MTH1W Cycle 1 Week 1
Day 2
Part of the routines and procedures that I have implemented in my class is the bellwork or warm-up activity. Over the years I have found quite a lot of different types of activities that help get the brain warmed up and gets the students talking about math. The first activity that I had my class work on during the second day of classes was a Which One Doesn’t Belong (WODB) introduction which included this image
If you haven’t tried these in your class yet, I highly recommend them. I had my students use whiteboards and markers to work on the first one. Students split their board into 4 quadrants and had to give at least one reason why each of the 4 quadrants didn’t belong.
Here is an example of the first “real” one we worked on as a class.
After working on two more WODB activities, we moved on to a spatial awareness group activity called skyscrapers. You can find the activity here.
Here are the instructions I went over with my class before we began.
Next, we talked about real-world skyscrapers, and then I told them they would be using linking cubes to make skyscrapers. When they were certain they had the answers, they would raise their hand and I would come to check out the group’s work. Some groups zipped right through, while others struggled immensely. I had a second round of skyscrapers at the ready for those ready to move on.
Next, I had the class work on some math puzzles from shakethebrain.com. My students really enjoyed working on these puzzles and I could definitely feel a buzz in the room.
I really like these low-floor activities. Most students were able to access previous knowledge and experience success.
Finally, I ended the class with some decks that I made on the Boom LearningTM website. Students practiced their multiplication facts in this Valentine’s day themed Boom deck and worked on the integers drill number 1 using the number 2. You can find a sample here. I really like these self-checking digital task cards because students get immediate feedback with a “ding” or “whoops” sound. These are so much easier than trying to mark 28 exit tickets. I use these in lieu of homework. Most students were able to finish in class and use their devices. Our department does have Chromebooks that I can sign out for those without a device. We were off to a great start and the students were engaged. What more could I ask for?
Have a great day!
Chat Soon,
Sherry