Large or small group activity
Skills: place value, strategic thinking skills, cooperation, speechless communication
Materials needed: numbers written on cards to put on the children
Make a set of cards to work on the place value you are teching (tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.). Have the children line up and place a number on each child's back. The children DO NOT know what number is on their own back. WITHOUT TALKING or telling anyone what their number is, the group must get themselves in correct numerical order. THIS ACTIVITY IS PLAYED IN TOTAL SILENCE!!!! The children must use silent communication. Great for thinking skills and strategy!!! See some new class leaders emerge!!!!!
Small or large group activity
Skill: place value
Materials needed: paper, pencil, dice
Students make lines on their papers. Depending on the grade level, they could make 3 lines for hundreds, 4 lines for thousands, etc. One student rolls the dice. All students put the number rolled on one line of their place value paper. When all the lines are filled up, the students tell their numbers. The student that has the highest number wins.
Small group or large activity
Skills: addition, subtraction, multiplication, time, open sentence, etc.
Materials needed: gameboard with answers written on bugs and 2 fly swatters with a small hole cut out of the center
Divide the class into two teams. The first player on each team holds up the fly swatters. The teacher calls out a problem. The first player to swat the bug with the correct answer written on it scores a point for his team.
Large group activity
Skills: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, time, open sentences
Material needed: flash cards, item for bacon (eraser), answer cards taped to children
Divide the children into two teams. Put matching answers on each team. (Example: Team A has numbers 1-15 taped on them. If working on time concepts, tape answers like 9:15, 6:45, etc. on them. Each team member has an answer taped to him.) Line up team A on a line facing team B, also on a line, with the "Bacon" on the floor between the two teams. The teacher calls out a problem or shows a flash card (Example 3x4). The players wearing the correct answer (12) on both teams run to the middle and try to "Steal the Bacon" (eraser) and carry it back to their team without getting tagged by the other player. If the player with the bacon gets tagged before reaching his team line, no point is scored. An option which may be needed, depending upon the group, is to deduct a point if a player wearing the wrong answer tries to steal the bacon. Using flash cards alternately with oral problems requires students to look and listen.
Large group activity
Skills: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, time, story problems
Materials needed: 2 sets of answers written on green and white shaped ghosts
Randomly pass out the green and white ghosts to the students. Show or tell a problem. All of the students work the problem. The first student with the correct answer to raise his ghost up high in the air scores a point for his team.
Large group activity
Skill: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, number or letter recognition, time, etc.
Materials needed: flashcards
Divide the class into two teams. Number off the students into equal teams. The students that are #1 face each other, #2 face each other, etc. Hold up a flash card. Give all students a chance to think of the answer. Call out one of the students' number. Only the number that is called can answer the question. If a student answers the question that is not the called number, their team loses a turn.
Large group activity
Skills: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, number recognition, etc.
Materials needed: balloons and math problems on strips of paper
Put a math problem on a strip of paper. Fold up the paper and place inside the balloon. Blow up the balloon and tie securely. Prepare one for each student. Divide the class into two teams. The students take turns popping the balloons, writing their problems and answers on the board, and race to the back of their line. Then the next person continues. The team that pops all their balloons and writes the correct problems and answers on the board first is the wining team.
Small group activity
Skill: addition
Materials needed: dice, scoring pad
Pig is usually played by two students with one pair of dice. The object is to be the first player to score 100 points by adding the totals on the dice after each roll. The players take turns rolling the dice, however, a player may roll as many times as he wishes as long as he does not roll a 1 on one or both of the dice. If a 1 is rolled on one die, the player gives up the turn and loses all points earned during that turn. If a 1 is rolled on both dice, the player gives up the turn, loses all his count, and starts again at 0.
Graph the number of M&M's in the bag
Write the number of each color in the bag
Write the expanded number form of M&M's in the bag
Count the number of M&M's in the bag
Weigh the bag of M&M's
Measure the length of the bag in inches and/or centimeters
Predict the number of M&M's in the bag. Then count the actual number in the bag. Next make up number sentences to see if you guess was more or less than your prediction.
Make up number sentences using M&M's in the bag.(Example: red+blue= yellow+orange=
Use M&M's to label the vertex of polygons.
Identify the amount of M&M's in the bag as an odd or even number
Find the sun of different color combinations and tell if the sums are odd or even.
Order the colors in the bag from the least to greatest
Order the colors in the bag from the greatest to least
Write the number word for each color and/or amount in the bag
Round the number in the bag to the nearest ten
Round the number of M&M's in the bag to the nearest 10, 100, 1000
Write the number that is 10, 100, 1000 less/more that the number in the bag
Have class order total number of M&M's in bags from least to greatest or greatest to least
Make polygons using M&M's
Identify endpoints on a line, ray, line segment with M&M's
Identify intersecting points on perpendicular and intersecting lines with M&m's
Divide M&M's in the bag into equal groups of 2's, 3's, 4's, etc.
Make patterns using M&M's
Match M&M's to the color words
Construct graphs using M&M'
*favorite color in different blends
*number of each color
*number of M&M's in the bag
*favorite blend
*color people eat first/last
Estimate the number of M&M's in the bag
Estimate if there is more of one color than the others
Construct a time line of important date in M&M history
Make up word problems using important dates in M&M history
Predict and count the number of M&M's that are in a cup, pint, quart, and/or gallon
Predict then weigh how much does a cup, pint, quart, etc. of any blend of M&M"s weigh
M&M's are available in different blends throughout the year: the Christmas blend in December, pastel mix in April or March for Easter, Halloween blend in October, in February a Valentine's mixture is availabe. Have students order the months correctly. They can also write the number of days in each month and discuss leap year.
The above ideas are from Renita Perry and Rhonda Tennial
M&M's are a product of the Mars Company.
