by reviewing past learning goals, track current ones, set new goals, etc.
(This writing activity is low risk since it is opinion writing, meaning there is no right or wrong answer and the focus is not on the perfection of students’ writing skills, but on the substance in the writing.)
Taking in Learning
Now that students have warmed up their brains and are ready to dive into the heavier content of the lesson, teachers can incorporate more substantial writing activities into the math instruction to aid in student learning.
Students can…
Take notes on math problem solving strategies, vocabulary, or algorithm procedures
Make simple observations in writing about math problems completed in a model demonstration by the teacher prior to a class discussion
Complete a ‘Stop and Jot’ on a sticky note to record a thought, question, comment, or response to a mathematical prompt before moving on in the lesson
These activities are more extensive than a pre-writing activity but are still brief enough to keep the lesson moving. This short writing opportunity creates a mental math break and enables students to comprehend content in smaller chunks so that the concepts can sink in before tackling more information. As a result, students are armed with a stronger knowledge base that increases their confidence to correctly complete math assignments now and in the future.
Demonstrating Learning
It is of utmost importance that students demonstrate their learning as soon as possible in order to solidify the newly learned knowledge. It is especially true in math, where much of the concepts are achieved through repetitive practice.
Instead of having students complete math problem after math problem, teachers can mix up the learning experience with writing activities.
Students can…
Write the rationale for how they solved a math problem with a specific strategy
Review a peer’s work for potential errors they made and reply with written clues to help them fix it
Complete a ‘Graffiti Walk,’ where students rotate from table to table filled with work samples and write graffiti-style on the paper with their comments
Use a writing prompt to reteach a mathematical procedure or concept to a peer pen-pal
(This could be completed in a journal format throughout the year for different concepts taught.)
Prepare for an active class discussion by writing a reflection to gather their thoughts
Continuing Learning
Just because the math lesson stops when the bell rings, doesn’t mean the learning has to stop for students. Additional math-based writing opportunities can be included in the learning experience after class is over.
Students can…
Complete daily reflections on what they learned that day, what they struggled with, strategies they are comfortable using to solve complex problems, etc.
Write in their journals to a peer pen pal to reteach concepts in a variety of ways (similar to how a teacher will differentiate to teach the same concept multiple ways to meet student needs)
Take a peer’s math work paper home and write a letter back to them including praise for the strengths in their work and suggestions for correcting errors
Students can hone their math skills through a variety of writing activities before, during and after their learning experiences. It is important that the writing activities are low stakes to encourage participation rather than perfection. When teachers avoid correcting writing abilities and focus on writing as a mode by which to process math concepts, students will begin to rely on using writing as a comprehension method. This increases student comfortability and confidence. Writing is simply an additional strategy they learn to use in efforts to gain a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
We are living in a remarkable time where both students and teachers have access to wealth of information, games, resources and expertise through a magical thing called the internet. The only problem is finding and knowing where the good stuff is that is relevant to your kids and your classroom. Luckily for you I have compiled a list of 11 of my favourite websites for teaching/learning math. Just remember though these websites are just extra tools to help you teach and your kids to learn, your kids will still need your guidance and will benefit greatly form good ol’ teacher interaction.
The 11 websites, in no particular order:
1. Prodigy:
https://www.prodigygame.com/ If you want fun and engagement with teaching math to your students then prodigy is the website for you. Prodigy merges an animated fantasy world with math tasks. The more math your kids do the more they unlock in this fantasy world. There is also the ability to track your students practice and development as they build their essential math skills.
2. MrNussbaum
Online Math games: https://www.mrnussbaum.com/math-for-kids/ This website might look a bit old but it is a bit of a treasure trove with everything from online math games, to number charts and graphing activities. It is good for an early math finisher activity, a station in a math rotation, or maybe a short Friday math session but it might pay to check out the games/activities before hand and select a couple which are relevant to your students.
3. Khan Academy
Math video instructions: https://www.khanacademy.org/math Many teachers will be familiar with and already use khan academy, but I thought I would put it here anyway. It is a video based free website full of lessons on a range of topics and levels for kids to learn from. The benefits are that kids can track their progress, go at their own pace, and easily go over concepts again if they need to. Personally I find many of the videos a bit boring, however this style of learning can suit some kids, just remember not to rely solely on it to teach math (which I have seen teachers do). Use it as an aid instead to your teaching.
4. Kahoot
https://kahoot.com/explore/collections/math/ This is a great fun website if you want to spend a few minutes just doing a whole class math quiz, your kids will love it. It works best if your class is a digital class with all students having a tablet, split your class up into groups of 2-4 if you need to share tablets. You can either create your own set of questions, use one of the sets already on the website, or even get your kids to create a set of questions. It’s not just math either, they have a range of subjects or topics you can quiz on.
5. Buzz Math
https://www.buzzmath.com/ BuzzMath is a great website for upper elementary or middle school students. It has a range of problems, gives feedback to the teachers, and allows students to learn at their own pace.
6. Zapzap Math
https://www.zapzapmath.com/ I love the game approach that Zapzap math has. It is suited for elementary math students (K-5) and has 150+ math lessons. There is a dashboard allowing teachers to oversee progress, and specialises in higher order thinking skills. Your students will love the game aspect of this website.
7. Matific
https://www.matific.com Okay, so this is a paid website, but you can have a free trail. There are a wopping 1500+ interactive activites for your students to do. Teachers can also set tasks relevant to what you are studying, there are homework sheets and activity sheets. The activities are fun and engaging and your kids are sure to love them.
8. Sumdog
https://www.sumdog.com/ A fun and engaging game-based learning website great for use on either tablets or computers.
There are learning engine reports which report progress to the teachers and parents. Sumdog provides engaging learning and practice in numeracy for children aged 5-14. Guaranteed to motivate and build confidence with your students.
9. IXL
https://www.ixl.com/ IXL makes the list because it is a massive website used by millions of students around the worldwide. Another paid website but it has 1000’s of math questions and covers every math topic. It is not only engaging but includes real-world scenarios. Not just math either, it also includes, language arts, science, and social studies.
10. Xtra Math
https://xtramath.org – This is a free basic facts website. It includes progress reports and can also be downloaded as an app. Great for basic numeracy.
11. Math Playground
https://www.mathplayground.com/ This website is summed up beautifully in it’s name; math-playground. It is full of online games and activities that your students will love. Great to use a reward, with early finishers, in a math station, or just have it as a fun Friday activity.
12. The Math Activities Club
Mathactivites.club: Okay, I know it is number 12, but thought it would be rude not to include this website on the list. Have a browse in the shop section for fun math activities you can download, there are even some free ones in there!
Guest Post Written By: Gretchen of Always A Lesson
A teacher’s greatest task in the classroom is to help all students learn to think. Oftentimes, the subject of Math lends itself best to memorization of facts and processes instead of encouraging diverse thought. This creates a missed learning opportunity for students when they do not have adequate time and space to develop their thinking muscles in Math as in all other subjects.
Lacking mathematical thinking time creates misunderstanding of concepts and principles for students, which later results in frustration. This negative experience discourages students from liking the subject of Math and developing a desire to invest time to better understand it.
However, when teachers do make time and space for building mathematical thinking muscles in the classroom on a consistent basis, students gain the opportunity to become successful. By deconstructing Math to its most basic level, teachers demystify the dreaded subject and unlock the power of Math in the classroom and life. This then bolsters student attitude and aptitude in Math.
Below are 5 essential best practices teachers can use to build mathematical thinkers in the classroom daily:
Focus on Process Over Product
Arriving at ONE correct answer as quickly as possible discourages students from maturing in their mathematical reasoning. To build such thinking muscles, teachers have to break these past habits and get students to think about ALL of the ways to think through a problem.
Teachers can make answers irrelevant by either giving the answer up front and having students focus on the variety of ways to arrive at that particular answer or by putting more grading credit towards the mathematical strategy used than the final answer. Both of these approaches build students’ confidence in solving Math problems because the anxiety of landing on the one ‘right’ answer is now eliminated from the learning equation- no pun intended! As a result, students develop a desire to solve Math problems and are much more likely to take risks solving trickier problems.
Focusing on the mathematical process over the final product transforms students from memorizing robots to Math wizards!
Model a Variety of Strategies
Teachers should empower their students to explore a variety of problem-solving strategies to help them get out of the habit of memorizing facts or using algorithm methods, as routinely taught in the past. The learning reward is thinking outside of the box and trying on a variety of strategies until students find a way of thinking that makes the most sense for them, even if that particular strategy takes longer or looks different than the norm.
In order for students to have a variety of strategies to try on for size, they need to be exposed to such strategies, which could include the pictorial method, expanded form, working backwards, guess and check, estimation, etc. To do so, teachers should follow this simple process when rolling out one problem-solving strategy at a time to students:
Direct Instruction– Model the mathematical strategy while students watch
Guided Practice– Work with students together to solve a few similar problems with the modeled strategy
Independent Practice– Send students off to work independently on a new set of similar problems using the modeled strategy
Provide Numerous Learning Tools
While students are experimenting with a variety of strategies, it is important that the teacher provide numerous learning tools to aid in the problem-solving process, which could include a number line, hundreds chart, graphic organizer, anchor chart, manipulative materials etc. Even if a student can solve Math problems in their head or without the use of learning tools, it is important to have them show their thinking on paper and experience problem-solving in new ways. When students showcase their thinking, it helps the teacher best target their guidance to help a student increase their mathematical proficiency as well as help their peers more easily see new ways to approach the same problem.
Build in Time to Collaborate
Building mathematical thinking requires communication among individuals to help stretch the brain muscle and look at solving problems from new perspectives. When students explain their own thinking, it deepens their own understanding while helping their peers investigate a new way to solve a problem. This promotes social skill development in a Math setting as students speak, listen and support their peers. While it is important for the teacher to model a mathematical strategy for students, it is just as beneficial for students to share their own unique problem-solving strategies with each other in a student-centered discussion format focused on the benefits and drawbacks of each strategy. This way students leave the discussion with a deeper understanding of their own problem-solving preferences as well as gain new ideas to use in the future. Collaboration in the classroom creates a supportive, safe learning environment to build mathematical thinkers.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Most importantly, practice builds muscle memory and increases efficiency and comfortability in problem-solving. Watching a teacher model a strategy or listening to peers explain their problem solving preferences, does little to advance one’s capabilities because it is passive learning. Students need to be active learners to increase their mathematical capabilities. Therefore, trying out new strategies repeatedly is an essential exercise in creating strong mathematical habits and conceptual understanding in students. They should be encouraged to solve one problem numerous ways to showcase their ability to think from a variety of perspectives while at the same time increasing mathematical skill level.
TIP: This template acts as a graphic organizer to encourage students to solve Math problems using a variety of strategies while encouraging students to think through their problem solving methods for accuracy and efficiency. For repeated use, teachers can place this template in a sheet protector for students to use with a white board marker.
The greatest reward as an educator is to watch students grasp a concept after a struggle and become an expert in their own right. Through dedicated hard work from the students and intention from the teacher, all students can become mathematical thinkers and not just mathematical doers. The 5 best practices mentioned above are sure to unlock the mathematical expertise in every child.
How do you build mathematical thinkers in your own classroom?
It’s time for a laugh. Teaching math can be hard, so it is sometimes good to get away from that stress with a bit of a laugh. Ok, so this post might not help improve your math teaching ability – but who cares! Below are three of my favourite ‘funny’ math videos, I’m sure we can all relate to at least one of these videos! Enjoy.
Students come to school to learn and it is the job of educators to ensure that happens when students are in their classroom. The goal in helping students learn is to achieve proficiency in the subject taught so that they have a firm foundation as they continue on in their journey in learning and life. For many educators though, they desire more than proficiency for their students and work hard to ensure that every student achieves mastery instead.
Skill Acquisition
Proficiency takes time and repetition in the short term where mastery takes time and repetition in the long term. It is the difference between knowing something today and knowing something every day. Although proficiency will ensure students are prepared for the next grade level, mastery ensures students take that knowledge base with them into their future.
Old Instructional Design
In order to achieve mastery for all students, teachers have had to ditch their past instructional habits; ones that had dismal results because students struggled in Math and had a lack of motivation to get better at it. The old method included this series of instruction:
Teacher used direct instruction to deliver a math concept one time to all students
Students repetitively practiced the concept independently in and out of class
Teacher provided an assessment on the concept and recorded student scores in the grade book
Teacher moved on to a new concept to repeat this same series of instruction all over again
It is no wonder that old method of instruction did little to motivate students- it was dry and boring. Students that were “good” at Math continued to be good at Math and those that were “not good” at Math continued to not be good at Math. Proficiency was barely reached, meaning mastery was nowhere in the picture.
New Instructional Design
To overcome the obstacle of low student performance and motivation in Math, teachers are now switching up their instructional method to better meet the needs of all students. The new method includes this series of instruction:
Teacher provides pre-assessment to students to determine the degree to which they understand the soon-to-be taught concept
Teacher uses the pre-assessment data to create a personalized lesson plan tailored to the knowledge level of their current students
Teacher delivers a direct instruction mini lesson that includes modeling of a mathematical skill, followed by guided practice with students
Students repetitively practice the mathematical concept independently while the teacher provides differentiated support as needed
Option A: Teacher conferences 1:1 with students on current concept
Tip– Be sure to keep a record for each student so that you can recall what skill you worked on previously, set goals, and make note of any pertinent details (ie. common mistakes)
Option B: Teacher uses small group instruction to reinforce old and new math concepts taught
Tip– Keep groups intimate, ideally 2-5 students, so that students receive targeted instruction on their current struggles or weakness.
Tip– Reference informal and formal data points to formulate student groupings based on similar struggles
Tip– Keep a record of who you met with, when you met, and what you worked on to help you plan future groups and recall pertinent details of those meetings
Option C: Teacher designs learning centers with review activities for repeated practice for all students, including an accountability assignment to inform the teacher of student performance
Tip– Create hands-on activities (or have math tools on hand) for tactile learners
Tip– Only put previously taught skill activities in centers so students need little direction from the teacher
Tip– Implement an accountability system that requires students to demonstrate their learning (ie. show their work, write a journal entry, fill out a survey, etc.)
Teacher provides post- assessment (similar to the pre-assessment formatting and questions) on the mathematical concept to showcase student growth
Teacher moves on to a new concept to repeat the same series of instruction all over again
This new instructional method is much more involved than the previous technique, allowing teachers to both formally and informally collect data points on student performance throughout a single lesson and then adjust their support in the moment as needed. The teacher is now more in tune with student skill levels and can create learning experiences to address any and all deficits.
Mastery in the Making
This new series of instruction has been extremely successful in not only overcoming the previous obstacles of student performance and motivation, but also in turning student proficiency into mastery. So, what is the secret?
For starters, it is clearly not dry and boring like the old method of instruction due to the numerous opportunities students have to practice mathematical skills in a variety of settings. Although students might be practicing the same skill repetitively, the novelty of the way in which they are practicing (small group, one-on-one, whole group, centers, etc.) is exciting and motivating. Therefore, students that were once “good” at Math got even better and students that were “not good” at Math got to experience many moments of “getting it.”
Secondly, educators know that differentiation ensures a multitude of learning needs are met during classroom instruction. But, this new teaching approach adds in one more important layer other than simply differentiating lesson plans. By moving beyond students practicing one mathematical concept in isolation before moving on to the next one, students are now practicing multiple previously learned skills simultaneously.
This new teaching approach is called ‘spiraling’ instruction. This means that teachers circle back (like a spiral) to old content while adding in new content to keep all skills fresh in students’ minds. Since students are getting multiple opportunities to achieve mastery, it increases their competency and confidence in Math.
In efforts for educators to recall the secret (and all of its instructional components), the reminder below can be helpful:
S-mall group instruction
P-roficiency then mastery
I-ndividualized instruction
R-eview of past skills A-dditional practice of concepts
L-ong-term strategy for achievement
As with learning any new skill, practice is essential. With the spiraling instruction approach, students get plenty of practice throughout the school year on all of the mathematical skills required to progress to the next grade level and beyond. The thorough review and extended practice opportunities provided by this model result in a deep understanding of mathematical concepts for all students.
What tips can you add for how to spiral skills in the classroom?
No one can argue that basic math skills such as multiplication are not important for a child to learn. These skills act as a foundation to build more complicated math skills upon. If your kids don’t have a good grasp of multiplication it will make it harder for them to dive into more difficult math concepts as they get older. Unfortunately many kids find learning these basic facts boring or frustrating. Luckily I have listed here three fun math activities focusing on multiplication, which will help in gaining the attention of even your more distracted students.
This fun packed bundle includes ten multiplication mazes with answers. Each maze also has a blank template to allow students to create their own math mazes. These are great to use as early finisher activities, bell ringers, or math warm-ups.
Each maze has intersections which have multiplication problems – but only the intersection which give certain answers can be traveled through.
Students will love these worksheets as it allows them to use their multiplication and basic fact knowledge to find a hidden mystery quote. Great for a maths warm-up, early finishers, or even a maths station.
Mainly multiplication questions, but some addition and subtraction is required to find the hidden message.
This is a fun whole class game which allows your students to practice their basic facts. Most of the questions are multiplication, however, there are some basic addition and subtraction questions also.
I use this game as a math warm-up. Students love a bit of competition also – so I record the class time – and then challenge them to improve upon the class time when we next play the game.
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When we exercise or play sports we usually start with a warm-up or set of stretches, to help our muscles prepare for the more strenuous activity to come. It also makes sense to do this for our brain which is why I think it is a great idea to do a quick math warm-up or starter with your class before diving into more focused math work. There are many different options or ways of doing this, you can go over general number knowledge, or perhaps you want to go over something you did earlier in the year with your students.
Whatever you choose I think it helps if it is a fun, non-threatening warm-up for your students to help get their brain juices flowing. I think it is a great idea to mix it up a bit throughout the week, and I have expanded 5 of my favourite math starters below.
1. Multiplication/Basic Facts Bingo: This is one of my favourites as it requires the students to use mental math and it can be used with a range of math problems if you get creative. It suits multiplication and division problems but I mostly use it with a range of basic facts, including subtraction and addition. If you are doing basic facts bingo simply get the students to draw up a square, as shown in the picture to the right. In the square tell the students to put any numbers, (I usually say under 60, or under 100 if you want the game to last longer). To play all need to do is say a question out loud, such as 6×5, and if any of your kids have 30, they cross that number off their bingo sheet. Just like in real bingo the first kid to fill in all the numbers on their sheet wins. You don’t have to give them any prize, but can give them a small winning if you want, perhaps 5mins extra free time, or something from a small bag of goodies.
The tricky part for you will be to keep track of what numbers have already been said, so make sure you write down what numbers have been. I usually like to quickly write down a set of 20-30 math questions before I start which I can follow along and hopefully reduce my confusion. A set of pre-written bingo number sheets can be found in my math game bundle.
2. Greedy Pig: This is a fun one to play a few times with your class.
This turn-based game can be played in pairs or as a whole class. All you need to play this game is one normal 6-sided die.
For each turn keep rolling the dice, adding up the numbers as you go along. You can stop at any time you want and add the total to your score. If you don’t stop before you roll a 1 your score for that turn will be 0.
At the end of your turn write down your new total score and then the next player goes. Each player has 10 turns each and the person with the highest total wins.
To Play as a whole class: Have all the students stand up and roll a class die. Students keep adding up the die total in their heads until they want to sit down and record an amount for that turn. Again if the class die rolls a 1 then all students still standing get 0 for that turn. – Play for as many turns as you want then student with highest total wins.
Teacher Tips: Have a couple of practice rounds so students understand the game. (make sure students understand the difference between a turn and a roll of the die).
Get the students to come up with strategies and discuss as opposed to just feelings of luck.
3. Number of the Day. This one is less of a game, but is great if your short on time or just want to get your kids focused. There are a few ways of doing this, with the most simple one being to just choose a random number and then add a bunch of tasks that your students have to do with that number. This is great because you can adjust the difficulty of this task to suit your students. Ideas you could use with your kids include;
*Write the number in word format. *Multiply, divide, add or subtract it from another number. *Write 3 ways you can get the number through multiplication. *How many hundreds, or tens etc are in the number. *Write a word problem with the number. *Draw the number with 10’s and 1 cubes. *Find the multiples of the number. *Instead of whole numbers you could use decimals, fractions, or percentages to make it harder.
4. Beat the Teacher.
Hand out one playing grid to each student, or else get them to draw their own. For this activity you will need a deck of cards. Take out all of the picture cards from a deck of cards & then shuffles the remaining cards.
Flip over one card at a time & calls out what it is to the whole class. If a 10 is flipped then call it out as a ’0′.
Students write the number called out in one of the columns. The aim of the game is to get the highest number possible. They need to decide where the best place it should go is. The teacher will also do the same but without letting the students see.
Draw out 6 cards so you have a number in each column.
The teacher reveals their number to the class. If a student has a higher number than the teacher they receive 5 points. If it is the same, 3 points. If it is less, 0 points. If the teacher gets a higher number than all of the students they receive 20 points!
5. The Probability Game: This game can be done with two players through to the whole class.
In this game two dice will be rolled. After each roll the numbers are added together. Before the game starts have the students fill out the estimate column stating how often they think the dice will add up to a certain number with 20 rolls. The total amount of estimates must equal 20 and be spread over the numbers. So if they think the dice will add up to five 3 times they put a 3 next to the five in the estimate column.
After each roll students either mark off a number or miss a turn. Once a number has been rolled the same amount of times as a student estimate then they must cross this number off their list and must miss a turn if this total is rolled again. For example if a student estimate the total will be 2 only once, but it comes up twice they have to miss the second turn.
After 20 rolls winner is the person who has crossed off the most numbers, or you can carry on until the first student has crossed off all their numbers.
OTHER IDEAS
These are just five of my favourite starter ideas, however there are plenty more options available to you such these ‘I have who has games’, or these multiplication mazes which are great to use as either a warm-up or early finisher activity.