Math Game Monday: Multiplication Escape to the Circus

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, you have been named the greatest mathematicians on Earth. Your multiplication skills will be put to the test in four challenges, each revealing a mystery word or phrase that you must solve before moving on to the next challenge. Complete all four challenges to escape to the circus. 

This is how I love to celebrate multiplication with my differentiated 3-5 level escape to the circus game.

For each challenge you complete, you will collect a ticket that can be used to play games and earn prizes. 

If you are ready, let's begin. Be the first team to escape to the circus and you will earn an extra ticket to play another game." 

This is how I start my circus escape room. Students go wild over this and work with persistence to solve the puzzles so they can do the carnival-style games. Let me show you a little about the challenges. 

First, I set up the front of my room with a circus background, banner, and a circus tent. At the table, I have prizes and tickets. Sometimes I bring circus peanuts to give each student when they finish and "escape to the circus."

This transformation packs a huge punch with engagement. When students enter the classroom, see the circus (carnival) décor, the games, and hear the circus music, they are ready to get started and ready to learn. 

Once everyone is settled in, I read the opener, pass out the recording booklets and go over the directions. Students are then put into teams. I love that I can easily differentiate by level because this activity comes in three different grade levels for 3rd, 4th, and 5th, making it easy to bump a student up or give them a more simplistic version of the game.

I cut apart each activity and place them in an envelope or baggie for each group. In the first challenge, students complete a multiplication puzzle. Once the puzzle is complete, the students will be able to write down the letters in order inside their booklet. Once they put the letters on the spaces, they will see the secret word. When they find the secret word, they show me and I check them. If they are right, they receive a ticket and challenge two.

For challenge two, students receive a paper with multiplication equations. The one shown is the third grade level. Students look at the equation and figure out if it is true or false. Once they figure that out, they find the ducks with the same numbers as their true answers. They line those ducks up in order from least to greatest and the letters on the ducks reveal their next secret word. 

I have played this with little rubber ducks or duck cards. Either way is fun, but the rubber ducks are my favorite because you can have them floating in a small bowl or tub of water to act as a pond. The water just adds a bit more excitement. As before, when students complete the challenge, they show me, get their ticket, and go on to challenge 3. 

  

Challenge three gives students a set of circus train cards. They must find the answer to each card and then place the cards in order to reveal their next code. Again they will earn a ticket upon showing me and receive their fourth and final clue. 

In this last challenge, students play a game of memory match. Once they match all the cards, they will line up the cards with their matching answers in numeric order to reveal their winning code. Whichever team completes this challenge first, earns an extra ticket for each team member and of course their regular ticket too. Once a team has escaped to the circus, they can use their tickets to play carnival-style games. Each ticket allows them to play one game. If they beat the game, they can earn a small prize. 

This is a look at my prize table one of the years. I try to have some candy items, but also other prizes students can choose from as well. 

My carnival games are usually whatever I have on hand, but here's some that are especially easy and good to use for this multiplication escape room.

• Ring Toss
• Basketball Throw
• Bowling
• Darts
• Nerf Gun with Target
• Cornhole

The games don't matter so much. Kids will just be super excited to play. And they have a chance to win up to four prizes (or five if they were the first team). 

If you want to bring this circus/carnival escape room game to your class, you can find it right here.  

You can also find a matching set of basic fact multiplication center games that are all with the same carnival theme right here.  This is great as a follow-up to let students continue to practice their basic facts in a fun way as a review and to keep them sharp. 

Making History Come Alive: Why I Start Social Studies With a Mystery

A few years ago, a student gave me a gift inside this cute little box. I loved the box and hung onto it, but I didn't know exactly what to do with it. Fast forward a couple of years later and it came in handy for my Explorers unit. 

Each day, we have started our next lesson with a little connection mystery to get students thinking. 

On the first day, here's how I used it. I set up the box ahead of time, and had it ready for social studies class. I gathered my students around me and told them this: 

"Inside this box are three things that people hundreds of years ago were willing to spend enormous amounts of money to buy. Some people even risked their lives traveling thousands of miles to get them."

"What could possibly be inside this box that would make someone risk their life?"

Then I allowed the students to make predictions. Some were WAY off, but some got pretty close. Then after everyone had guessed, I opened the box and slowly pulled out one item at a time. 

First up was a silk scarf. I told them that one of the items people wanted was silk. I let the students feel the soft silk scarf. 

Next, I pulled out the cinnamon. I let each child smell the cinnamon and told them that this was another item people were desperate for. 

Then last, I took out a bottle of peppercorns. I showed the students and told them that pepper was also considered precious back long ago. 

We discussed some questions such as:

Why would people want these things?

Which object do you think was the most valuable? 

Would you risk your life to get any of these?

Why might something ordinary to us have been extremely valuable 500 years ago?

Then I explained that spices and silk were highly desirable in Europe. These things came from Asia and it was expensive to get them from Asia back to Europe. 

 

I showed students a map from the 1400's featuringing the then known world. After, we launched into our lesson about Christopher Columbus and why he crossed the ocean blue. It was so surprising that he never even realized he had discovered a new land. He thought he had landed in India and so he dubbed the people there "Indians". 

Students, as you can imagine, were highly engaged. After the lesson, they had a short activity that involved coloring and focused on Columbus and what his mission was.

If you can bring a bit of mystery into your next lesson, do it. I promise you won't regret it. 

Math Game Monday: Seek & Find

In the third-fifth grade classrooms, there is a big push to help students succeed in their times tables. That's why students need a lot of practice. They need various ways to practice, and one of the best ways I have found is through the use of games. Games engage them and get them excited about content that may otherwise be a bit...well shall we say it?...boring.

So, that is why I create these quick and easy to play center games for my students. I want them to practice and practice, but I don't want it to feel like work. 

Here's a fun Seek & Find game with a circus/carnival theme. To play, one student flips over a card. All the players race to be the first to find the product to the equation on the card. Whoever finds it will place one counter over it. 

At the end of the game, whoever has the most counters on the board is the winner. Simple, engaging, and highly competitive fun! What are you waiting for? Snag this one today. Click the link right here. 

My 40 Book Challenge

Do you struggle with getting your students to read? I have some who are in the habit of "pretend reading" or "look like they're reading but aren't." Do they complain, waste time choosing a book, stop along the way to talk with three friends? I've got just the thing for you. 

This year I jumped on the 40 book challenge and I have loved it so far. It's super easy and doesn't cost much with the way I am doing it.

I wanted a way to hold the readers responsible for completing the books they read. So, I found these cute little book reports from Teaching With a Mountain View. These were super short, but effective for showing that students read what they say they did.

Then I saw an idea that she used in her classroom that had students earning different beads for certain books. They kept them on a chain in her classroom. It was the perfect idea, but I knew I didn't want different beads for each type of different book...that was just too much for me to manage, so this is what I am doing instead. 

I recycled an older container with sections into my bead "store." Now when a student finishes a book they can grab a bead to add to their chain. Here's how I am doing mine though. The regular pony beads (colored or sparkle) will be for any regular chapter book. I noticed the students grabbing a lot of little books that are quick reads like Junie B. Jones or books from the Who Was series. So, I decided that I could require more of them for a shaped bead. For those beads, they must read a book above 150 pages. That will not only push them to read things that are more advanced, but they will be able to show that on their chain. I think it will be a fun way to challenge them. 

We are also doing the Book-It pizza program through Pizza Hut, so I am setting a page goal for each grade level (since I teach three grades) and if they meet that, they will receive a certificate for a free pizza as well. 

I find that when students have a visual they that can see or something they can earn, it brings and element of "gamification" into the classroom making the work you want them to do anyway even more fun! How do you bring fun into your classroom?

Math Game Monday: Spider Games

Looking for a great game for your math centers this fall? Well, look no farther. I love getting my students engaged in fun games during math time. And making them seasonal is lots of fun too. While I work with a small group, games like this are an absolute life-saver.

Let me introduce you to two games from my Spider Games series. The fist is called Web War. This is a version of the very popular game War, but with a spooky spider twist. The second game is called Tangled Web. In this game, students race to be the first to cover all the dots on their spider webs. But...watch out because the order of play is all tangled up in this unpredictable game. 

Both of these games are super easy to prep. They come in multiple levels. All are focused on multiplication, but with increasingly more difficult skills. 

3rd Grade Spider Games - Includes 2 games with basic multiplication facts

4th Grade Spider Games - Includes 2 games with multi-digit multiplication

5th Grade Spider Games - Includes 2 games with decimal and exponent multiplication

Click the links above to purchase these math centers for your classroom.

What I do When Half the Class Doesn't Get it

Have you ever worked so hard to get your students to understand a concept, and then you get to the end of the unit and half of your students struggle through and fail the final test? What should you do then?

Just remember, there are all different levels of learners and not everyone learns at the same speed. Some students just need more time. 

So, here's what I try to do along the way and even when that just isn't enough. 

Our math curriculum has an extra practice page for each lesson. I try to grade the math lessons before the day is out (if possible), reteach if needed, and send a practice page home with students who need more time to learn the skill. As we go through the lessons in the unit, I try to do this each day. Honestly, it doesn't always happen, but that is my goal. 

Sometimes I will throw in an extra day or days of practice before the test. But, if we take the test and still several students fail, I will reteach the unit. I will send students home with extra practice and let parents know that their child struggled and needs more time. I will also ask them to use the practice pages to help them at home as well. I will give students, who passed, some enrichment work to do.

All students deserve to learn. Students who need more time should be given just that. I want to see all my students working successfully. 

Math Game Monday: Soccer Goal

In this week's edition of Math Game Monday, I am sharing another decimal game that is perfect for all those third graders out there. This one is a subtracting decimals center game that is soccer themed. Your fifth graders will love racing around the soccer field while solving equations to practice their subtracting with decimals. 

This game comes with set up directions for the teacher as well as directions for the students to play. You can play with up to four players. This game comes with three different levels of play for easy differentiation. Students can try the Warm Up level with cards that only subtract numbers into the tenths. The Game Time level kicks it up a notch with numbers into the hundredths. And, the Champion level has a mixture of tenths and hundredths. 

Your students will become decimal masters in no time through fun and engaging interaction with friends while enjoying a little competition with this soccer themed board game. 

Add this one to your cart today!  Click the blue link.

What to do when your classroom routines aren’t working anymore — resetting expectations without starting completely over.

This time of year can be a bit hard. The honeymoon is over, and students are comfortable. They are starting to hit some of your pain points, and you realize that your expectations need a reset. I know that this personally happened to me last week. Students were testing me throughout the day and by the end I was at my wit's end. I had to step back and look again at everything. 

Here's what I did to get us back on track.

First, we revisited our expectations. I went over the rules and what I expect of the students.

Next, I tightened up my consequences. I reminded myself that I cannot let students break my expectations without consequences. If so, the expectations might as well be thrown out the door. 

And...I spoke with students and parents so expectations could be reinforced at home.

Expectations are definitely important and when they fall apart, you need to stop and get them on track. It will save your sanity and make your teaching time more effective. 

Math Game Monday: Fall Multiplication Games

With tomorrow being the first day of fall, this set of three multiplication games is very timely. They are not only easy to play and prep, but you have a variety of games for students to practice their facts with. These games are also easy to differentiate because students can use them to focus on the set they are on or review previous sets as well. 

You will receive a Four in a Row game, A Falling Acorns card game, as well as an In the Pumpkin Patch roll and cover game. 

Each game comes with instructions and is perfect to use in math centers. They are great for partners to play together. 

If you are looking to add a little pumpkin spice and fall vibe to your math centers, add these to your rotation. 

Find Fall Math Games Here

A Fun Game We Tried at PE

Working in a small school often means I am it in terms of electives or specials. This year, we are helping each other out and are taking an elective each, but when it comes to PE, we do our own. 

In PE, I try to have a focus on a certain game or type of game for each month. I found that a lot of students did not know basic games like kickball or many dodgeball. So, doing a monthly focus, has helped them learn many more games. 

This month, I ran across a super cool and fun game that I had my students play last week. They have been playing at recess on their own the last couple of days. The game is a tag game (our focus for the month is tag games) and it's called Secret Agent Tag. It is different than many other tag game I have tried and the students LOVED it. 

To start with, students meet in the center of the gym and must close their eyes. I go through and tap certain students. If they get one tap, they are the "bad guys." They will be the ones to try to tag other students. Anyone who gets two taps are the "secret agents." They are the ones who can rescue the other students if they get tagged. The rest of the students who are not tapped are the "citizens." I only have 11 students, so I chose two for each of the bad guy and secret agent roles. But the game suggests about 10% of your class for each.

The fun of the game is that each player is unaware of who holds each role in the game, but it becomes evident after a bit. Students play for three minutes. If there are no more citizens, the bad guys win. If there are citizens left, they win. Then we go back to the middle again to choose the next players to be bad guys or secret agents. 

Try it out if you get a chance. I'm sure your students will love it as much as mine did.  

Math Game Mondays: Decimal Dunk

I am so happy to have gotten my 5th graders back this year after two years of teaching a 2nd-4th grade combo. 3rd-5th has been my sweet spot for a few years and I am so excited to be back. But, with that said, I needed to make my center activities a little more robust for the class. I needed to add in some activities that included some decimal math activities. Our second unit for the year involves addition and subtraction with decimals, so I have created an addition and a subtraction game that has the theme of sports. I am going to build this out with an entire series of games for the four basic operations all surrounding the theme. I am not going to tell you yet what all the sports themes are, but for now, let me introduce you to my first part of the series, my addition game.

Addition with Decimals Center Game

This game is simple to set up with very little cutting. It is mostly a print-and-go style game. The bright oranges really add to the overall basketball theme in the game 

Snag Decimal Dunk here.

Why Play Still Belongs in the Elementary Classroom and How to Make Sure it's There

Introduction: Somewhere Along the Way We've Decided They're Too Old to Play

Have you ever been in a kindergarten classroom? It's filled with bright colors, fun activities like blocks, pretend play, centers, manipulatives, games, and lots of movement activities. Early elementary classrooms are expected to follow best practices and include those in their setup. But, once you step into an upper elementary classroom, you will see that those things have largely disappeared. The blocks are gone. The centers go away and things seem more serious. Worksheets and textbook learning takes over leaving little room for play. Students are expected to sit quietly, listen, and work on page after page.

Play doesn't have to be something you squeeze in after learning. Play is often how some of the best learning takes place.

1. Play Increases Participation

When I tell students to complete a math page of 20 problems, for instance, I may hear some moans from across the classroom. But if I say, find a partner, we're going to play a game to practice these facts, the excitement is real. The skills are the same, but the energy has totally changed. I remember when I gamified the classroom with my circus multiplication activity. Students were excited about their learning overall and much more engaged. They raced through the activities, working carefully to unlock the next levels. They were looking forward to earning tickets for our carnival-style circus games where they could also earn prizes. 

2. Games Give Kids a Reason to Practice

Many skills involve lots of repetition for students to master. Skills such as multiplication facts, division facts, fractions, vocabulary, and even grammar need lots of practice. Worksheets give that repetition, but games can provide that too. The difference is that students actually want to practice when a game is involved. 

If you give your students page after page of math worksheets you can be sure you will hear some sort of disgruntled sounds or words from the kids. But students will happily solve many math facts when they are trying to beat a friend in a game. 

3. Play Teaches Things That Aren't on the Worksheet

While students are playing games, they are not just practicing math or any other skill. They are also learning important life skills such as:

• taking turns
• following rules
• communication
• solving disagreements

4. Play Lets me see my Students Differently

When I am walking around my classroom while students are playing games, I have the opportunity to observe students in a different light. I might hear a student explaining their thinking to their partner. I can see who understands a concept but needs a bit more confidence in the skill. I notice who has a strategy for solving the facts. I can see who is following procedures without really understanding them. 

Some of a teacher's best informal assessment happens when students don't even realize they are being assessed. The pressure is off and they can really let their knowledge shine through.

5. Play Gives Kids a Chance to Be Kids

Yes, upper elementary students may seem quite grown up when you compare them with kindergarteners, but remember, they are STILL little. They still enjoy being silly. They still like pretending. They still want and need to move. They get excited about competitions, challenges, themes, dice, cards, and ridiculous classroom games. 

Often districts pressure teachers to have kids produce something tangible and measurable. But, I do not believe, for even one second, that school has to look completely serious to be valuable. 

6. Play Doesn't Mean a Classroom is Out of Control

Many teachers think that if there is noise or fun in the classroom it must be because learning is not happening and it is out of control. Classrooms with productive play still have expectations, routines, and boundaries. It is all about the training. Students have to learn:

• how loud they can be
• where materials belong
• what happens if there is a disagreement
• when the game ends
• how to clean-up 
• what appropriate competition looks like

As a teacher, I spend time teaching my students how to play classroom games at the start of the year because it will continue to pay off throughout the year. 

7. Play Doesn't Have to be Complicated

There are lots of things you can do, starting tomorrow, that are simple and free. 

Math: Dice games, card games, around the room challenges, multiplication races

Reading: Reader's theater, vocabulary charades or headbands, acting out parts of speech

Grammar: Silly sentence challenges, grammar games

Science: Building challenges, observation games

Brain Breaks: Quick movement challenges

Indoor Recess: Board games, drawing, building puzzles

8. What I've Learned After Years in the Classroom

I have taught for long enough to have seen plenty of educational trends come and go. State expectations change. Standards change. Curriculums change. Kids don't change. 

Your students still want to laugh, have fun and move. They still want to create. They want to play with their friends. And, if I can combine those things with learning, I don't consider one second of that instruction time a waste. I consider it quite the opposite, great teaching. 

How do you make room for play inside the four walls of your classroom? I'd love to hear about games, traditions, activities, or crafts that your students never seem to outgrow.  

Looking for more ideas? Check out my TPT store games right here.