So Many Task Cards, So Many MORE Uses {7 MORE Ways to Use Task Cards in the Classroom}

So Many Task Cards, So Many MORE Uses {7 MORE Ways to Use Task Cards in the Classroom}

2 comments math, Student Engagement, Task Cards, Teaching Ideas

Task cards are a staple that every teacher can use.  They are effective and engaging, low prep, easy to use, versatile, and they can be used with any subject.  Task cards are one of my favorite resources because of all these things.

A while back, I shared ways in which task cards can be used in the classroom.  Click HERE to read my original post featuring seven terrific uses for task cards.

But here's the thing, there are even more ways to use task cards!  So, I'm back with a new post featuring seven more ways to use this versatile resource.

Use them to assess your students at the end of your lesson.
In my previous post, I shared that I often project task cards (one at a time) via my document camera as part of our math warm up.  Why not project them at the end of your lesson (any subject) to assess your students' understanding of the content you just taught?   

To do so, have your students respond on their personal whiteboards. Don't have personal whiteboards?  Place a piece of paper in a dry erase pouch (see below), it can serve the same purpose.  :) They can hold up their answers on your signal and you can quickly assess.  From there, you can note who you need to meet with in small groups for further instruction or address any misconceptions on the spot.

Use them to give students practice with explaining their mathematical thinking.
Yes, there are task cards for every subject, but I love using my math task cards to help students practice and gain confidence in the area of explaining their mathematical thinking.

Give each student a task card.  Then, pair students up and task them with explaining to their partner how they solved the problem/arrived at their answer.  This is a difficult skill for primary students (at first) and by practicing with a classmate one on one, it can ease their nerves and help them build confidence. 

Use them to play a game of Around the School.
Around the Room (or I Spy as I often call it) is huge deal in my classroom.  We play it often, and the kids love it. You can use any set of task cards for this activity.  Simply set your task cards around the room, give your students a clipboard, and have them go from card to card until they are finished. You can read more about his activity here.

Buuuut, if you want to mix things up, or reward your students (while sticking to your objectives) why not take that game of Around the Room (or I Spy) out into the hallways and learning areas around your school?  Or, even the playground?  Of course some ground rules would be in order, but it would be a fun change of pace.

Use them as an exit ticket.
Yes, this is another form of informal assessment, but it's good to have variety!  Task cards are usually printed 4 to a page.  Print out a page of cards and have your students solve/answer the four cards on their page as their exit out the door.

Use them at the end of your lesson for independent practice.
I like to do this often.  At the end of my lesson, I will divide a set of task cards up among my table groups.  And, I give each student a piece of paper (sometimes colored paper...because that's more fun) and have them fold it into sections (usually four).  They use the spaces on their paper to solve any four of the task cards at their table group.

So, how is this different than an exit ticket?  Because, once the students have solved/answered their task cards, you can invite volunteers to come to the whiteboard to teach the class!  They can show their task card to the class and then show/explain how they answered it.  This can be done using a dry erase marker, or they can place their paper under the document camera.   Or, pair students up and let them teach each other (kind of an extension of idea number two).  Simply choose a method of sharing that best matches the type of task cards your students are working with.

For me, this works best with math task cards because the students show their work. They can bring their task card and their paper to the board and show the class how they solved the problem.  Then, when I go back to their papers later on, I can easily understand and evaluate their work.

Use them to play Race to 10.
Students can work in pairs to play this game. Give each pair of students some task cards (at least 24) and some counters.  Students place the set of task cards face down between them.  To play, students take turns solving/answering each task card.  Each time they get the answer right, they collect a counter.  The first person to collect 10 counters is the winner!

Use them to play a game.
Pair students up and have them use their task cards to facilitate a game of tic-tac-toe!  Give each pair of students a stack of task cards.  They can draw a game board on a piece of paper and place their stack of task cards (face down) next to their game board.   Students will take turns answering the question on their task card. If they answer correctly, they get to mark a space on their tic-tac-toe board.  If they do not answer correctly, they skip a turn.  Using double sided counters is a great way to preserve the game board.  When the game is over, they can be easily cleared away so that a new game can be played without having to redraw the game board.  :) 

You could use this same idea with any game, like Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and so forth.

Be sure to visit THIS POST for more ideas for using task cards in the classroom.

Looking to add some task cards to your classroom?  I have several sets of math related task cards in my TPT store.

I hope you were able to take a new idea or two away from this post!

DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT!

Continue Reading

Share It:

Teaching Students to Write Word Problems

Teaching Students to Write Word Problems

4 comments math, What's the Problem, word problems

I love word problems.  There I said it, I really do.  Anytime I can squeeze in some extra practice for my kiddos, I do!  I especially love tasking my students with writing their own word problems.  This encourages them to think about word problems more critically than when they simply read and solve a problem.

We recently started practicing this skill in my classroom. Typically, I start this much earlier in the school year, but we just weren't ready to tackle this skill until recently.  Some years are like that, right?  Now that the skill has been introduced, we can practice it each week (and I'm pretty excited about that).

A Few Things You Need to Know

When I task my students with writing their own word problems there are two things you need to know.  

1. I give them a starting point.  Meaning, the activity isn't totally open ended.  I give them an answer, and it is their job to write a word problem to match.

2. I start out by keeping it simple because I want them to grasp the concept and feel successful with something new. I encourage the use of key words, and I encourage them to write straightforward problems without "extra" information.  When the time is right, they will be encouraged to write tougher problems. 

Procedures

So, to introduce the skill of writing word problems, I use this chart.

And, this mini book (or some variation of it....more on that in a moment).

Here's a look at that chart again. 

 

Keep in mind that these guidelines work for us because we write word problems based on a given answer.  

Once we go over the chart, we write at least one word problem together, using the mini book from above and the chart to guide us.  Then, I have the students work in pairs to write a second word problem. I check their stories as they finish.  Finally, the students write one word problem independently.  Again, I check it when they are finished writing because I like to help them make any necessary corrections/changes on the spot. 

As we revisit the skill each week, the students will write one story at a time.  Independently.  

I keep it simple at first, encouraging them to use key words, and to stick to simple stories (two statements and a question) like the one shown below.  Once they have these steps down, I will begin to encourage them to add extra information to their problems. 

I love using my What's the Problem? mini books for practicing this skill (shown above, and below).  I made an entire series of these mini books several years ago, and they are still a useful resource.  Did I mention that they are a freebie?  ;)  This one is The Lucky Edition, but I've made one for just about every month of the year.

Frequency

As mentioned above, the first day that we practice this skill the students write three word problems. After that, they write just a few a week.  We bring the book out as part of our math warm up, or at the end of our math lesson.  They end up writing about two word problems a week.  This gives them continued practice, but they also don't get burned out as easily as they would if we did it every.single.day.   

A Few Final Thoughts

It is always harder for students to write a word problem than it is to solve one.  And, they learn this pretty quickly.  However, they seem to enjoy the challenge of getting it right.  As we say in my classroom, if you don't challenge your brain, it won't grow.  So, bring on the challenge! 

When you're first starting out, you'll notice that some students "get it" very quickly, whereas others need repeated practice with the skill before it begins to click. Some students will need more scaffolding than others, and some will need to be encouraged to write "tougher" problems. I've even changed some of the answers for students who needed to work with either bigger or smaller numbes.  As always, do what's best for your students and differentiate as needed. 

Below are links to the What's the Problem mini books that I've shared in the past.  I hope you can use them.  :)

October What's the Problem?

November What's the Problem?

December What's the Problem?

January What's the Problem?

February What's the Problem?

March What's the Problem?

April What's the Problem?

May What's the Problem?

Have fun challenging your learners!

DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT!

 

Continue Reading

Share It:

Estimation in the Primary Classroom

Estimation in the Primary Classroom

2 comments Estimation, Freebies, math

How often do you make an estimation?  Chances are, it's probably more often than you think.  We often estimate how much we're spending as we shop, we might guess how many people are in a room, we estimate the size of things, or how many items are on a shelf or in a box. Estimation is  a part of our daily lives, so why not start exposing your students to this skill?

Not only is estimation a life skill, but it's fun! Kids love to make guesses and see how they did.  Even if their answers are way off, they always enjoy the process of guessing and checking.  Here's a peek at how I cover the skill of estimation in my second grade classroom.

While estimation can take many different forms, my philosophy is you have to start somewhere, so when I cover estimation, I like to work with a jar filled with objects.  It's a great tool for teaching and giving students practice with making reasonable guesses.  I bring the jar out every few weeks.  So, let's start with the jar.

As you can see, it's nothing fancy.  It came from Dollar Tree.  It's what you fill it with that makes it fancy and fun!  But more on that in a moment.

My jar is really a canister.  ;)  It isn't huge either.  It's a 32 ounce canister (quart) and it's plastic because sometimes I let the kids handle it and I don't want to worry about glass shattering all over the place.

I like to fill the jar with like sized objects.  But, I also like to expose my students to objects of varying sizes.  For example, one day we may estimate spider rings and the next time around, we might estimate marbles.  This gives the students practice with using their reasoning skills while they make educated guesses as to how many given objects are in the container. 

You can fill an estimation jar with just about anything!  Sometimes I buy cute little seasonal trinkets I see, and other times, I use what I have on hand.  In the past, I've sent the jar home with a different student each week and let them fill the jar.  I've even asked parents to send in items that could be used to fill the jar. 

Need some ideas for filling your estimation jar?  Here are a few you might like:

When it comes time to estimate, my students record their estimations in an estimation journal.  Before we estimate, I have the students fill in the basics like the date and the name of the object we are estimating, and we talk about making reasonable estimations.  I give a few examples and non-examples after I show them the objects outside of the jar.

I like to remove one object and show them what it looks like on its own. I walk from table group to table group so they can see this.  Then, I grab 10 of the objects and show them what that looks like.  As I walk from table group to table group, I talk about how seeing this amount can help them to make a reasonable guess if they take the time to think carefully.

As time goes by, I share the trick of roughly counting the number of objects in a row (they need to see the bottom of the jar to do this) and then using repeated addition to approximate the total.  For many, this skill is pretty advanced and often ignored, but it's a great way to reach all your learners and to encourage a new level of thinking/reasoning.

We spend some time talking about how our estimations are guesses, and that we might be wrong, and that's OK.  We also talk about making a guess that makes sense (is reasonable).  For example, it does not make sense to guess that there are 900 spider rings in a jar this size, but it might be reasonable guess that there are close to 100.

Then, it's time to estimate. I walk from table group to table group and show them the full jar, up close. I make sure each student has a chance to get a good look before moving on.

When my students are ready to record their estimation, I have them do so with a crayon. Crayon is hard to erase and is a more permanent means of recording their estimation.  Using crayon prevents them from erasing and changing their estimation if it is "wrong."  In the mind of many 7 year olds, if their guess doesn't match the actual amount, it's wrong.  I want them to understand that it's a guess and therefore doesn't need to be changed.  I remind them that if their guess was way off from the actual amount, it just means they need more practice with making estimations.

NOTE: When students make their estimations, they are usually pretty far off target in the beginning, and that's OK.  Over time, most of them get better at this skill.  Just remember, it's an exercise in reasoning and exposure to a skill.  I don't grade my students on this nor do I put any pressure on them. It's a fun way for us to practice a skill that will eventually translate into their everyday life.

Once everyone has had a chance to make their estimation, it's time to count up all the objects!  I leave this to the kids.  I place a tray at each table group and dump some of the objects from the jar onto the trays.  The students have to work together to figure out how many objects they have.  I teach them to group the objects into tens for quick and easy counting.

When the groups have figured out how many objects they have, one student reports the amount to me and I write it on the board.  Once all the totals are written on the board, we add them up to determine how many objects were in the jar.  This is a great way to expose them to adding multi-digit numbers.

Then, we talk about how close/far away our estimations were.

Finally, the students spend a few minutes drawing the contents of the estimation jar in their journal.

You can grab a copy of the journal HERE.  Simply copy as many blank student pages as desired and staple them together to create a journal for each student.  :)

The great thing about estimation is you can cover this skill as often as you want.  Any amount of practice is going to be beneficial, and it's always lots of fun for the kids.  Happy estimating!

DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT!

Continue Reading

Share It:

Activities to Practice Counting Coins

Activities to Practice Counting Coins

5 comments Freebies, math, math games, Money

Money is one of my favorite math topics.  Maybe it's because it lends itself so easily to hands-on learning.

In second grade, most of the money activities we do are centered around counting combinations of coins.  Rather than spend a few weeks covering this skill and then moving on, I make a point of revisiting it as often as I possibly can throughout the school year.

Here are a few of my go to activities.  Be sure to pin your favorites!

Pay the Banker
Back in the day, when people still used cameras with film, I hit up our local drugstore photo counter and asked if they could donate any empty film canisters they had.  And, they did!  I turned those little canisters into banks by cutting a slit into the lid. On the front of each individual bank, I wrote an amount of money using a silver Sharpie.

To this day, I still use these banks.  When the kids use them, they do so with a partner.  I give each pair of students several banks and a baggie of money.  The banker selects a bank and tells the other student (the customer) to pay the amount shown on the bank. Then, the banker counts the coins to make sure they got all their money. They take turns being the banker.  The kids love this simple little game, and it is the perfect filler for when we have 10-15 minutes before moving on to our next subject area.

The teacher in me loves that this activity lets the students easily work at their own level. They can use any combination of coins to pay the banker.  So, if they owe the banker 93 cents, they could pay it with 9 dimes and 3 pennies, or they could use a mix of coins if they are at that level. The teacher in me also loves how easy it is to prep: simply bag up some coins, store them in your closet, and grab them when you need them.

I haven't used a camera that uses actual film in a very long time and have no idea if they still exist.  So, in case these little canisters are now extinct, here are a few alternatives to the film canister idea:

• bathroom sized plastic cups (I realize they don't have a lid but they would definitely work)
• multi-purpose mini cups that are often used to hold salad dressing (you probably wouldn't want anything smaller than the 4 oz. size because you need space for the coins to be inserted into the container)

Hands-On Activities
Hands-on math is the best, and counting coins lends itself beautifully to this.  After all, using real money is a real life hands-on skill. And, hands-on learning is both fun and engaging.  What's not to love, right?

My students love this valuable words activity.  They use the key to find the value of each letter in a word, draw them, and then add up the value of the word.

Sometimes, I don't even use the word cards.  Sometimes, I write words on the recording page before I copy it.  And, sometimes, I let the kids pick their own words!

Anytime I give my students an activity that involves rolling dice, they are happy campers. So, it was no surprise when they ended up loving this activity.

They rolled their die 4 times (but you could have them roll it however many times you want).  Each time, they rolled, they drew the coins that matched the number they rolled.  Then, they added them up.  I like to give my students access to plastic coins whenever they do these sorts of activities.  Some of them prefer to interact with the coins and order them in a way that works best for them when adding up the total value. 

Scoops of coins is another great hands-on activity that my students love.  I place small bowls of coins at each table group along with some plastic spoons. The students take a scoop of coins, draw them, and count them up. 

To differentiate this activity, set up your bowls accordingly.  For students who aren't ready for quarters yet, make sure their bowls don't include any. Maybe those students start by scooping dimes, nickels, and pennies.  For students who are excelling in counting any and all combinations of coins, give them bowls with quarters, nickels, dimes, and pennies, and task them with counting up the value of two scoops of coins.

I love using cut and paste activities when I can too.  They require that the students pay attention to detail, in addition to practicing an important math skill.  Plus, they are a great way to get in a bit of cutting and gluing practice.  Whenever I put these activities out, I also put out bowls of coins for students who might need them.  Some kids like to use the plastic coins because they need that added support.

In my experience, paper clips are just as exciting as rolling dice.  My students go crazy for spinner activities.  This activity can be used a few ways, students can spin an amount and then color in the coins that add up to that amount.  But, it can also be used where the kids draw a combination of coins that adds up to the amount they spin.

All of these activities, plus many more, can be found in my Cha-Ching {Counting Coins} unit on TPT.  The activities were created to help you differentiate with ease and you can easily reuse many of the activities throughout the school year because students will likely encounter different combinations of coins every time. 

Race to a Dollar
I have loved this game for forever.  It makes an appearance every year in my classroom.  Students take turns collecting and trading coins, and the first to make one dollar is the winner!

Here's a breakdown of the game:

• It is played in pairs. 
• Players take turns rolling the die and collecting the number of pennies that matches the number they roll (if they roll a 3, they collect 3 pennies).  
• Before passing the die to the other player, the first player looks to see if they can make any trades (5 pennies for a nickel, 5 pennies and a nickel for dime, two dimes and a nickel for a quarter, and so on). 
• Players continue to take turns collecting and trading coins. 
• The first player to get to $1.00 is the winner!  

**TIP: I have always found that the students are most successful with this game from the get go when I take the time to model it. They usually need to see the trades in action so that they can more easily follow that step when playing independently.  I like to sit on the carpet in a circle and play against another student so they can see how it works.  This always leads to a more successful experience for the students.    

You don't need a lot of materials to play this game, just some coins, a dollar bill, and a die.  I literally put a bunch of coins (no, I don't count them out) into a zip top bag, along with the dollar bill, a die, and a copy of the directions.  Keeping them bagged and ready for use makes them the perfect filler or math station activity.

Once your students get this version down, play with dollar bills!  Each time they roll the die, they collect that many one dollar bills.  The game is played the same way, but the first player to get to $100 is the winner.  My students love this version too!

You can grab directions for both versions of this game HERE.

**TIP: If you want to save paper, you could project the directions on your board for students to look at while they play the game. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

DON'T FORGET IT: PIN IT!

Continue Reading

Share It: