Math Practice in a Different Way.

Every so often, I love creating activities for my students to play but I try to make it so everyone can participate.

In one game, I create cards similar to the one you see on the left.  Each card has an equation and an answer but the answer is not the one to the problem.  It is the answer to another problem.

You pass out cards to the students and give them a few minutes to solve the problem on their card.  Once everyone has a chance to find their answers, select a student to read out their problem.  The student explains how to solve the problem before giving out the answer.  Whoever has the answer, reads out their problem, explains how to solve it, asks for questions before giving the answer.

By having the student explain how to solve the problem, it helps clarify their understanding and often they find mistakes in their own math.  It also allows others to ask questions if they don't understand something or if they believe the person solving the problem made a mistake.  This continues until everyone has completed their problem and its back to the first person.

A second activity I enjoy making is pairs math.  I divide the class into groups of two and give each person a different worksheet but each problem has the same answer.  This way they each have to solve their own problems but if they get the same answer, they know they did it correctly.  If they don't get the same answer, I ask them to check the other person's work for a mistake because there is a good chance that one of them made a mistake.

A third activity is one where I place folded papers around the room.  The papers can have the equations or they can have QR codes, it all depends on what you want.  This is actually a variation on the first one but you place the equation on the front and the answer on the second page.  Again the answer on the second page is not the answer to the equation on the front page.

Students spread out around the room, choosing one to start with.  They write down the equation and work out the answer on the answer sheet while circling the answer.  They then find the answer a different paper and work the problem on the front.  If they can't find the answer, it usually means they made a mistake.

The third game is nice because it gets them moving around the room so they get exercise and it makes it easier for them to focus, especially for students who are on the hyper side.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.