Collaborative Problem-Solving in Math - group work for math where everyone works
Capturing your students’ interest and curiosity during the first few minutes of class is the key to keeping them engaged for your entire lesson. But not all math warm up activities are created equally. Math teachers miss out on activating their students’ critical thinking and reasoning skills when
Are you looking for a way to scaffold math vocabulary and concepts and make math more visual? In this post are photos of math word walls for elementary, middle and high school math along with photos of math classroom word walls that teachers have sent to me of their math classroom set up. Included in this post are links to free math word wall cards and discounted printable math word wall bundles for a variety of math topics. I am updating each math word wall to include a virtual option. Now in the files will be color, black and white and interactive digital math word wall options.
LOTS of FREE Printable worksheets for kids to practice math, literacy, science, & history with kids of all ages from 123Homeschool4Me.
If you know me, you know I am in loooove with Daily 5! Ever since incorporating it into my classroom last year, I have loved seeing the variety of skills and strategies my students are working on each and every day. I also love that the segments are short, so we all stay motivated and the energy for learning stays high. I have been wanting to redo how I teach math for a while. As a student, I truly adore mathematics, but as a teacher, I was getting bored. Our district was looking into several programs to adopt and I was piloting Everyday Mathematics. It was definitely a change from our old textbook, but I liked how it mixed things up and spiraled around to keep kids fresh on many math concepts. The district ended up choosing Math Expressions (Please share your experience if you use this!) and this decision allowed me to stop teaching Everyday Mathematics "with fidelity" and monkey around with starting Guided Math/Math Rotations/Small Group Math/Math Centers/etc. for the remainder of this year. I.am.in.love! I know there are many ways of doing this, so I am just sharing what I have been trying and what works so far with my schedule. Some of my greatest inspirations are Elizabeth from Fun in 4B and Dana from 3rd Grade Gridiron. I also have TONS of wonderful links with pictures on my Math Pinterest board-- there are so many inspirational teachers out there :) :) First up, the 3-4 rotations that I use: Teacher Time- spent with me on the rug in a small group, ability-based for the unit, learning a new concept. Lesson Work- practicing the new skill from Teacher Time (usually book work or a worksheet) independently at their table spot. Math Centers- this has been using some of my Word Work Centers as well as my Winter Math Centers. Fact Practice- this is the "I'm Done" center for those students who finish Lesson Work early. I also have Fact Practice as a choice for Math Centers. Some days students don't get to this at all, but I'm ok with that since Xtra Math is a part of our Star Homework each night. Because of time constraints, I could only divide up my class into three groups, so that really limited my use of the cute M-A-T-H or B-U-I-L-D centers that are out there. I just couldn't imagine trying to have super-short Teacher Times or trying to spread one lesson across two days :( With three groups, I am able to meet with kids for 15-20ish minutes and that seems to be just right :) I also tried to keep things aligned with how I do Daily 5 in my class. Because that is so successful, I knew it would be easy for my kids (and, to be honest, on me!) if we started it off the same and ran our math time the same, using some of the same activities as well as the same lingo (like Teacher Time). I began by making an anchor chart of the four rotations as a class: To make the smaller signs, I adjusted my print settings to print 2 signs on one sheet. We then practiced the bottom two rotations over the course of a few days. Because I started this mid-year, it was very easy to build stamina. I started by dividing the kids into two groups and they practiced either Fact Practice or Math Centers. We then reflected on what worked/what needed improving and tried again. I slowly added Teacher Time and then Lesson Work, so that by the end of the second week, we were in full swing. To help things along, since the content does change much more often than in D5, I made small signs to hang on my side white board that listed either the learning target or question as well as the assignments and center choices for kids' reference: This has been a lifesaver because now students have a quick reference point to not only know what we'll be studying in Teacher Time, but they can manage their own Center and Fact Practice time, therefore not interrupting me during Teacher Time (win!). You KNOW I have bookmarks with these rotations, right?! :) I need to go to Bookmarks Anonymous ;) Each student has one and it makes it easy for me to say "Picture 2" and they all know where to go. To learn how to make your own bookmarks from PDF pages, click HERE. To be honest, now that we have been doing this for a while, we don't need these anymore, but I love them just the same and, when our geometry unit is over soon I am going to me remixing the groups, so these will come in handy again soon :) As with everything, the devil is in the details, so prepping is the key. I spent a looooooong time making sure the kids had activities and trying to account for "dead time"-- thus, the Fact Practice option. I also wanted to make materials accessible and easy to get to, so there wouldn't be any excuse for not getting started right away. I am currently storing all of the centers and flash cards in my lovely, colorful cart I purchased from Joann's (50% off and free shipping coupon-- woo hoo!) I will be back soon for more details on how I have been doing Math Centers-- we are using a Bingo Board similar to Word Work and it has worked out well so far. Do you use Math Rotations or something like it? How's it going? PS- I don't have these chevron signs on TpT yet, but is it something you all would be interested in? Let me know and I can get all of the colors together for use in your own classroom-- it's the same chevron as all of my other products HERE. *UPDATE 2/18/13: These are now available for purchase in my TpT Store HERE. All 7 chevron colors are included for every slide as well as a plain background option. Be sure to download the Preview to see an example :) Thanks for such great feedback- I hope you enjoy using these in your class :) :)
Then try these FREE ideas, resources, and tips to make them experts. Click here:
Here is my collection of FREE math resources for teachers and homeschooling parents. These math activities and games come in printable and digital versions.
I want to tell you about a really easy and fun get to know you activity. This can also be used for a fun math activity throughout the year. What's even better is that your students will love to create these and they make FABULOUS hallway displays.
Learn how to teach quadrilaterals conceptually rather than having your students memorize the names of shapes. Tips for teaching quadrilaterals are included! Implement in your 4th grade or 5th grade math class today!
Have you been looking for the perfect project based learning curriculum? If you've been on the lookout for a game-changing approach to captivate your upper elementary students and ignite a passion for learning, you're in for a treat! Buckle up as we dive into the world of project-based learning (PBL) – the secret sauce to turning mundane lessons into exciting adventures.
Math Journals, or problem solving notebooks are a great way to get students writing about their mathematical thinking. They are also especially effective for giving you a glimpse into their problem solving process. I use math journals almost daily in my class and often start with this strategy to help my students more coherently explain their thinking. Teaching 4th grade in Nevada means teaching the dreaded constructed response math questions for our state test. One thing that I have been trying in my class that has been very successful is the making a MESS model for problem solving. As you can see from the anchor chart the MESS acronym stands for: M - Model E - Equation S- Solution S- Sentence The students learn to use the acronym to help them set up a written response to a math problem so that they not only know where to start, but also all of the parts to include. It is really easy to remember and they LOVE the idea of being encouraged to "Make a Mess". I started my students off with the anchor chart above, then gave them my math journals which are set up using this method, and include 4 math prompts for each standard. I print out the ones that my students need to work on most and place them in a folder for math journal time. This student started to divide the given numbers (963/10) but then raised her hand and asked if she could round first. I told her, "Try it!" The students become better and better at writing responses as we share methods and responses throughout the year. Towards the end of the year in preparation for testing, I start giving them prompts without the model to guide them. After working with the MESS model all year, they know what to do, and are better prepared. I really emphasize perseverance and trying things out before raising their hands to ask for help. I compare it to a video game. I say, "If you don't pass a level on a video game, you don't call me up and ask for help, you try something different, you persevere until you figure it out. That is exactly what mathematicians do!" I have been blown away by some of the feedback that I have received! Grade Level Math Journals Available: 1st Grade Math Journal 2nd Grade Math Journal 3rd Grade Math Journal 4th Grade Math Journal 5th Grade Math Journal 6th Grade Math Journal Here are a few links with sample constructed response questions http://tn.gov/education/assessment/ConstructedResponseAssessment.shtml http://www.sandi.net/cms/lib/CA01001235/Centricity/Domain/217/Math%20Documents/Archives%20K-5/Grade%204%20Modules%201-10%20Response%20Guides.pdf http://www.opi.mt.gov/PDF/Assessment/CRT/RI/07/07Gr3MathCR.pdf I also have a Pinterest Board where I pin Math Journal Ideas. I am linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried It Tuesday. Head over there for some other amazing ideas, or to share something you have tried recently! This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog. All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. I would love to hear from you! ❤️ Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful? Be so kind and leave a comment below.
Worksheets are a snoozefest...try this Super Fun Engaging Activity for ANY SUBJECT + a freebie!
Bell ringers, warm ups, or do firsts- they all serve the same purpose: to get students working at the start of class. 6 Ideas for implementing bell ringers.
Are you looking to capture the thrilling spirit of the 2024 Summer Olympics in your classroom? With the games fast approaching, I've developed an exciting
Whether you’re looking specifically for math games or just want a fun way for students to practice math facts, the ideas on this page will help you incorporate a math partner game time into even the most limited class schedule. You’ll see how to store and organize the games and introduce them to your class. … Continued
Unlock a world of creativity in your upper elementary classroom with these 12 engaging Project-Based Learning examples! From create a planet to design a haunted house to historical time capsules, these hands-on PBL activities foster critical thinking and collaboration. Perfect ideas for project based learning activities and ideas for homeschool, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and middle school. Includes a FREE printable lemonade stand project that uses math and language arts skills!
For the most part, reasoning, deducing, inferring, and critical thinking are not skills that come naturally to our students. Rather, they must be nurtured and developed. We want our students to become critical thinkers so they can reason and apply logic to solve novel problems throughout their lives. These skills will set them up to...
Learn how to provide math intervention that will make an impact in your classroom while making your life easier!
As a teacher, there is so much to do when it comes to setting up the classroom, that it is hard to know where to start! Over the course of my first six years of teaching middle school math, a few of these classroom projects have become staples in my classroom. In this post, I plan to share a few of these ideas. (1) Assignment Notebook Board The first thing my middle school students do (or should be doing!) when they come to class is fill out their assignment notebooks. With some ruler tape that I found at Office Max, I created this assignment notebook board. The number 1 on each day is for what we do in class. The number 2 on each day is any homework that is assigned. For example the 1 might be "Multiply Fractions" and the 2 might be "Pg 232 hw (due tmw)." (2) Math is Everywhere Board I have written about this project in a few other posts, but it is one of my all time favorites to start the year! I have two bulletin boards in my classroom. This one gets filled with these tiles. Students must show how they see math in the real world on their tile. On the back of their tile, they must write a paragraph explaining how math is seen in the topic that they chose! You can click HERE for a free set of the bulletin board letters! (3) Challenge of the Week Many of you have already seen or tried out the Challenge of the Week in your classroom! I have loved seeing the pictures! Each week, I put up a new challenge problem. They are optional and students have until the end of the day on Thursday to turn it in. Anyone who gets it correct gets a small prize on Friday when we go over the answer! Both the 6th Grade Challenge of the Week Problems and the 8th Grade Challenge of the Week Problems are FREE in my TpT store. Enjoy! (4) Teacher Book Shelf My teacher book shelf took on some major changes recently. I started with this new way of organizing all of my math workshop materials. I decided to organize them more by the type of game, rather than by the topic like I had done in the past. I cleared these shelves off and organized them in these containers that I had ordered a few years ago. If you are looking for the materials and resources that I use for math workshop, be sure to check out my Math Mega Bundle (Upper Elementary/Middle School) and my Math Mega Bundle (8th Grade Math). Below these containers, I have two shelves with labels for Monday through Friday. This is where I put all of my plans and resources that I will be using for the coming week. This has been a useful way to stay organized and prepared throughout the week! As you can see, I am not quite ready for the first week of school... On the bottom of these shelves are my task cards, which very well could be the hardest resource when it comes to organization! I found these containers at Michaels. They have worked out pretty well. I have two sets of task cards that I use throughout each school year for each grade level. I have a regular set of task cards and then a set of enrichment task cards. Each set takes up two of these containers. Teaching two different grades means I end up with 8 of these containers, which is pretty manageable! Check out the links below if you are interested in the task cards for each grade level! 6th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 6th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle 7th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 7th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle 8th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 8th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle (5) Bulletin Board (Number 2) My second bulletin board is filled with some routine-oriented and expectation posters. I made these the last few years. The colored math workshop poster shows where students of each group should be at any given time. The homework data chart is where we record our homework data. As a class, we figure out what percentage of homework we turn in on time each day. Over the course of the year, we graph these and look at trends. It also becomes a fun competition between classes! (6) Bobblehead Collection I started my bobblehead collection a while ago and it has just grown ever since! Students enjoy seeing them and it is a fun way for students to get to know me and my interest in baseball! My wife and I are trying to get to all 30 MLB stadiums, and recently made it to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Luckily it was a bobblehead giveaway, so the Kevin Appier Royals bobblehead is the most recent addition to the collection!
Why use math sorts? Discussions Differentiation Aligned to the standards No-prep FUN! 1. Discussions We constantly tell students to show their work or explain their thinking. Using math sorts weekly will give students practice in putting their thinking into words. Your students will use math vocabulary as they explain how they sorted their cards. They […]
Practicing counting in groups is LOTS of fun with free printable Skip Counting Mazes! No prep worksheets to practice counting 2s-10s at various levels!
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Getting your classroom to manage itself, procedures, models and more. Visit us:
14 Brilliant Ways to Quiet a Noisy Class! Check out these behavior management strategies for classroom management!
Discover eight beginning of the year math activities that you can use on the first day of school to engage your new students.
Searching for some fun math activities for the last week of school? These 2nd grade end of the year math review activities are made for you and your second grade math class! They’re low-prep, easy to implement, and will help your students work together in math using cooperative learning activities through the last days of school. These 2nd grade cooperative learning activities will help your students stay engaged through the final days of school, and each one has different sets of problems that review everything they’ve learned in math this year in second grade! Here’s what’s included: 2 “Find a Friend” pages - end of year review 2nd grade math mixed review 32 differentiated task cards and a recording sheet 16 pages of partner practice pages (4 pages each at 4 different levels) Directions and ideas for implementing each end of year math review activity in your classroom Your students will love reviewing what they’ve learned this year in second grade math! They’ll be out of their seats and talking about math together. You’ll love that it’s easy to differentiate for your students, so you don’t have to find different activities for everyone! WHAT TEACHERS LIKE YOU ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS RESOURCE: ❤️ I love how differentiated this resource is and how many opportunities it provides for my students to collaborate! Overall, a fantastic resource! ❤️ This was just what I needed for our end of the year review. ❤️ Thank you so much, my students loved this resource! This came in handy when I was running short on time! Thank you! ❤️ A great resource for the end of the year! These 2nd grade math cooperative learning activities are all low ink and low prep. You’ll be ready to go in minutes, and only need a printer and some scissors to be ready to go! End of year review 2nd grade math is engaging and easy to implement. Click the preview above if you want to see more! ___________________________________ ⭐️ BUNDLE & SAVE FOR A DISCOUNT ⭐️ Purchase the Back to School and End of the Year 2nd Grade Math Review Bundle to get back to school and end of the year math review activities for fifth grade, and save time and money, too! YOU MAY ALSO LIKE… → BIG 2ND GRADE MATH BUNDLE WITH YEAR-ROUND ACTIVITIES → 2nd grade Daily Computation Practice → Back to School 2nd Grade Math Review → Daily Math Spiral Review → Math Cooperative Learning Activities → Math task cards → Find a Friend activities → Partner practice printables for math → Math mazes ___________________________________ ___________________________________ CLICK TO FOLLOW… New products are 50% OFF the FIRST 48 HOURS they’re available! ___________________________________ Having difficulty with a file? Please visit the FAQs section, submit a help ticket, or ask a question on the Q&A tab before leaving feedback. ___________________________________ 2nd Grade Math Review - End of Year Math Review Activities Second Grade Math Copyright © Dawn Mincher - Love Learn Teach Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Please purchase additional licenses if you intend to share this product.
Get the Training Several years ago, my 3rd grade team had the honor of piloting the Eureka math curriculum (Engage NY). We did not receive any training on this program that year. We struggled. Honestly it felt like we were treading water all year and there were several times that we started taking in some
This is an amazing art and math lesson that I got from a teacher at a conference who did teach a district over from me, but is now getting her PhD. She always had amazing stuff to present at conference. (You're amazing, Mary Franco!) Anyway, this lesson involves Paul Klee and multiplication. I made a little three page Smart Notebook lesson about Klee's work "Once Emerged From the Gray of Night" (where I used to show a poster of it) and have the students talk about what's more important--the words of the poem or the colors and composition? Then we talk about putting two things (like writing and art, or math and art together). It's SUCH an amazing lesson, here's a sneak peek: So, students get a little background knowledge of Klee, then we talk about tessellations and multiplication (and practice on the Smart Board). Then, students get a page of one-inch graph paper and write out a one digit by one digit multiplication problem with a two digit answer. I tell them to choose one that's hard for them to remember, or their favorite one. They then repeat that problem seven times, dropping down and over one square for 4 times, then down and back a square for three times, making them into interlocking tessellation shapes: After they've drawn it all out in pencil and I've checked it, they choose ONE color of fine-tip marker to trace it with, then use colored pencil or watercolor pencil to color. The coloring is a bit of a challenge for them, because they need to forget that they're numbers and only look at the space. They then color it in patterns/designs to make it visually interesting and play with people's minds ('math? I dont' see any math!') It's an awesome lesson that really challenges their thinking. This one really shows the patterns and designs. Oh, it's also important that their numbers COMPLETELY fill the one inch box of the graph paper. I always try to do this lesson at a time of the year when classroom teachers are complaining about students not remembering their math facts. I usually do it with fifth grade, but I did it with sixth one year at the teachers' request.
Transformations prove to be tricky for our students to remember each year but these six great activities are here to help you transform your students in no time.
These free geometry cheat sheets are a great reference for students learning geometry. Includes shapes, lines, prisms, angles & more!
I have been using interactive math notebooks in my classroom for as long as I can remember. Math notebooks are a great place for students to take notes, record definitions and sample problems, and practice new skills. They are perfect to use for direct instruction and guided practice, in small groups or as a whole class.…
Bulletin boards, doors, and classroom walls are all opportunities to spread positive math messages! A bulletin board in a math classroom should be meaningful. I’ve gathered some of my favorites that will get students attention, make them feel welcome, make them think, inspire them, or even make them
Math intervention with your students can be an overwhelming task. Here's how to simplify the process and do it in a meaningful way.
Geometric Art
