Math Block Series: Around the Room

A new math station that I started using this year is called "around the room." I was looking for a few new stations to add, and this one checked all my boxes. Here's how I set it up.

Math Around the Room

Set up

Online, you can find task card that go with just about any standard, including those for math. This is super easy and highly engaging for the students. I simply looked for free task cards for the topic I want to have my students practice. Then I print off the task cards and a recording sheet...you could even use regular notebook paper that students number and write their answers by. Then, to differentiate the levels in my classroom, I placed a red dot, yellow dot, or green dot in the corner of each task card. The red dot ones are the lowest level, and the green is the highest level. I do this by grade level because I teach 3 grade levels, but if I have a higher or lower level student of the same grade level, I could have them practice with a lower set of cards or even have my high students get extra enrichment by doing the green-dotted cards.

Highly Engaging

I found the task cards t be highly engaging. Students were able to get up and move too, which was an added bonus for them. I did train them about the expectations of being up and moving around the classroom. And, I will continue to remind them of the expectations as often as needed. Students can and should work quietly if you are working with a small group. 

Organization

One great way to organize these cards is by paper clipping them together and placing them in a case with small boxes. Each box can hold one math strand such as place value, addition, or even fractions. If you take time to set this up in an organized way, it will make your life even easier. 

 This is the organizer that I have. You can purchase these on Amazon. Sometimes they go on sale for 40% off at Michaels. That is when I purchased them. There are 16 boxes to store different math standards in.

Using Math Task Cards for Around the Room

If you are interested in snatching some place value task cards, you can go here, just click the picture. 

To use this set of task cards, cover the bottom with a sticky note. It can also be used as a whole group game with clues to the number. 

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