Elementary Matters: keeping them engaged

Showing posts with label keeping them engaged. Show all posts

The Greatest Sum - an Addition Game with Strategy and Fun!

Here's a game my students have been playing for years called The Greatest Sum! I've put it together with lots of variations!

The basic game is played with two 2-digit numbers. The children choose one number square at a time, and decide where to place it on their boards. It takes them only a short time to figure out they should put the greater numbers in the tens column, and the lower numbers in the ones column. You can use the numbers included in this package, or you can use tiles, cubes, or other interesting manipulatives and write the numerals 0-9 on them, as I have done in these pictures.

The Greatest Sum - an Addition Game with Strategy and Fun! This place value game practices adding 2-4 digit numbers (with or without regrouping) with many variations!

Here's how to play:

1. Place the tiles (or number squares) face down between 2 "Greatest Sum" boards.

2. The first player takes a tile and places it in one of the squares on his board. That player should think about which square might bring them the greatest sum, since he isn't allowed to move it once he lets go!

3. Play continues between the two players until all squares on both boards are filled.

4. Which player has the greatest sum? Players may use paper & pencil, whiteboards, number grids, a calculator, or mental math to determine each round's winner. (Teacher's choice!)

As you can see in this preview, there are plenty of variations to this game!

Explore the image or explore this link: The Greatest Sum

Which player had the greatest sum?

Active Students? Try Scoot!

Today I'm sharing a game that helped me through those last hectic weeks of school where the kiddos just couldn't concentrate on much of anything...Scoot!

All you need to play scoot is a set of task cards (I know we all have plenty of those!) an answer sheet, and some desks or tables.

In the picture above, we put the desks into a big square, which is perfect for scoot, but rows, tables, or sets of desks in any arrangement can work. You just need to set a pattern for movement.

The basis of the game:

There is a numbered task card on each desk.
Students do the task card at their desk, and write their answer on the answer sheet.
When the teacher calls "Scoot", the children all move to the next desk in the sequence, and do that task card.
Children continue to "scoot" from desk to desk until all cards have been completed.

After completion, I usually let the children self-correct while we go over the cards. (Self correcting with highlighters makes it more fun!)

For added fun for squirmy kids, replace one (or more) of the task cards with a brain break. My kids LOVE brain breaks, and look forward to that part of scoot!

If you're interested in task cards that work well with scoot, see HERE.

These Reading Comprehension for Active Learners sets are designed with Scoot in mind!

Want to try it out with a freebie? Social Studies Review Task Cards

How do you keep your active students learning?

Celebrate Spring With Games!

I am so ready for Spring!

Here in New Hampshire, the temperature seems to have trouble getting past the 40s, and there are still patches of snow everywhere, including my garden!

Celebrate Spring with Games! Spring is here and the children are feeling the excitement of the season! Here are some spring games and activities to help keep that spring excitement focused!

But Spring is in my heart, as well as my classroom.

Here are some of my Spring Products that you'll find my students using!

Earth Day Vocabulary Match is a fun way to review words related to Earth Day and protecting the environment. There are several variations of play!

Spring Flower "Go Fish" Game is a great way to practice the prefixes un-, dis-, re-, and pre- as well as the meanings of these prefixes.

Here's another game with prefixes, with suffix practice as well!

Rainy Day Prefixes and Suffixes gives the children practice finding the base word of words with prefixes and suffixes. The children can focus on just prefixes, just suffixes, or combine the two!

Two Rainbow Games: Nouns and Adjectives, Verbs and Adverbs is a great opportunity to practice making up adjectives to go with nouns, and making up adverbs to go with verbs.