Tangle Tables: Multiplication FUN!!

Hello, all! Hope you had a MERRY Christmas! This break has been so relaxing, yet productive for me! I hope it has been for you as well. :)

So, have you ever heard of a tangle table? Here is an example:

These little tables are FUN, FUN, FUN. Like, adult fun, too! (I would LOVE to have a book of these!) If you enjoy Sudoku, you will enjoy this game. If your students enjoy playing games, then they will enjoy this game!

In this game, students are given a multiplication table that is all TANGLED UP. The factors 1-12 are still in the first row and first column, but they are NOT in the correct order. The objective?? Figure out where the factors are in the first row and first column by using the existing clues. Some of the factors may be visible; products are there to help as well. The students will have to use knowledge of the basic facts as well as a little bit of logic to get the whole table filled in. Here is the solution, for those of you working on it in your head!

Sounds fun, right?? You can give them a try by checking this out:

Students can complete these independently, in a math station, in pairs, in a small group OR as a whole group. ALSO, I have included a Promethean ActivInspire flipchart that can be used to complete the tables as a whole group. Don't have a Promethean board? You can still download the software to use with the flipchart FOR FREE. Instructions are included.

I'm holding a Flash Freebie for this new product! You'll have to follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram in order to know when to download the freebie. :) 

I hope you and your students enjoy! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Target Number: A Number Sense Activity

Hey, friends! I hope your week is off to a great start!

Let's talk about number sense:

Do you spend time teaching number sense in your classroom? Number sense isn't just a skill that the primary grades need to practice; older kids need practice too! To practice number sense in my classroom, I've used number of the day, number talks, counting around the circle, number riddles, worksheets, etc. I've done scoots and have used every possible manipulative. No matter what I use, children always seem to enjoy the activity.

Here is one of MANY ways for students to build number sense (add it to the bank):

In this activity, students will have a target number that they must make by following different directions.

Here is one of the target number pages with directions:

The file comes with three different levels of target number pages and optional recording sheets. Easy peasy and you could implement it in your classroom TOMORROW! Come check it out on TPT!

And here are a few tips for using the Target Number pages...

1) Print the page you are going to use and place it in a report cover. Students can write on it with a dry erase marker and wipe it clean when finished! (like the picture below)

2) Have students use dry erase boards to do the work for the target number.

Need a few other resources to teach number sense? Here are some that I have (including some freebies!):

          

"O Geome-Tree" Activity UPDATED

Happy December! I can't believe ANOTHER year is nearly complete. WHERE does the time go??!

I just revisited and updated one of my math activities that I posted about a loooooooong time ago (from 2011, to be exact). My 4th graders helped me create an interactive bulletin board for Christmas. Here is the original post:

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Our bulletin board for the month of December was entitled "O Geome-Tree" (after the ever-so-popular "O Christmas Tree" song). This was a good opportunity to talk with my students about what geometry is (since, for whatever reason, my students said they had never heard the term). Geometry is something that students have had experience with all the way back to when they were learning shapes. Don't be afraid to introduce the term to them in the early grades! Anywho, here is the board!:

This was a very simple introductory activity. We actually will not get into geometry until late March (other than reviewing what was learned in past grade levels) so I kept it simple. All the students had to do was make a polygon, write a fact or two about the shape and decorate it. They then got to staple it to the board as an ornament for the tree (this was their favorite part). Here is the sample I made for them:

The activity gave me a little insight into what they already knew about polygons; it was NOT a good sign that half of them had to ask what a polygon was :/. Anyway, some students did a really great job while others decided to do a very basic job. Here are some student examples:

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Activities like this make me miss being in the classroom! :)

Anyway, I updated the file today--all activity directions and a grading rubric are included PLUS a set of task cards and recording sheets to use with your bulletin board.

This activity is PERFECT for this time of year! Enjoy the freebie!! :)