Plastic eggs fill the shelves during the months of March and April. March and April are also the months of the year when students get a bit antsy and ready for spring break. Mixing things up is a must! This post will share some fun and pretty simple to prep review games and ideas to use with plastic eggs. 1. Egg Hunt Egg hunts are so much! Simply fill eggs with ... Read More
Multiplication and Division Game with Jenga Blocks
Multi-digit multiplication and division review can seem a bit tedious for some students. This multiplication and division game that uses Jenga to review is a perfect way to spice up your review and engage your students. Multiplication and Division Game Materials: For this game, you will need: Colored Jenga blocks —> I buy the precolored ones from Amazon ... Read More
Whole Number Game | FREE Jenga Game
Jenga games have always been a hit with my students. Since trying out Jenga with my students and seeing how engaged they were, I brainstormed even more math games to create (and share with you). This post will share a Jenga whole number game that reviews whole number skills and is perfect for 3rd-5th grade students (depending on the numbers you choose to use). Whole ... Read More
How I Teach Math in 5th Grade
One of the most frequently asked questions I get for math instruction is: I have read your blog posts. But, how does it all fit together? On this post, I will break down how I teach math in 5th grade (easily applicable to 4th grade) and what math instruction looks like on a weekly and daily basis. Before diving in to what the days look like, I want to make it clear ... Read More
FREE Math Partner Games for Multiplication and Division Facts
Partner games are definitely one of my favorite ways to have my students practice math skills. This post will share all the details about my favorite math partner games, a link to get 30+ free partner games, and how to get even more if you love them as much as me. Using Math Partner Games Partner games are perfect for practicing math skills. Because there are only ... Read More
Forming Guided Math Groups (Upper Elementary)
Guided math instruction (small group teaching + math centers) is a very powerful means of instruction. But, your students need to be grouped effectively to really maximize the benefits. This post shares several tips and guidelines to consider when forming your guided math groups. How many students will you have in each group? An ideal number is 4-6 students per ... Read More
FREE Math Pre-Assessments (Grades 3-5)
At the beginning of the year, it is sometimes difficult to get a clear picture of how our students are performing in math. I know I have been fooled a time or two by test scores or class performance at the beginning of the year. I put together these one-page quick pre-assessments for math to serve two purposes: 1.) allow me to group my students effectively for math ... Read More
Organizing Math Centers
Organizing math centers (or any kind of organization, really) is not my strength. I really have to work at it and find a system that works for me, trying lots of systems in the process. Through trying out these different systems (and I tried out a lot), I was finally able to come up with systems that really worked for me. On this post, I will share some ideas for ... Read More
Launching Guided Math Centers with FREE Starter Packs
One of the biggest reasons guided math centers fail is because students don't have a strong foundation with the procedures and expectations. Well, a few years ago, I was making one big mistake that actually enabled this. When I launched math centers, I used math centers that contained skills my students were still "soft" with: skills they had not mastered and still ... Read More
How to Launch Guided Math Centers in Upper Elementary
Do you want your guided math centers running smoothly from the start of the year to the end of the year? *raises hand*. Then, you need a strong launch. On this post, we will take a look at some guidelines to follow when you launch guided math centers in your classroom AND I will be linking to FREE starter packs for grades 3-5 so you will have all the math center resources ... Read More
Guided Math Procedures
Guided math instruction (whole group instruction + small group instruction + math centers) is a super powerful way of reaching all of your students. But, things can go south quickly. Just like any other aspect of school, students need to be taught procedures and expectations for guided math. In this post, we will take a detailed look at the must teach procedures to ... Read More
Scheduling Your Guided Math Block
One of the biggest questions I get about math instruction is "How do I fit everything in?" Many teachers email me because they want to do a guided math approach and incorporate small groups and math centers, but they are not sure how to fit it all in with their limited time or their large class sizes. If this sounds a bit like you, you are in the right place. Let's ... Read More
