Math Game Monday: Dots & Boxes Multiplication Edition

What's not to love about a traditional game of dots and boxes? This game, although a classic, is still a hit with my class. Students can practice one set of facts at a time for extra focused learning.

How to play Dots & Boxes

I like to either laminate or slip these into a sheet protector so I can use them again and again. Each student will use a different colored whiteboard marker.  They will select a set of multiplication facts to practice (number of fact set is located on the top left of each game board). Students roll a 12-sided die, multiply it with the number on the top of the sheet, and find that number on the board. They will draw a line between two of the dots that are around the product. Take turns rolling and connecting two dots. If you complete a square, write your initials inside it. That is one point for you. At the end, whoever has drawn the most boxes wins.

Tips and Tricks for Dots & Boxes

One thing I like to do is use this as a partner game. I find that if I have more than 2 students together, it can get a little bit noisier than I would like while I am working with small math groups.

Last Thoughts

You will have this game ready to go in no time. Just print and go. Your students will be practicing their math facts in no time with this easy-to-play game. What are you waiting for? Snag this one today and make your life a bit easier. You will no longer be asking, "What will my students do while I am in small groups?"

You can find it right here. You will also find a link to a short video that shows how to play.

 Happy playing!

Who Was Books About Students & All About Me Student Autobiographies

I love to start my year by getting to know my students a bit better. Here are two fun writing projects that I have used in my classroom that do just that. These are great for the beginning of the year, but I have used the autobiography one in the middle of the year with great success too, so timing is not really a huge deal on either of these projects.

Autobiography Writing Project

The thing I absolutely LOVE about this project is that it includes having students interview their parents about before they were born and when they were little. It traces the student's lives from their parents finding out they were going to have a baby all the way up until their current age. 

Students dive in one interview and piece of writing at a time. I usually start with the very earliest stage of their lives and work up to their current life. I send home an interview paper on the first day. They are supposed to interview their parents that night and return the information the next day. Then they use the questions and answers to create a paragraph that tells about their life. We repeat that process for several days, sending interviews and then writing the paragraph the next day. Toward the end, students can do their own work without needing to interview their parents. The result is a super sweet keepsake autobiography pocket book for each student to display. 

I just LOVE this project so much! I learn a lot about each student and they learn about themselves as well. They take home a beautiful project that will be a keepsake for years to come. 

This comes with so many different forms for different nationalities and looks of children. 

Who is Books

This is another fun way to have students write about themselves and this is completely different from the last activity. The information in each is unique. First, I start by having the students write in 4 different ways about themselves. Here's what that looks like for me. 

1. Bio Poem

This is a fun way for students to practice writing poetry without it being too challenging. This poem is a formula (just search bio poem in your search engine and it will pop up with directions for how to have students write this poem). 

2. Hopes and Dreams (Goals)

Students write about things in school that they hope or dream for their year. This is basically a list of goals they want to achieve that are school-related.

3. One Little Word 

Students choose one word to represent something they want to strive for this year. They also write about why they chose that word.

4. Favorites

Students write a list of favorites such as: color, number, sport, subject, animal, friend, etc. 

Once the writing is done, I used AI to create book covers. Sometimes I have to play around with this for a little bit, but this is the basics of what I do:

Upload a picture of the front cover of a Who Was book from my library or on the web. I also upload a picture of one of my students and tell the prompt to create a Who Was style book. I tell it to name it using my student's first name. I also pick a theme if wanted. This time I had it create them in a sports pose playing their favorite sport and wearing their favorite color. That was about it. I made sure that it made the head big and the body small in each picture to match the actual artwork on these books. 

Once I get an image, I save it and I upload it to a Powerpoint and center it on the right side of an 11x8.5 document. I type out the four pieces of writing (two on one slide and two on another). Then I print the writing front to back and print cover. I fold it all like a book and staple the single sheet inside the front cover and it's done. I hung these on the wall outside my classroom and got a lot of attention from other students and staff. Super fun...and free!

Here's where you can find the autobiography for your class. 

Math Game Monday: Football Season Games

I don't know about you, but my students LOVE sports. And every fall, with the start of football season, I start thinking about how I can capture their love with some sports-themed activities. One easy way is through the use of football centers. 

Football season begins around labor day and it is the perfect time to introduce these football activities to my class. 

Football Multiplication Worksheets

I love this set because it comes with some worksheets where students can practice basic facts, equal groups, arrays, commutative property, and more multiplication strategies as well. There are 17 different multiplication activities from cut and paste, to writing, to flip books, there is a lot of value. 

Football Multiplication Games

Also included are three different football multiplication games that are perfect for math centers. I love finding ways to keep my students learning while the other students are in small groups and the use of centers is the perfect activity. 

I love a quick and easy game of War, and this bundle includes that with a fun football theme. It also comes with a spinner bingo-style game that has students practicing different multiplication strategies. It includes another game that is a touchdown game that allows students to move back and forth on a board scoring touchdowns as they solve multiplication facts. 

All of these games are so easy to put together with minimal cutting. I would suggest that you laminate because it will highly extend the life of your games for years to come. 

More Football Multiplication Games

If you are interested in even more football games, I have this companion set that has three additional games. 

All the games are easy for students to learn and engaging to play. The first is a game one that is called Four Yards in a Row. It is played very similarly to Connect 4. The next game is a card game that has a few surprise cards thrown in and may have you giving a card to your opponent or losing all your cards, so be careful with that one. The final game is a dice-rolling game where students are racing to be the first to cover all the products on their team jersey. 

Where can I get These Games?

I'm glad you asked. I will leave the links below. Be sure to stock up for the season!

Football Worksheets and Game Bundle

3 Football-Themed Games for Math Centers

Print, Cut, Go

Teaching Art & Loving It

Even though I am working in a self-contained classroom in a small school (we have 3 teachers K-8), I am excited that we decided to do some electives together instead of independently. I was named the "art" teacher for the school, and I have big plans. I am having so much fun. I love the project we recently finished in my 3rd-5th grade class and are finishing up in the 6th-8th one next week. 

We created these super cute graffiti walls. Students used a graffiti generator online to write their names. They took a screen shot on their Ipads and then traced it with tracing paper. They used tongue depressors and hot glue to build fences. At this point they could decide to paint their backgrounds or keep them plain. Afterwards, they used carbon paper to trace their names (that were written on tracing paper) onto their fences. Then they used paint markers to color their names. They could add some designs to their fences if they wanted to. 

Finally, we painted some foam to look like grass, cut a slit in it and glued in their fences. Then they added plants and rocks. They turned out so cute and the students loved them too. 

Here's a little peek at the ones that are done so far. 

Math Game Monday: Find Five

If you are looking for a fun way for small groups or partners to work on multiplication skills, the game Find Five is a fun way to get in some practice. There are three different boards for different levels of play. Each board has just a few sets of the multiplication facts so students can review as they master the sets. The sets are 2-5, 6-8, and 9-12. 

If you like the game Sequence, you will love this game. It is based off of Sequence, but with a spy theme and multiplication facts. 

How to Play the Game Find Five

Students will shuffle the deck of cards, placing them upside down. Teams or players will take turns flipping one card over. If the team or player answers correctly, they can cover the product on the board with one of their game pieces. The other team or player will go and play will continue until one team or player covers five spaces in a row. The corners are free spaces and be careful of the word cards, they may remove one of your pieces or allow your opponent to add a piece anywhere. Each product is shown twice on the board, so players can choose the best spot.

Here's a look at the board game and you can find it in my TPT shop over here.  I bet your students will love it as much as mine do. 

How I Teach Students to Play Math Games Independently

Do you ever wonder how to teach students to play center games independently? It comes down to a few different things for me. Let me show you how you can easily and successfully train students to play center games independently. 

1. Teach the Game

When I introduce a new game, I try to give my students a little sample of it by playing through one round with them. I explain how to play and then actually play a quick round. If it is a longer game, I might just play for a few minutes until they get the hang of it. 

2. Include the Instructions

Including instructions for each game at the center is a good idea. Students will be able to refer to the instructions if they forget a rule. 

3. Partners are Best 

I especially like to have students play with one other person. It keeps things quieter during math rotations and the two of them can work out the rules if needed. 

4. Repeat Similar Games with Different Themes or Math Topics

I have a lot of games that follow the same instructions or style. It helps students play them even quicker and easier. I change out the math skill or the theme (for holidays or seasons). Keeping games of a similar style is great for independence. 

Those are a few of my favorite ways to keep things simple at my math rotations and help students be more successful with playing independently. 

If you are looking for some center games to get you started check out these links.

Place Value Game

Rounding to 10's & 100's Math Game

Addition & Subtraction Game

Multiplication Game

Division Game

Fraction Game

Math Game Monday: Tic Tac Toe War

I'm here with another fun and easy game to put in your math centers. This game is called Tic Tac Toe War and it combines the best of both Tic Tac Toe and War together in one game. In this game, students will practice multiplication facts to build fluency. 

How to Play Tic Tac Toe War

Choose one Tic Tac Toe War board to share between two players. Mix up the cards, deal them all out, and place them face down in two even stacks (one for each student). At the same time, both players flip one card and place it at the bottom of the board. Students will each solve the card they flipped over. Whoever has the highest product will place a counter on the board. I like to use two different colored army guys that I found at Dollar Tree. It makes it more fun and students stay with the theme of war. 

Students will continue to flip cards, solve, and place an army guy on the board. The first player with three in a row wins. 

Teacher Prep for Tic Tac Toe War

It's a cinch to set up for this game. Teachers will print whichever boards they want. There are six different color options. There is even a blackline option for ink saving. Print and cut one set of multiplication cards. I like to laminate all my games so that I can use them year after year, but that is totally up to you. Add in some type of counters or mini erasers. I like to use two colors of army guys to make it more fun for my students. 

Give me the link!

If you have students who would love this game, look no further. Just click the link below to be taken to the game. You can find it right here.