You wouldn’t go for a three-mile run without warming up your muscles first. The same idea applies to math class too. We push our students to expand their thinking in our math blocks, so it’s important that we let them warm up first. Read more to explore my four favorite math warm up activities.
#1
Games are a fun and engaging way to begin your math block. Since your time for math warm up is usually brief, so you will want to select a game that can be played in a short amount of time. A few favorites in my room have been math facts around the world (last student standing) or geometry Simon Says. The warm up time in your math block is a fantastic time to get your students out of their seats, so get creative and see what games you can accomplish this with.
#2
Our students love having opportunities to shine. That is why I often let my students take turns teaching a review skill they have mastered to the class. For time reasons, only one student can present a day during warm up time. My students love having the chance to sign up for a “teaching time” and share their knowledge with friends. By the way, you’ll be amazed at how attentive the rest of your class is when one of their peers takes charge and teaches. It is one warm up activity you definitely have to try in your classroom.
#3
Math videos are a fantastic way to warm up your student's minds before math instruction. I love using math videos for warm ups in my room. I will either show a review skill or introduce the skill of the day using a math video. Using technology allows my students to access the information in an alternative way to our standard instruction. My favorite math video channels are NumberRock, Math Antics, and Jack Hartman (for math fact songs). Math videos are fabulous for warm up times that are on a snug time crunch.
#4
I love using warm up time to review already taught skills with my students. It is always a good idea to keep these skills fresh in their minds as the year continues. One way I do this is through the use of miniature white boards. I put a review problem on the board and have my students work independently to solve the problem. I will walk around and check a few boards quickly. Students can not show their boards until they hear me say, “1, 2, 3, show me”. Then students will raise their boards up high. Finally, students will lower their boards and listen as I think aloud and model how to solve the problem.
Warm up activities are crucial to make sure your students are firing on all cylinders. Which warm up activities will you implement in your math block this year?
No comments:
Post a Comment