Math Center Sunday!

With my report cards finished and lesson plans almost ready to go for the week, I thought I'd take some time to write about some of the different math centers I have been using in 6th grade math these days. If you've read my Math Workshop page, you know that my teacher center and homework center are pretty set into stone. It is the tech/hands-on center and the problem solving center that I have a little more flexibility to try out new resources!


iPads
Checking out 6 iPads to use as a technology center has been one of my go to centers this year. It is easy to plan, students love using them, and there are a lot of great math apps out there that can benefit students! I also want to try to start using them in different ways. This week I am going to set up small coordinate planes that are taped to the floor. Students will be graphing ordered pairs and functions on these graphs. I am going to try having each group take a picture on the iPads of their graph. I think this will help hold them accountable during the center and they will enjoy being able to take the pictures of what they've worked on!

Brain Busters
I recently finished making these Math Brain Busters for each of the sixth grade math common core standards. Each of the five sets (Number Systems, Ratios & Proportional Relationships, Expressions & Equations, Geometry, and Stats & Probability) have 105 questions relating to that specific standard. I also have an additional set that includes 150 questions from all five standards. I have been using these as a math center and also for students who finish early during a work time! There is something about the format of these that students love! I guess being able to flip through the questions and answers is a lot more fun than worksheets! You can find the individual sets or buy them bundled together in my TPT store. All of my bundles are 10% off for the rest of the day!

Problems of the Month

I know I have mentioned these on earlier posts, but they are too good not to share again! This is my go to resource for my problem solving center. I pick out a problem of the month from the Inside Mathematics website and have six laminated copies at the center. I usually give students about a week for each problem. They are all multi-step problems that require more time to solve. I recently have started creating a separate answer sheet to go along with the problem. Students record their answers on the answer sheet and turn it in at the end of the week. This has held the students a little more accountable for the work that they are doing at this center. I would highly recommend checking these problems out if you haven't already!

Percent Scramble
This is a fun game I created a few months ago when we were learning about how to find the percent of a number. I plan on bringing this one back out soon to use as a review center. Percent Scramble is free in my TPT store, so be sure to grab your copy! It is pretty easy to prep (just some printing and cutting out cards). In the game, students flip over a percent card and a whole number card. They must find that percent of their whole number to see how many points they get for the round. At the end of the game, both players add up their point totals to determine the winner!

Equation Top-it Games
These Equation Top-it games have been a big hit in my classroom. I created these before we started our algebra units. Everyone (or at least almost everyone) loves the classic card game War. These games have the same general idea, except that students must solve an equation to get their number for the round. I broke the games down into different types of equations. There is an addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and two-step equation game. The great part is that you can also combine the cards to create an Equation Top-it game that involves different types of equations. I have used these a lot as a center and also during our math intervention time. Here is the link to the Equation Top-it Bundle, but you can also get them separately!

As always, I'd love to hear your comments or ideas that you are using as your math centers!