Your early learners are absolutely going to LOVE this school clip cards printable! Perfect for quiet time or free time in your early childhood classroom.
Lots of fun 1st grade math practice with first grade math worksheets that can be used to play Mad Minutes Math Game. Print pdf HERE!
Build It is a cooperative, team building activity that encourages students to work together, communicate, and think logically as they construct a geometric
Create a solid math foundation with these tips for teaching place value in 1st grade. Use these ideas to avoid place value mistakes!
Worksheets for 1st grade math, first grade math worksheets for free for the basic math topics taught in grade 1.
Discover eight beginning of the year math activities that you can use on the first day of school to engage your new students.
Use this fantastic pentomino exploration as a first day of math class activity in middle school. You'll learn so much about your students!
Math About Me, Back to School, Freebie
BOOM! Sink the ships in this free printable, Hundreds Chart Battleship math game to help kindergarteners counting with 100s chart.
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...
These FREE domino addition printables are a great Kindergarten or 1st grade math center for practicing beginning addition skills!
So you have a student (or two, or three) who have math gaps in skills from previous grade levels. It can be overwhelming to consider that you need to teach a
Do you want to know how to teach fractions? Check out this post for a fun hands-on lesson!
Planning the first day of school can be stressful! Learn my 3 favorite activities that will allow you to have the perfect first day of middle school math!
Are you looking for a way to work on first grade math skills? This free packet is for you! It could be used for learning in the classroom or at home! This packet works on
FREEZE is the math movement game of every elementary teacher’s dreams! It combines academics, social skills, movement, AND fun into one amazing activity.
Doubles Math Facts Freebie and end of the year packing up your classroom tips. Practice math facts doubles in kindergarten and first grade.
Practice adding to 100 with this simple to play Addition to 100 Card Game! Ditch the worksheets; try this FUN addition activity!
Looking for some easy and fun first day of school math activities. These four math activities are perfect for your classroom!
I have been on a math kick lately. I think it is because my kids are strugglingggg with basic math concepts lately and it’s killin’ me! We have been learning addition strategies and practicing addition within 20 for two weeks now and my class has just started to pick up their momentum. They are […]
Skip the stress of planning your first day of math class! Read about four first day of school math activities that are easy to plan and fun for students!
That first day of school is so full of jitters, for both the teacher and the students. Every time August hits and the weather changes I get that overwhelming feeling of uncertainty. What is the ne…
Math crafts are fun! Add art and crafts to your math lessons to make them more fun! Download a FREE math craft project. #mathcraft #firstgrademathactivities
I am always on the lookout for some new first-week activities to do with my 6th grade math students. In addition to "get to know you" activities, I like to find projects that are fun, math-related, and motivating for students during those first few weeks. One of these projects that I have always done during the first week of school (but you could really do any time of the year) is my Math is Everywhere tile activity. Before the year starts, I buy some white card stock (or white-ish...this year I got some silver/metallic card stock). I then cut them into square tiles. This year I cut them into tiles with 5 inch sides, but I think I have done 6x6 in past years. Whatever works for you! I use a corner rounder from Target to round of the corners of the tiles. Here are the tiles and the start of my example tile that I created to show my students. For the project, students must think of a place that they see or use math in the real world. I usually brainstorm a list as a class, and then students can either use one from the list or think of their own topic! Once they choose a topic, they use a tile, pencil, ruler, and colored pencils to show how they see math in their topic. Being the baseball fan that I am, I chose to make my Math is Everywhere tile about how we see and use math in baseball. Below is my finished example tile! *Tip: Many of my students who choose a sport want to know the dimensions of the court, field, etc. Last year, I printed out sheets that had the dimensions to save the time and hassle of students looking them up! Once the students are finished creating their tile, there is one more step. On the back of the tile, they must write at least three sentences describing what they chose and how math is seen in their topic. Here is the example that I wrote for baseball. Finally, once all of the tiles are finished and turned in (don't forget names!), I put them all up on my bulletin board. I cut out the words "Math is Everywhere" and staple them in the middle of the board, surrounding it with all of the finished tiles! Here is a shot of this year's tiles! I have a few more still to add, but it's already starting to come together! Update: I posted the "Math is Everywhere" bulletin board letters for free in my TpT store. Be sure to grab them at the following link! Also included in the resource are letters that say "Welcome to 6th Grade" that I use for my hallway bulletin board. Link to Bulletin Board Letters For more ideas about setting up the middle school math classroom, be sure to check out my post titled 6 Ideas for Setting Up the Middle School Math Classroom. I am excited to link up this post with Miss Math Dork's awesome monthly Math IS Real Life link up! Click the link or picture to see some other great ways we see math in the real world!
I love incorporating games into math as much as possible. Who doesn't love playing games, right?! But the problem with games is that they often require quite a bit of prep work for us teachers. I've been trying to come up with some that require little to no preparation to use. I'm so excited to
What should we do on the first day of school? Teach? Get to know students? Go over procedures? Planning the first day can be stressful. I’ve always been told the first day sets the tone, so …
Not sure what to teach the first week of 3rd grade? Here's what we did!
Here are some of my favorite resources for the beginning of the year for sixth grade math. Included are ideas for classroom decorations, activities for the first day, and routines we can establish from the start.
Math games are always a class favorite! They're great for centers, homework practice, and small groups. This set of games includes five monkey-themed math games that your kids will love! They might even go bananas for it (tehehe)! Doubles, place value, addition, and more. Each game comes in color and black & white. You can grab them HERE. I hope your kids love them!
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.
Ever wish you could find the perfect math centers? Games that didn't use up all your ink, saved you oodles of time, and are EASY to organize? Well, you're in
With this page, your child can count his way to a completed picture.
An engaging back to school, icebreaker activity to help you get to know your students while practicing graphing linear equations! (Perfect for the first day of math class in high school!) In this activity, students determine if statements are true or false about themselves. Each statement has a corresponding linear equation. Students graph the lines for each true statement. Everyone’s page will turn out a little different but with some similarities. Once students graph their lines, they are instructed to use 3 colors to trace over the lines depending on if they pass through a given point. (This helps students self-check if they made any errors graphing!) An included editable PowerPoint file allows you to edit the statements if you choose. Note: An answer key shows all the possible lines students may graph. However, most students will not graph all the lines because not all statements will be true for them personally! I recommend using this with students who already know how to graph lines in slope-intercept form. All equations are given as y=mx+b or y=mx. A few vertical and horizontal lines are included as well.
Hi all! Today I want to chat with you about Number Talks! *Stay with me for a freebie at the end!* Last summer, I participated in professional development provided by Math Solutions. During the week long training, there was a lot of discussion around Number Talks and Math Talks. I have jumped into using these full force this year...and I LOVE them! The kids do too! Here is the structure of the number talks that I follow in my classroom. These typically last about 15 minutes-depending on how the conversation goes with the students! *This is how I use them in my 1st grade classroom, but they could easily be adapted for other primary grades! The pictures below are how I do number talks on a smart board.* 1. Pose a problem. I typically use the smart board or dry erase board for my talks. The type of problem differs throughout the year. This particular discussion centered around a string of addition problems. Addition strings (or strands) are related addition problems. 2. Allow think time. In my classroom, I have the students use hand signals during our number talks. These were suggested during the Math Solutions training and I love how they are working out! After the problem is posed, they have quiet think time to solve the problem mentally (I do not provide manipulatives or paper/pencil for them to use during these lessons). When they have an answer, they hold a thumbs up on their chest. This tells me that the child has had enough time to think and has a way to solve the problem. If the child can come up with an addition way to solve the problem (a different strategy), they hold up a second finger, and so on for the number of solutions they have thought of in their head. 3. Share out answers. After the students have had enough time to solve the problem, I asked for them to share out answers. "Who would like to share their answer?" I write the possible solutions next to the problem (shown above in green). If someone shares an answer that others agree with, they use another hand signal that means "me too" or "I agree." Using their thumb and pinky, they move their hand back and forth between them self and the person that shared the answer. This tells me that they came up with that answer as well. I typically share out all of their answers...unless it gets out of hand. 4. Provide partner share time. After we have shared out possible solutions, I have the students turn and talk with a partner to PROVE their answer. That is a word that I use a lot in math. "Turn and prove your answer to your partner." When someone has an answer, they have to be able to prove it. During number talks, that requires them to be able to explain it verbally. This can be a difficult task at the beginning of the year, but you will be amazed at how quickly they pick it up! 5. Allow student explanations. After they have had time to share in partners, I ask students to share out their explanations. "Who would like to share with us how you solved the problem?" or "Who can share their thinking?" As a student shares, I record exactly the steps that they say (shown above in blue) on the board for the other students to see (I also write their name with the explanation to give them ownership-plus they like seeing their name up there!). I typically allow 3-4 student explanations. I mark tallies next to the answer that the students are proving with their explanations. I also do my best to show when a student is thinking something in their head (see picture above). 6. Decide on a final answer. After students have shared out their solutions, I ask the class, "Do you agree that ____ is the answer?" After seeing the solutions (and problem solving any that might have gotten off track), we always come to a final answer together (shown above in red). I like to use number strings during math talks. So after solving the first problem, we usually do two more that relate to it. This helps them to see patterns in numbers and see relations in problems. When using the smart board, I group together the first problem and solutions and minimize them on the screen (shown above on the left). I like having them visible for the students to reference for the next problem. You can see in the solutions on the right above, that Brae did use the previous problem to help solve the second one. She said, "Well I used the other problem so in my head I knew that 4+4=8. But this problem had a 5 and 5 is one more than 4. So I knew the sum would be 1 more, so it equals 9." The picture above shows the final problem from that day. You can see that again, a student used the previous problem to help them solve the new one. Ashley said, "I saw from before that 4+5=9, and 7 is 2 more than 5 so the answer has to be 2 more. The answer is 11." You may also notice that Lane did not catch the pattern, but he did use the strategy of making a 10 which is another great way to solve the problem! I always record every solution. These number talks show me where students are in their math thinking and what they are comfortable with in their mental skills. Just by looking at these responses, I know that Zoe is still dependent on using her fingers, so we could work on more mental strategies in a small group to strengthen those skills and make her more confident. I absolutely LOVE using number talks in my classroom. I feel like my students have really taken the initiative to find their own way to solve problems, to find ways that make the most sense to them. They find connections in problems and use them to solve other problems! They have also deepened their use of math vocabulary through their explanations and use of our math word wall (check it out here). *Making mistakes help us learn!* It is crucial to make sure that students feel comfortable in the classroom. If they are afraid to be wrong or afraid to be embarrassed, they will not be willing to take risks and share out their solutions. We discuss how making mistakes is normal, that it happens to everyone, and that as long as we can fix the mistake, there is no problem with it! We also talk about how figuring out those mistakes helps us the next time we solve a similar problem. I let this conversation happen naturally when someone does try to prove an incorrect answer. We fix it, I smile, thank the student for sharing their thinking because it helped us all learn, and we move on. *Accuracy is key!* We usually have a few talks at the beginning of the year regarding accuracy. Sometimes you have students that want to share out an answer, so they will say anything even if they know it is wrong. We discuss how it is okay to make mistakes (and how we learn from them) but that we do want to try our best to be accurate. Using the "me too" sign helps cut down on this a bit, because that sign shows me their answer without them sharing out. *Model...and model some more!* When I pose a problem or repeat/reword someone's explanation, I use proper math terminology. The kids love hearing important math terms and using them in their explanations the next time! I often reference our math word wall or repeat a term that a student may have used in their explanation. They feel good about using the words the correct way! *Record their exact explanation* I scribe exactly what my students say. If they tell me, "I was thinking the number 4 in my head..." I draw a little smiley face with a thought bubble that has 4 in it. "Then I counted up 4 more, 5, 6, 7, 8." So after drawing the 4 in the thought bubble, I then record the 5, 6, 7, 8 to show what they did next. I want the other students to see that the student did start with that first number 4, but they didn't have to count 1, 2, 3, 4 to get started. *Sentence Stems* I also have some sentence stems by our math word wall. Some examples are: "I agree with _____ because ______." "I disagree with _____ because _______." "I knew that ______ so then I knew ______." "First I _____, then I _____." These are great for when you are just starting out number talks. *Keep your responses neutral* Students REALLY notice how you respond to answers. If someone gives a solution that just blows your mind (trust me, it will happen!), just act cool, record it on the board, and thank them for sharing. (You can brag about it to your co-workers later!) If students see you respond in a big way to one student's solution, and then not to theirs, it may make them feel bad about participating in the future. Number talks are great because they allow students to solve problems in their own way. If they are getting to the correct answer, the route they took to get there isn't right or wrong. You could take the conversation in the direction of, "Which way is more efficient?" if students are just finding long drawn out ways just to share something different, but never pose a correct solution as the wrong way to solve it. I hope you found this post helpful! I really do enjoy using number talks in my classroom. I have posted some math talk activities that I frequently use in my classroom. Check them out {here}. If you love the freebie above, check out the larger version of Number Talk Activities in my store! The larger version has 8 different discussion activities to use during number talks! Check it out {here}. I also have some free Dot Cards in my store if you are looking for more lower level number talk activities! Check them out {here}. If you are looking for resources to support number talks, you can check out the book Number Talks: Help Students Build Mental Math and Computation Strategies. Let me know below how you use number talks in your classroom!
Try these essential tips for how to run Math centers: Easy, simple, and effective organization ideas and resources for the K-2 classroom.
Are you a teacher or a parent of a first-grade student searching for free printable phonics worksheets? Look no further! We have a collection of engaging and educational worksheets that will help your child grasp essential phonics skills. These worksheets cover a range of phonics topics, including letter recognition, sounds, blending, and segmenting. Designed for first graders, our worksheets offer an interactive and enjoyable way for young learners to improve their reading and spelling abilities. Whether you're teaching in the classroom or at home, these free printable phonics worksheets are a valuable resource for developing strong foundational skills in reading and writing.
Use these number sense math activities to build number sense in first grade! Students will love these engaging, fun games too!
My daughter is in first grade and her class is a little obsessed with cootie catchers (aka fortune tellers). She likes to make them a lot, and other kids her grade and a little older do, too. Which…
