Using Math Mysteries in the Classroom

Have you ever wanted to sprinkle more magic and fun into your math block? Have you ever thought, "I wish I could easily gamify my math class?" Have you ever wondered how you could get your students engaged during math time? If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then stay tuned, because I want to introduce you to one way that I am making this a reality in my classroom and how it could work for you too. 

Figure out Which Math Concepts your Students Struggle with Most

What would you say are some of the hardest math concepts that your students learn? I currently teach math for grades 3-5 and some of the hardest are these:

In third grade: rounding and fractions

In fourth grade: long division and fractions

in 5th grade: decimals and fractions

Turn Difficult Math Concepts into Engaging Activities

Once you have identified some concepts that trip your students up and are difficult for them to learn, you have some targeted standards to create engaging activities around. If you have been teaching for longer than a year or two, I am sure you could already identify these difficult concepts. They usually are the same from year-to-year.

Now you need to look at the standards and skills the students cover under these concepts. You want to use as many of these as you can in planning your engaging activities. Usually I like to find about four main concepts that I can use for each activity. I like to do it this way because I love using the engaging activities at the end of a unit, as not only a review, but also as something for students to look forward to. They are more willing to put in the hard work and learn what they need to if they know they will be able to apply their skills in a fun and engaging way at the end of the unit. Of course, it is also possible to sprinkle some fun in throughout the unit, but for now, I want to focus on the culminating activity. 

Examples of Concepts to Include in a Math Activity

For these examples, I am going to use the concepts from our fraction units. 

In third grade, I chose these skills:

• Equal or Unequal
• Unit Fractions
• Fraction Models
• Fraction Lines

In fourth grade, these are the skills I chose: 

• Comparing Fractions
• Finding Equivalent Fractions with Dividing
• Equivalent Fraction Models
• Finding Equivalent Fractions with Multiplying

In fifth grade, I zeroed in on these skills:

• Simplest Form
• Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators
• Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators
• Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers with and without regrouping 

Choose a Theme for your Math Activity

Keep in mind that you are doing this for the students. Think about what they would enjoy or what would benefit them. Sure, you can bring your passions to the table. That is one way to connect what you love to their curriculum. I have done this many times, but don't forget to consider their hobbies, passions and interests as well. 

Some examples of passions of some of my students past and present are: 

• Space
• Soccer
• Football
• Sharks
• Superheroes
• Video Games
• Certain Movies
• Certain Games
• Certain Books

Choose your Math Activity Type

When gamifying your classroom consider some of the following ideas:

• Escape Rooms
• Break Outs
• Mystery Activities
• Interactive Centers
• Games (Board or Card)

Putting my Math Activity Together

For this activity, I knew I wanted to try a mystery theme. I also knew that I wanted to do something with superheroes. I had names like "The Fractionator" Swirling around in my head. Superhero fraction names were coming at me left and right. So that's what I decided to go with. I also have a little boy in my third grade class who is absolutely in love with superheroes. That was an added bonus.

Once I had my ideas, I had to come up with a premise for my activity. Since superheroes save cities, I decided to twist this around and make all of the superheroes undercover bad guys and only one was a good guy. The trick was for each student to figure out which one was the good superhero and they had to find out quickly because time was running out to save the the city. 

With a set up like that, students were engaged immediately and ready to help save the city by solving math mystery puzzles using their newly acquired math skills.  

Math Content Activities

Students engaged in four different challenges to reveal a mystery clue. Each clue told them one of the superheroes that was an imposter. Their job was to solve each clue and reveal the real superhero, saving the city from certain disaster! As students completed a challenge, I checked their secret code and if they were right, they received the next challenge to solve. 

When all four challenges were solved, students earned a prize. More about that later. 

Setting the Stage to Engage

One thing I love doing is transforming my classroom and this was an easy one. I did not spend a ton of money to do this. I was able to print out a banner that said "Mathopolis" which was our fictional city that was under attack. I purchased a banner from Amazon to hang on my board. I covered a few boxes with colored bulletin board paper and added some squares to make them look like windows on buildings. I used the boxes to create a skyline for the city of Mathopolis. These were free to make using things we already had at the school. I had some masks that I had purchased a couple of years ago that I placed on balloons. I taped one to each desk to look like a colorful superhero. I attached a paper cape to the back of each balloon. Each desk had another mask that each student could use to get into character during our math activity. We had superhero music playing in the background. When students completed that challenge and solved the mystery, they received a Tootsie Roll Pop that had been turned into a simple superhero with colorful paper. 

That's it. That was the whole set up. You could do it all, or part of it, or not use any props at all, keeping it very basic. Here are some affiliate links to things I used in this transformation. I love finding pieces that I can reuse from year to year or use form other transformations as well. You can click the pictures to be taken to my Amazon storefront.

The masks I purchased are no longer available, but these are similar to mine.

 

Easy Classroom Transformations: Bringing the Angry Birds Back

I love a good classroom transformation. But let's get real, at the end of the year, I need to take the easy route. I still want to do transformations, but if I am being honest, I need them to be quick and easy. 

One of my favorite subjects to pair with a transformation is math. Math seems to be the subject kids tend to shy away from the most. Maybe it's just me, but I hear so many complaints about math. Last year I had a kid who literally asked me if we had to do math...every. single. day. I really wanted to make math more fun by spicing it up in several different ways....one of those ways is through the use of transformations.

One of my go-to transformations for the last quarter of the school year is Angry Birds. I mean, the kids love 'em and I can capitalize on that engagement factor to get some math done. The curriculum this time of the year takes us through chapters on area, perimeter, or even volume. I teach third, fourth, and fifth grades, so I have a lot to cover. Angry Birds are the absolute perfect way to celebrate their learning in a quick and easy way. Here's how I put it all together in very little time. 

What you need:

Boxes of various sizes, including some large and some tiny ones. 

Natural colored wrapping paper (this has the texture of a paper bag)

Tape, Sharpie, and colored paper

Angry Bird Printed pictures, or you can draw your own (which is what I did)

A slingshot

Ping-pong balls or colorful pompoms ( I prefer pompoms)

How to set it up:

1. I quickly wrap several boxes in the wrapping paper. This can be as many as you want or as few, but I would say build an area of stacked boxes at least 6-10 feet wide. 

2. Use the sharpie to draw fake wood lines to make the boxes look like wooden crates.

3. Cut pieces of colorful paper, writing point values on them. Tape or glue one to each box.

4. Draw or print and cut some characters from Angry Birds. I suggest doing this on posterboard or at least cardstock. 

5. Set up a wall of boxes in your classroom. Place the Angry Birds around and on the boxes. 

6. YOU ARE READY FOR FUN!!

The curriculum:

I made up a foldable for a recording sheet. Students use this to record the answer for each question as well as the points they earn during each round. 

3rd/4th Grade: 

For third grade, I used colorful posterboard to create different shapes to use for area and perimeter. Some shapes were divided into grids and students were to count the spaces to figure out the area or perimeter. Some shapes had side measurements and students had to figure out the area or perimeter from there. Some shapes had only one side measurement with the area or perimeter given and they were to solve for the missing side. I also included shapes with a varying number of sides for an added challenge.

5th Grade: 

In fifth grade, we were studying volume. I made up cards with pictures of boxes. Some had the length, width, and height. Students had to figure out the volume. Some pictures left off one of the side measurements, but students were given the volume and they had to figure out the missing side. 

These were all part of the standards that we covered in the unit we were studying. We did this at the end of the unit as a reinforcement and review. 

The Game:

Students first had to solve one problem. After showing their answer to me, if they were correct, they got a chance to shoot a ball or pompom, with a slingshot, at the stack of boxes. They could only shoot one time for each question. If they hit a box, they used their recording sheet to write down the amount of points they scored. 

Students who did not get the answer correct needed to go back and figure out what they did wrong and fix it before they could use the slingshot. Students went back and forth between solving a problem and shooting the slingshot. 

The Take-a-Ways

Because students had something to look forward to (shooting the balls at the boxes) they were highly engaged and eager to work hard to find correct answers. 

Easy transformations still work for engagement.

You do not have to spend a lot of time or money to create something magical. 

Connect student learning to student passions.

We did a video game transformation, so I paired Mario with Angry Birds....and check out this cute tray. It's a video game controller! How fun is that? 

Always be on the lookout for pieces you can use and reuse in your class. I bought these trays several years ago at the end of season clearance. I definitely would not have splurged on them for full price, but they were so fun and perfect for my gaming transformation!

Take this as a reminder, you do not have to kill yourself off doing all the things and trying to keep up with the instagram teachers. A little sprinkle of fun can be just as exciting for your kids.

April Fool's Day Fun in the Classroom

How do you celebrate April Fool's Day in your classroom? Do you celebrate it at all? I love getting in on the fun and playing little tricks on my class. I also like to squeeze in some learning while examining the history behind this holiday. 

April Fool's Day Fun

A few years back, I was at a school where the students took April Fool's Day to the extreme. Everywhere you went on campus, you had to watch out! As soon as you opened a door, a student might put a cup of water on top of it, waiting for it to fall and dump down on you. They even went so far as to sneak out to the parking lot and toilet paper the cars of their teachers! Luckily, I taught the little guys and was not on the receiving end of this one!

The teachers got in on it too. From the principal showing up with a tattoo sleeve, to the famous "brown E's" prank, and don't forget the April Fool's Day quizzes and word searches, the whole day was lighthearted and lots of fun.    

April Fool's Day Learning Activities

I want my students to have fun, and we do, but also why not bring some April Fool's Day learning fun into the classroom as well. It hit me that many kids love these little traditions, but how much do they really know about the holiday and how it all got started? That's when I decided to create a resource for them that did just that! My students were excited to learn about the holiday and the traditions behind it with lots of reading and writing activities!

Fun Reading and Writing Activities for April Fool's Day

The topics I used with my students included a section on the history of April Fool's Day. How , when, and where did this silly holiday get started? Next, we looked at what the holiday is like in different parts of the world. We also learned about some famous tricks that have been played. I included matching and comprehension questions to hold students accountable for their learning. 

As a response to the reading passages, students chose one prank and wrote about the steps

they would take to perform it. They also wrote about a prank they played on someone. 

In all, it was a fun way to learn, celebrate, and enjoy the holiday. 

Check out this blog post for more prank ideas for April Fool's Day.

If you would like to purchase a copy of this resource, you can find it over here. 

Books for the New Year - January Titles for Building Reading Comprehension

Books for the New Year

I am always on the lookout for new books to use for different seasons in my classroom. I recently ran across the book Because by Mo Willems. It is absolutely perfect and stunning for the new year. I am going to use it for goal setting and will also tie in some reading comprehension strategies and reading skills. 

I decided to try to find a book to partner with the book to Because. The book by John Lithgow called, Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo, was the perfect book to use. It has a similar topic and is lots of fun. 

New Year's Book Descriptions

The book, Because, is a beautifully illustrated book that features the story of an orchestra. It traces inspiration from one piece of music to the final moment when an orchestra is formed. It shows how just one person can have a huge effect over the lives of others. It is written in a simple pattern, but don't let that fool you! This book is packed with possibilities for older students like my upper elementary kids. 

The book, Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo, is a fun book that features an orchestra as well...only in this book some rogue animals take over the orchestra, reeking havoc in the process. 

 New Year's Partner Books

What I love about using these two books together is their easy link based on not only the orchestra, but how easily the books show a cause/effect relationship. They are perfect for linking together to compare and contrast. 

Lesson Planning for New Year's Books

I was looking through these two books with reading lessons in mind. I knew I wanted to connect the books not only to New Year's celebrations, but also to my curriculum. I looked for skills that could be incorporated. Here are some good ones.

First, of course, we will have a discussion about the points of the book using  basic questions as well as questions that dig a bit deeper and require making connections.

Next, using the book Because, we will work on cause and effect relationships. This book is perfect for that. Each page has a cause/effect sentence on it. We will branch away from those, writing some of our own. In the end, we can link back to the book, Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo for one last cause/effect.

For deeper learning, students will think about the effect (goal) they want to have for the rest of the school year. They will list out some causes....what will cause them to reach that goal. They will draw a picture of themselves completing that goal. If you visualize it and have a step-by-step plan, you can achieve it, right?

The book, Never Play music Right Next to the Zoo, is also a great way to review basic nouns and verbs. We will do a quick verb sort with this one. 

Another great skill to work on with these two books is comparing and contrasting. Using partner books allows you to have enough similarities, but there will be many differences as well. A Venn diagram is the perfect way to organize a comparison between these two books. 

Using fun picture books is one of my favorite ways to teach new skills and these two ne (to me) boxes will be a perfect addition!