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.

 

Math Block Series: The Best of the Best Engaging Math Activities

Math does not have to be boring....let me say that again. Math. Does. Not. Have. To. Be. Boring. Have you ever tried to make your math block more engaging? Spice it up a little. I'm going to share five of the best of the best activities for engaging your learners in math. 

1. First, get math rotations up and going. 

Seriously, math centers break up your block, give you time to work in small groups, and help your learners work independently on engaging activities. I suggest these rotations: teacher, independent (spiral reviews, color by math skill, etc.), math around the room (math task cards that get your students up and moving), read about math (math picture books), math games, math online (we use Dreambox, but you could also use IXL, or Khan Academy), and math facts. Tailor these math rotations to your content area. I like to have these independent skills about one unit behind what I am teaching. For example, if I just finished doing the unit on place value and I am moving on to addition/subtraction, I will put out rotations that involve skills about place value. The reason behind this is that I want these rotations to be skills students have already practiced and are fairly competent in. The whole point is for them to work on these rotations while I am working with small groups. I cannot afford to be interrupted. The review allows time for students to become even more solid in the skills they have just mastered in the previous unit. It is a review. For more posts about math rotations, check here, here, here, here, here, and here.

2. Spruce things up by gamifying your class from time to time. 

I like to use games like this to add focus, challenge, and fun into my teacher time. Some of the games I am going to be using in my classroom are:

Scrabble Math

In this activity, students draw random scrabble letters as they complete their math problems, I immediately check those problems and then I allow students to draw one Scrabble tile. They continue doing this for the entire math with the teacher period. Once the period has 2-3 minutes left, I allow the students to use their tiles to create words. We add up the points (on the tiles) and the student with the most points wins a small prize.

Boom Clap Snap

For this game, I would play with the entire class for teacher time. This is especially great for math reviews. Students start with their desks facing a partner. Take 4 index cards and fold them in half, creating tents. On each side write one letter from A-D. These will be the multiple choice answers. The teacher reads a math problem, allows a bit of time and then starts saying boom (students hit desks), clap (students clap) and you can go back and forth between those two words as many times as you choose before shouting snatch. Once you shout snatch, each pair of students try to be the first to grab, or snatch, the correct multiple choice answer. Each pair of students will keep a tally of their own points. Repeat the process with as many questions as you want. You could also use a Power Point slide show instead of reading the questions. This one is a lot of fun, very competitive, and loud...you can't be afraid for your classroom to be a bit noisy, but trust me when I say this, everyone will be focused.  

Race to 100

This one is used with your math assignment for the day. Doing this in small groups is great, or it could be used whole class as well. Print or project a 100's chart. Students will complete math problems on their worksheet. As they complete them, they will come to show you their answer. Once the answer is correct, they may write their initials in any space that does not already have initials. Students will continue answering, checking, and placing their initials on the 100's chart. Once all the spaces are full (or time runs out), you will use a random number picker (free online) to choose a number between 1 and 100. The student who has their name in that spot will receive a prize.  

Looking for even more ways to gamify? Check out this blogpost here for some other fun games. 

3. Math Escape Rooms & Mysteries

Doing something fun and different gets instant engagement. I love doing math escape rooms and mysteries in my classroom. Specifically, I use them at the end of the unit to review for a test. Students love that it is not just paper and pencil. Plus I usually have some sort of small reward they are working for or even an activity. These are easy to turn into full room transformations, or you can even leave them alone and they are still effective. I am currently building up a library of these that I can use from year to year. Here's a look at a couple we have done in the past few years. 

Mission to Mars Addition 

Students were working in teams to solve puzzles (all space themed) that revealed secret codes students used to unlock the next challenge. As they completed each challenge, they earned Star Bucks (fake money) to use at a Galactic Cafe' to make a space-themed drink when the escaped the entire challenge. Learn more about this in another blog post here. 

Escape to the Circus

In this escape room, students competed in four challenges to unlock a mystery word/phrase. As students completed challenges, they earned tickets. The team that completed the challenges first, received an extra ticket. Once they completed all four challenges, they used the tickets to play carnival-style games. If students won a game, they were about to get a prize at the prize table. This was a definite hit, and everyone was engaged. You can read more about this in another blog post here.

Superhero Math Mystery

In this super math mystery, students are trying to find out which superhero is the true superhero, sent to save Mathopolis, and which are imposters. As they work through the challenges, students can use the clues to eliminate the imposters, one at a time. In the end, they reveal the real superhero and save mathopolis. They receive a lollipop, that has been turned into a superhero, for their super math skills. This was so engaging and fun as well.

Read more about it here

Math Facts Made Fun and Creative

Math facts are so boring...how many times have you heard this, or other variations? But is it true? Do they, in fact, have to be dry and boring? I'm here to convince you that they do not! I love to turn my math facts into a fun/engaging activity. Students can learn their facts in as little as 12 weeks. I like to have students use my  Multiplication Spy Academy to learn all the times tables from 0-12. It is easy to manage and works like this. 

Students are introduced to Spy Academy through an opening activity. This can be an elaborate room transformation, or just a simple introduction. Students are enlisted in spy academy and just like a video game, they will work their way through different levels to graduate. In the end, I like to host a ceremony where students earn a certificate or even a badge. 

I keep a fingerprint chart (like when you are being fingerprinted) for each student. After they master a certain level of facts, they add a fingerprint to the chart. When the chart is full, they are ready to graduate. 

To practice, I have students focus on just one level of math facts until they can master it. I consider it mastered if they can answer flashcards within 1-3 seconds. Students do numerous activities daily to help practice and prepare for their level tests. We use flashcards (verbal/auditory), pat-down-cards (kinesthetic), partner drills (social), games (social/ mathematical), timed practice. We cover a lot of the different learning styles while practicing. This keeps it fresh and fun. Students can tailor their practice to their own level, so it is easy to differentiate. Students get so excited about moving through the levels and when they accomplish all the levels, that is really something! Check out this blog post to learn more about it here. You can also check it out over here.

Math Transformations

Angry Birds

I love using boxes, pom poms, and a sling shot with a few Angry Bird drawings to create a fun micro-transformation on perimeter, area, and volume. Simple and engaging. 

Love You to Pizzas

Students made pizzas using fraction math. We did this on Valentine's Day, so we added a love theme twist this year. We always do some sort of bakery transformation for our fraction unit and the students look forward to it every year. They are putting their real-life skills to the test, because I do not help them....and what they bake, is what they get, so they must be very careful. 

Superbowl Math Day

We always host a superbowl math transformation each year where students can practice their math skills in a football-themed transformation. Sometimes we incorporate other skills as well, not just math. 

 

Pirate Math

I used a pirate transformation for learning about shapes and polygons...so fun. I dressed in a different pirate outfit each day for that week and we had tons of math activity. One of which was sorting crackers (of different shapes) by attributes. 

What is your favorite way to get engagement in the math classroom? Have you tried any of these?

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Superhero S.T.E.M. Project

My students had a great time with this superhero S.T.E.M. teambuilding project. Some even asked to do more. But we must move on. Check it out here. 

5 Tips for Preparing your Classroom this Summer

I see you working...teachers are just like that. It is hard for us to take a break, even when we are on summer break. My best advice is to work if or when you feel like it. Don't feel any guilt if you never feel like working. That is perfectly OK too. In this post, I want to share a few things that I like to check off during the summer. Here are some things I want to get done before I report back on August first if I continue to feel up to it. 

1. Classroom Decor                                                                                              

The summer is the perfect time to think about and search for classroom decor ideas. I have not changed my decor theme in three years. Before that, I worked at a brand new school that did not want us to decorate, so it has been a while since I have thought about a theme and what I want to change versus what I want to keep for the upcoming year. I know I want to keep my quotes wall. I have been collecting artwork quotes that I love and turing them into an art display within my classroom. I feel that I can still incorporate that with any theme. The rest of my room has been a farmhouse style theme with shiplap and plant touches. I love it, it is calm and soothing. It has served me well and quite honestly, for the past three years, I have not really felt the energy or desire to to change that. I used to change my theme yearly, but something in me chaned the last three years with Covid. I think all of us teachers felt the extra stress of work and what we were going with and just keeping up with the required parts of teaching felt overwhelming without doing the extra work of creating a new classroom theme.

With that being said, I (think) I am moving up in grade levels next year, probably looping with my class. They will be older and I just want to give the room a different vibe and feel for the new year. This will be the 4th year I have had the oldest of my students. I started with them in third grade while teaching a 3/4 combo. The last two years I have done a 3-5 combo ( I work at a super small school that does multigrades). This year, I will most likely have 4-6 or 5-6. Still waiting for confirmation. 

So, with thoughts of new decor ideas swirling in my head, I wanted to create a wanderlust themed classroom with travel posters and a retro feel. I wanted to bring in nature still with plants, but I think that fits the 60's/70's vibe I am going for. Here's a sneak peek at what I am creating. Can't wait to get it finished and posted to TPT, hopefully this week. 

Currently I have 5 decor sets in my store, but I am hoping to create two new ones this month. One is All Who Wander, shown above and the other one is Junglow (Boho Jungle). Here is a peek at the other five decor sets I have created in the past. I enjoyed using my own creations in my classroom in the past. 

Llama Llama

Who could resist a cute little lama theme with accents of lime, bright pink, and navy blue? This was one of my favorite classroom decor sets EVER. I loved having this up in my classroom. You can check it out in my TPT store over here.

Since I loved the llama decor so much, I created a second llama set. This one is a boho llama one. You can see it here.

What boy does not love a superhero theme. Girls can get behind it too. It is fun, bright, and adds a pop of color to the classroom. I created a superhero theme with tones of reds, yellows, and blues. Here it is.

Another theme I love to bring into my classroom is nature. I have my master's degree in outdoor education and I have done the research on how nature affects learning and behavior. I wanted to bring a touch of the natural world into the classroom through my Into the Wild Decor set seen here.

The final set I created is Selfie Classroom Decor. It is all things camera and celebrates a good selfie with muted tones. Check it out over here.

2. Yearly Plans & Set Up

When doing yearly plans, I take the easy route. I look at my curriculum and divide it by 10. Then I plug in the topics and standards for each month. Since I teach more than one level, I try to also align different math standards that go along with each other. For instance while teaching times tables to the third grade, my fourth grade will work on multiplying with larger numbers like two digits on bottom and three digits on top, while my fifth graders will work with multiplying with decimals. That way everyone in class is working on at least similar skills if possible. It is not only good for reinforcement and enrichment, but it is good for planning special activities that can reach across grade levels. 

Along with my yearly plans, another good thing to take care of is a teacher communication binder. We all know how hard it can be to keep record of communication with parents. That's why getting it all organized and keeping it that way from the start can be so helpful. If you need help in that department, be sure to check out my teacher communication binders that come in three different themes: Fiesta, Over the Rainbow, and In the Trees. The binder content is the same, but with a different theme for each. These have everything I need to keep lines of communication open between myself and parents. They include an editable newsletter template, commuication record, postitive notes home with a record sheet to track who I have sent a note to, and some tags. The Fiesta set is comes in color as well as blackline, but due to the type of clipart, the other two sets are in color only. 

Fiesta

Over the Rainbow

In the Trees

3. First Week of School Plans

Once I have my first week of school plans down, all seems good with the world. This summer I am hoping to have those nailed down so I can transition easily into the school year without a lot of added stress. One of my go-to books to use is called The Six Weeks of School. 

This book lays out nearly perfect plans for returning to school while building community and setting up procedures and expectations. The thought is that if you take the time to build this mindset during the first weeks of school then you will have an easier year with less problems. It short, you will get much more done by laying the groundwork at the beginning. 

4. Hit the Thrift Stores

Thrift stores are perfect for searching for things to add to your classroom. I especially LOVE looking for books. Last summer I discovered that our town had a Goodwill Bookstore. It's pretty amazing, and it gets new books all the time. You can come out with a ton of books for between $1.99 and $2.99. Plus I believe they have a teacher discount that runs from June through July. Also the regular Goodwill Store is a great place to find old gently used board games that can be turned into learning games for the class. I definitely have scored many games there. Local thrift stores can also have some great stuff. I usually look for things in one of these categories: books, games, decor, and costumes for future lessons or transformations. It's cheap and easy.  

5. TPT Wishlist

No one knows exactly when, but Teachers Pay Teachers has a back-to-school sale at some point toward the end of summer. Because of that, I recommend that you begin to save things to your cart as you find them throughout the summer. If you can hold off on purchasing them, that is even better because around back-to-school time you will find them generally at 25% off the price. That is a good deal, especially if you, like me, are purchasing many items during the back-to-school season. You can really save yourself a bundle. And speaking of bundles, look for bundled deals. This is where TPT sellers group similar items together, usually at a discount. You can check to see if the product you are purchasing are part of a bundle or not by scrolling down on the listing to see if it says that the product is also a part of another product. If so, you can get a lot more at a saving. 

I know the last three years have been a killer for teachers. Covid teaching has left a lot of holes in education and vacancies in the classrooms. Teachers are overworked, underpaid, and often stressed out beyond belief. The teacher turnover rate is rising, so definitely do what makes sense for you and leave the rest behind. If that means sipping a cool soda on the beach with a great book in your hand and forgetting you're a teacher, then so be it. But then again, if you still have some energy left, maybe you'd like to try a few of these ideas for yourself. 

Classroom Decor Debut

With the start of school around the corner, classroom decor is on the mind of teachers everywhere. I am pleased to introduce My four newest classroom decor sets and show off an old favorite as well.

1. Boho Llama Decor Set
Llamas are popping up in classroom decor everywhere. This is a boho llama set that has muted, boho colors and llamas.

2. Into the Wild Decor Set
Bring the outside in with this stunning nature-themed decor set. This set is sure to add a calm feel to your classroom. Perfect for your little nature lovers!

3. Selfie Decor Set
What student isn't obsessed with selfies? This quirky camera set is a fun way to bring the love of photography and selfies into your class! 

 This is one of the different name plates included in the set.

This is a pink ombre binder cover. It also comes in blue.

This is one of the other binder designs included. It comes in blue as well.

 4. Superhero Decor Set
Superheros are always a classroom favorite. This set has boy and girl superheros. Students will rise to superhero status with this fun set that will inspire the hero in everyone. 

5. Llama Llama Decor Set
This is my best seller. It came out last year just in time for the start of class. It's a fun llama decor in bright colors. The lime green, pink, and navy will brighten up your classroom with lots of fun.