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