Math mazes are a great way to engage students. They’ve become my go-to strategy for starting math class and getting students engaged in independent practice. Students are working on math but it doesn’t look like a classic worksheet. Instead, it looks like a game or puzzle and many students will let down their defenses and work on math in a fun way. They work great as a warm-up, a review, or as independent practice. (We’ve talked at length about how awesome math mazes are here and here.) But how can you use them in distance learning?
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5 Ways Math Games Motivate Students
As math teachers we experience highs and lows. It can become easy to focus on the lows and become discouraged. Many students come into our classrooms with years of negative math experiences and we’re expected to get them to learn. Sometimes it seems like an uphill battle, and it can feel like the more we struggle the less progress we make.
Just the other day our 6-year old son came home from school and told us how his music teacher was jumping around the room with the kids and crawling on the floor. This is a new teacher who has been struggling with classroom management. I was a little startled and then Theresa said, “Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, I guess.”
[Read more…] about 5 Ways Math Games Motivate StudentsMath review game: Bingo
Playing games in a math classroom isn’t all about fun and, well, games. While games are undeniably more fun than worksheets, I’ve also seen my students get so much more math practice, and answer so many more math questions, through games. One game that’s always a hit, while being simple to set up and play, is Bingo. Bingo makes math review a snap to plan and it’s a lot of fun to play.
[Read more…] about Math review game: BingoReview Game Strategy That Works: Knockout Games
Overview of Knockout Games
Knockout is a whole class review game with a couple of twists. Here’s the gist of it: a student chooses a character or icon from the screen and a question appears. Then, all students answer questions that are projected on the board. If they get the answer right, they get the points. Three times per game there’s a bonus. The student who chose the character or icon gets to then choose a bonus. They don’t know if it will be good for them or bad for them. Students love the bonuses, and I love that in a 20-30 minute game we get some really good practice.
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Math Review Game Strategy that Works: Pick a Card
When I was a kid I loved watching the game show The Price is Right. I’ve always been intrigued with money and I love the probability aspect to the games on that show. So, now when my kids look a little lethargic or bored I like to add a Price is Right style game to the mix. One game I use is called Pick a Card. It’s an easy way to spice up math practice with virtually no prep. [Read more…] about Math Review Game Strategy that Works: Pick a Card
