Five in a Row: A Game for Practicing Addition Facts {December & January}

Five in a Row is a favorite in my classroom.  It's not only one of my favorite ways to have my students practice their addition facts, but it is also a student favorite.

What is Five in a Row?
Five in a Row is fun and engaging game where students practice their basic addition math facts.  Students will roll two number cubes (labeled 5-10) or two dice, add them together, and cover the sum on the game board.  The object of the game is to be the first person to cover five numbers in a row.



Materials
  • Game boards
  • Game pieces (double sided counters, dimes and pennies, different colored linking cubes, and so on) NOTE: since the two players share the same game board, they need different game pieces to denote which spaces they've claimed as their own
  • 2 Number Cubes (blank cubes numbered 5 through 10) OR 2 dice (depending upon the level of play)
How to Play
  • Students play in pairs. 
  • Student A rolls the two number cubes (or dice), adds the numbers together, and covers that number on the board.
  • Student B does the same.
  • Play continues back and forth in this fashion.
  • The first player to get five counters in a row is the winner!
Note:  If a player rolls their number cubes or dice, but the sum is not available, then they do nothing (and hope they have better luck when their next turn comes around).

You can grab this Five in a Row game board for free!  It includes color and black and white versions, as well as two levels of play:
  • Sums of 2 through 12 (played with two dice)
  • Sums of 10 through 20  (played with two number cubes numbered 5-10)
My students have been using this holiday version all week long and they love it.  I'm telling you, they never tire of this game!!  I put it out month after month; by changing the theme of the board I think they stay a bit more interested.  It's the little things!

I've also created a winter themed board for January.  Or, you could use it during December and January if you prefer to steer clear of the holiday theme. ;)


You can grab Festive Five in a Row for FREE! Click here to download. 
You can also grab Frosty Five in a Row for FREE! Click here to download. :)

Toodles!

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What's the Problem {The Holiday Edition}

I hope you're ready for the new  Holiday Edition  of my "What's the Problem?" mini books.


What is a "What's the Problem?" mini book, you ask?  It's a fun little book that the students use to practice writing story (word) problems.  The students are given the answer to a math problem on each page of a mini book.  They use this answer to write a story (word) problem to fit that answer.  

I always have my students write 3 sentences. The first two sentences tell the story, and the last sentence must be a question. For example:

Jason placed 3 presents under the tree.  Then, he placed 9 more presents under the tree.  How many presents did Jason place beneath the tree?


They are also required to use the label throughout their story. When they are ready to, I let them try to "trick" the reader (this is optional). They do this by adding extra, unnecessary information to their word problem.  

Believe it or not, they love writing their math stories!

Click here to get your free copy!!

Click here to find all of my What's the Problem mini books.

Toodles!

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I'm Thankful for You! {Thanksgiving Bingo FREEBIE}

November is here.  This is the time of year that we give thanks for the many blessings in our lives.  I am thankful for so many things.  Things that I can't really adequately put into words.

However, one thing that I can put into words is just how thankful I am for all of you!  I am thankful that you have chosen to follow my little blog and that you allow me to share my ideas at will.  You guys are great!

To show my appreciation for your continued support, I have created a new freebie...Thanksgiving Bingo


My teaching buddy and good friend requested a Thanksgiving version of last month's free Halloween Bingo.  I immediately took to the idea because what better way to spend that last hour of school the day before Thanksgiving?

To play this version of Bingo, your students will create their own Bingo cards using the materials included in the file.  There are two ways that you can have students add words to their board: cut and paste (this takes a bit of time), or write the words on the board (this is a bit faster).  Teacher calling cards are also included so that you can facilitate the game. 

Click here to get your free copy from my TPT store.

Enjoy!

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What's the Problem? {FREEBIE}

I'm always looking for new ways to work with word problems in the classroom.  I think that students need lots of practice solving them, but I also think it's good for them to write them. It's also kind of fun and a great way for them to think about these types of math problems from a different perspective.

I just finished creating a Thanksgiving themed "What's the Problem" mini book for my students.  These booklets are perfect for practicing the skill of writing word problems, or story problems, as our math series calls them.


I love the concept behind these mini books!  The students are tasked with creating a story (word)  problem for a given answer.  They have to use a different kind of thinking to do this, and they have to use the correct vocabulary terms as they write their problems (i.e. "how many more?"  "how many in all?" and so on).

My students are taught to write three sentences.  The first two sentences pose the problem, and the third asks the question. I also tell my students that they need to use the problem label throughout their story.

 For example:

Sara put 18 dinner plates on the table.  Her mother removed 3 dinner plates from the table.  How many dinner plates are left?




I learned about using this kind of thinking in the classroom at a math workshop I attended last spring, but was reminded of it when I stumbled upon the anchor chart referenced in last month's post.

When using these for the first time, it's a good idea to do several of them whole group.  That way, you can make sure your students understand the expectation and gain confidence with the skill prior to attempting it on their own.

And, when your kids are ready, you can challenge them to make their story problems "tricky" by adding extra (irrelevant) information to the story.  They loved trying to trick their reader.

You can get your freebie by clicking here!

You can find all of my What's the Problem books by clicking here

Toodles!

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Five in a Row: A Game for Practicing Addition Facts {November}

Last month I shared one of my students' favorite games to practice their addition facts - Five in a Row.  I'm telling you, the kids never tire of this game.  Ever.  And, I'm totally OK with that.  I mean, students that are excited to practice their addition facts?  Yes, please!


What is Five in a Row?
Five in a Row is fun game where students practice their basic addition math facts in the form of a game.  Students will roll two number cubes (labeled 5-10) or two dice, add them together, and cover the sum on the game board.  The object of the game is to be the first person to cover five numbers in a row.

Materials
  • Game boards
  • Game pieces (double sided counters, dimes and pennies, different colored linking cubes, and so on) NOTE: since the two players share the same game board, they need different game pieces to denote which spaces they've claimed as their own
  • 2 Number Cubes (blank cubes numbered 5 through 10) OR 2 dice (depending upon the level of play)
How to Play
  • Students play in pairs. 
  • Student A rolls the two number cubes (or dice), adds the numbers together, and covers that number on the board.
  • Student B does the same.
  • Play continues back and forth in this fashion.
  • The first player to get five counters in a row is the winner!
Note:  If a player rolls their number cubes or dice, but the sum is not available, then they do nothing (and hope they have better luck when their next turn comes around).

You can grab this Five in a Row game board for free!  It includes color and black and white versions, as well as two levels of play:
  • Sums of 2 through 12 (played with two dice)
  • Sums of 10 through 20  (played with two number cubes numbered 5-10) 
You can grab this game for FREE. Click here to download. 

Toodles!

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