Transitions in the classroom are extremely important. This is when so much time can be wasted, and misbehavior can occur easily. One way to help transition into a new subject is to have routines in place that the students know to expect each day. One routine could be using a warmup to start the lesson. Not only do using warmup activities help transition students quickly and calmly, but they also help prepare their minds for the next subject. This post will share tips and strategies for using math warm-ups AND a free starter pack to help you start using math warmups in your math lessons.
What are Math Warm-Ups?
Math warm-ups are activities to help your students transition their minds and prepare for a math lesson. Using warm-ups to kick off your math lesson gets students engaged quickly. Using daily warm-ups can allow some predictability in the routine. Students will know when it’s time for a warm-up, it’s time to get into “the zone” for math.
Here are some other benefits of using math warm-ups:
- Provides review of previously learned skills
- Requires students to discuss and defend their thinking
- Gives students practice with problem solving skills
- Presents students with a different perspective when students share their thinking with one another
- Allows struggling students to find success early-on in the lesson
- Provides challenge for students to think beyond their basic knowledge of concepts and defend their answers.
Procedures and Expectations for Math Warmups
When beginning with math warm-ups, it is important to set procedures and expectations with your students.
Here are some ideas:
1. Give students time (I call this private think-time) to solve the math warmup independently before calling on students to share or solve the problem. This will ensure that all students have a chance to work on the problem and not just the students who raise their hand first.
2. As the students are working independently, walk around and monitor their work. While you are doing this, you can:
- Clear up any misconceptions you see
- Help any students who need a bit more support to access the problem or begin solving it
- Select students’ responses to share that will benefit the class
3. When calling on students to share their responses, have them explain their thinking. A sentence stems that helps for this at beginning of the year is: I think…because…
4. You could also have students share their answers with a partner before sharing with the whole group. This will give every student a chance to explain their thinking to someone.
Differentiation Ideas for Math Warmups
Here are some ideas for differentiating with math warmups:
1. Read the warm-up or task aloud with the students and briefly discuss it before having students work on it independently. This will ensure that all students have an “entry” point to solve the problem.
2. If you are using a digital warm-up, put it in presentation mode and have students solve the problem on whiteboards or a piece of paper with a partner. You can strategically pair students up to support those who may need it.
3. Provide hints if appropriate for the warm-up.
4. If you are having students discuss their answers or writing them, provide sentence stems to support them and get them started. You could even include a word bank of words students can use.
Using Warm-Up Activities in Small Group
Another idea for using math warmups during your math lesson is to use them to start your small group instruction.
You can set your iPad up to post a digital warmup or have printable warmups placed on the table for the students to complete as soon as they get to your table. You can also have one posted on a small group table markerboard for students to complete.
This gives students something to do right when they get to your table. This gives you time to get your materials out for that group’s lesson or check on the other students and make sure that they are actively starting their math centers. And you are not wasting any small group time because your students are engaged in math already at the small group table.
About the Free Math Warm-Up Activities
Whenever I am beginning a new routine, I like to use easier content than grade-level skills. This allows students to focus on learning the warm-up routine and the expectations (and not on complex math skills that they have just started to learn).
The content in the free set of math warm-ups is easier and more accessible for students in grades 4-5.
Skills Include:
- Odd and even numbers
- Place value
- Comparing numbers
- Rounding numbers (numbers less than 100)
- Basic multiplication
The three types of math warm-ups included in the free starter set are perfect to begin a math warm-up routine. There are 4 task cards per activity (12 task cards in all).
Each warmup comes in printable and digital format so they will fit whatever needs you have in your classroom. The digital version is ready to assign or work on through Google Slides.
For more information on assigning Google Slides activities, click here.
Math Warm-Up Activity #1: Odd One Out
In this warm-up activity, students will select which number in a set of 4 does not belong and defend their thinking. This activity is great for critical thinking and class discussion. It can spark great conversation and debate about why students chose a certain number.
Another bonus of using this activity is the stakes are low for all students. There is not one correct answer, so it allows students who might otherwise struggle in math find some success.
In the digital version of Odd One Out, the students will look at four numbers and decide which one does not belong. They will mark the number they picked with a moveable X. Then they can explain the number they chose in the text box provided.
Math Warm-Up Activity #2: Two Truths and a Lie
In this activity, students will select which statement about a number is false from a list of three statements and defend their thinking. This activity is a great activity for a math warm-up, and an added bonus is that it also gives students some beneficial practice with problem-solving and test-taking strategies as they analyze the number and each statement.
The digital Two Truths and a Lie math warm-up has students reading three statements and then labeling each one as “true” or “false.” For each slide, there will be two true statements and one lie, or false statement. As an extension activity, you could have your students correct the lie to make it true or prove how they knew the true statements were factual.
Math Warm-Up Activity #3: Which One?
In this warm-up, students will select the correct answer to the problem from a multiple choice set and defend their thinking. This activity gives students experience with word-problem types of questions in an engaging and low-pressure way.
In the digital Which One? activity, students will read a short word problem and pick the multiple-choice option that best answers the question. Students are required to drag a moveable circle to their choice, then defend their explanation in the text box provided.
Ways to Use the FREE Math Warm-Ups
Each activity in this free set of math warm-ups is formatted like a set of task cards. You could have your students complete one problem per day for a quick intro to a math lesson or they could complete all of the questions within an activity for some extra practice.
These math warm-ups are flexible and can be used in many ways. Here are some ideas:
- Use the digital version for a whole class math warm-up.
- Use the task card version for small group warm-ups.
- Use the digital or task card version as a math center.
- Use the digital or task card version for early finishers.
Get the FREE Starter Pack of Math Warm-Ups!
To get these free math warm-ups, click the image below. In the download, you will find a PDF containing the printable version in color and black and white. Digital access links are on page 4 of the PDF.
Looking for MORE Math Warmup Activities?
If you like the free set of math warmup activities and want more that cover grade level skills, check out my 4th and 5th Grade Math Warm-Ups bundle.
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4th & 5th Grade Math Warmups – Digital + Printable
162 print and digital math warm-ups that cover 4th and 5th grade math skills, including whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.Skills Included in the 4th and 5th Grade Math Warmups Bundle
Warm-Ups Set 1: Whole Number Review
The first set of warmup activities contains practice with whole numbers appropriate for 4th graders. Use them to practice new skills after teaching them in your 4th grade classroom or use them as review for your 5th graders.
The list of skills includes:
- Odd and even numbers
- Place value
- Multiples
- Comparing numbers
- Prime and composite numbers
- Representing numbers in different ways
- Basic multiplication
- Addition and subtraction (varies from 2-digit to 4-digit)
To read more or buy this set now, click here.
Warm-Ups Set 2: Whole Number Review
The next set of math warmups involves activities with whole numbers up to the millions place, covering more 4th grade math content.
The list of skills includes:
- Rounding
- Place value
- Comparing numbers
- Addition and subtraction to a million
For more details or to buy this set now, click here.
Warm-Ups Set 3: Decimals
The third set of warm-ups revolves around 5th grade topics with decimals.
The list of skills includes:
- Place value
- Comparing decimals
- Rounding decimals
- Representing equivalent decimals in different ways
- Adding decimals
- Subtracting decimals
Warm-Ups Set 4: Fractions
The fractions set of warmups covers 4th and 5th grade content.
The list of skills includes:
- Equivalent fractions
- Comparing fractions
- Adding and subtracting mixed numbers with common denominators
Warm-Ups Set 5: Fraction Review
The final set of math warmup activities also involves fractions, but those with unlike denominators. Therefore, the set is most appropriate for use with 5th graders.
The list of skills includes:
- Comparing fractions
- Equivalent fractions
- Fractions equivalent to a whole
- Fractions greater than one
- Simplifying fractions
- Comparing mixed numbers
- Converting mixed numbers to fractions greater than one and vice versa
- Adding and subtracting mixed numbers.
- All fractions have unlike denominators.
In addition to the printable and digital versions, each set of math warm-ups has ink-friendly black and white versions included!
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