3 FREE Math games your class will love!

Hey y'all! This is Kristen from Chalk & Apples. I hope everyone is settling into a fantastic school year. Today, I wanted to share a few quick and easy (and of course FREE) math games that my students are loving this year. They're all free and require little to no prep. Check them out!

Mindreader

This is my go-to game for the end of the day when we are lined up, waiting to be called for dismissal. My class loves it! Beth from Adventures of a Schoolmarm blogged about it in detail at Classroom Tested Resources a little while back, so you can read all the details in her post.

Basically, I think of a number, tell my class how many digits it is, and they start guessing. After each guess, I tell how many digits are correct and how many are in the correct place value. We also discuss whether guesses are logical or not based on the previous information. This is a great time to build some common sense skills! (For example if a student guesses 325 and I say that 1 digit is correct AND in the correct place value, 476 is not a logical next guess because the student has changed all of the digits when we knew one was correct.) Grab all the details & instructions free in Beth's TPT store!

MathAGories

This is another student favorite! I use it mostly during centers, although it made a great whole-group time filler when our power suddenly went out - for TWO hours! It's played much like Scattergories, where the most unique answers win. Students learned quickly that the easiest answers would likely get used by many of their classmates, and that they needed to think outside the box if they wanted to win. This freebie is for different ways to make a number, but the same game rules can be applied to lots of math concepts, like equivalent fractions, multiples, etc. Get the recording sheets and game instructions in my TPT store!

Odd One Out

This game was shared by Cassie from Funky in Fourth last year on Teaching Trio, and my class loves it! She has all the details in her post, plus a free game sheet. Students place 15 chips onto the game board. Then they take turns removing chips from only one row. The goal is to NOT be the last person to remove chips from the board. I love the way it gets kids thinking about their strategies and adjusting mid-game. Grab the freebie here!

What games do you play with your students? I'm always on the lookout for new games for our math workshop time! 

Free Coding Lessons

There are so many free resources on the internet.  The trick is figuring out which ones are worth your time.

The 4th through 6th graders started out using Khan Academy to learn to code.  The enthusiasm around school was refreshing.  Now all of our 3rd through 6th graders are learning Math with Khan Academy.  This was all started by a specialist on my team that teaches in our computer lab.  If you'd like to read more about it, she recently did a guest blog post for me here.

Khan Academy can be a great motivating early finisher activity.  If you are looking for a free math website, that motivates kids, I highly recommend it.  (They haven't asked me to say any of this.)

Recently some of our 5th grade girls were at an ALPs event and I made these signs for them.  They had a great time sharing their coding skills with people from around our district.

Maybe you'll find a use for them as well. :)  Download them here.

What are your favorite free math websites?

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Order of Operations Freebie

I know that the Olympics were last year, but here is a freebie with winter theme that will get your students practicing order of operations. This freebie is differentiated into three levels - bronze, silver, and gold. Bronze is the easiest and gold is the most difficult. I hope that you find it useful! Click on the image below to download your copy.

Project-based Learning: FREE Teacher for a Day PBL

Have you heard of project-based learning? It's my favorite way to have students apply the Math standards during the second half of the year. Read up on project-based learning below and then download a free activity!

What is Project-based Learning? Project-based learning is a teaching method where students gain and apply skills by working on a long project where they complete an in-depth inquiry into a specific topic or question. Like all teaching methods, it's not standalone. It can be added to the teaching you are already doing in your classroom. PBL allows for more real world application and in-depth understanding of the concepts your students need to understand.

What are the benefits for students? Project-based learning is exciting for students. The first time I did PBL in my classroom, students were voluntarily doing extra research and activities for their project at home. I am constantly impressed by the level of interest students take in these projects. Student interest equals engagement, which will raise your test scores without all that boring test prep. In the long run, PBL helps students practice life skills like creating a budget or starting a business.

What are the benefits for teachers? In project-based learning, students work to investigate the concepts by making their own choices. Once you've set up the parameters, the students do all the work. You are just there to facilitate. PBL also involves far less paper than worksheets, and far less grading. Students receive a final project grade, and observational grades throughout.