Free Pi Day Challenge and a Freebie Bundle!

It has been a busy end to the quarter in 6th grade math. We are close to wrapping up our three units focused on algebra, we STAR tested this week, and had our annual end of semester middle school field trip to reward students for all of their hard work! It seemed like a good morning to get out this awesome new coffee mug I got for Christmas and get back to the blog!

I recently put together a new Free Pi Day Challenge activity and a Freebie Bundle in my TpT store, which will be the focus here today! The Pi Day Challenge is brand new to my store (although I have done it for a few years now in my classroom) and the Freebie Bundle is just a combination of all of the free products in my store. I hope you can find a use for some of them with your students!

With Pi Day right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to share this fun challenge! It's pretty basic, but there is a ton of math involved and it has proven to be really engaging for students. I usually start Pi Day by reading the book Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi, written by Cindy Neuschwander. It really is a great book that shows how pi is found - which is by dividing the circumference of a circle by its diameter!

In this challenge, students do exactly that! The activity includes four circles of difference sizes. I make a bunch of copies of each of the sizes. Students, in partners or individually, must pick a circle to use for the challenge. Once a circle is picked, they grab some yarn and a ruler. The challenge is to measure the circumference of the circle (using the yarn as picture below), measure the diameter using their ruler, divide, and see which group can get the closest to 3.141592...! After doing this for a few years now, here are a few tips. First, depending on your class, you may want to review measurements and the fractional parts in between each inch or centimeter. They will want to be as exact as possible and don't want to become frustrated if they don't understand how to measure their dimensions accurately! Second, when measuring the circumference, you don't want to pull the string too tight when straightening it out. You want to straighten it out (so you can measure it), without pulling it too tight and adding extra length that isn't actually a part of the circumference!

After creating this free challenge, I thought it would be convenient to throw all of my free products into one Ultimate Freebie Bundle! Most of these have been available for some time now, but now they are all in one place. This bundle will also be updated every time I add a new free product to my store. Here is a quick snapshot of everything that is included!

1. Math Task Cards (Decimals and Exponents)
This is one of my more recent freebies! These task cards are a simple version of my Math Enrichment task cards. This is the first unit, which is up for free in my store. A full-year bundle is also available, which includes all 12 units!

2. Math Enrichment Task Cards (Decimals and Exponents)
These are the task cards I mentioned above! These are great for students who are catching on to a concept quickly and need a challenge! This unit, focused on decimals and exponents, is free. Again, a full-year bundle is also available!

3. Challenge of the Week Problems
Here is the full-year set of my Challenge of the Week problems for 6th grade math! If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen some of these (@middleschoolmathman)! These are optional for students to try each week and I give a small prize to any correct answers.

4. Connect Four: Multiplying Decimals
This Connect Four game is the first of fourteen Connect Four games in my store. These have been extremely useful this year, especially during my math intervention time to use as a review. They also work great as math centers! If you are interested in the full set of Connect Four games you can find them here!

5. Equation Memory: Addition Equations
This Equation Memory game helps students practice solving addition equations. On their turn, students flip over two cards and are trying to match the equation to its solution. Another fun one for review or as a math center! An Equation Memory Bundle is also available in my store, which also includes subtraction equations, multiplication equations, division equations, two-step equations, and inequalities!

6. Math Curse Challenge
Fun and easy to prep challenge if you have a copy of the book Math Curse. Students must try to answer some of the crazy and wacky math problems from the book!

7. Scavenger Hunt (Number System)
I started using scavenger hunts as a way to review towards the end of last year and am mad at myself for not doing them sooner! This one focuses on the number system (including multiplying/dividing decimals and fractions, exponents, and more). I also have several more scavenger hunts available for purchase as a part of my Scavenger Hunt Bundle!

8. Blueprint Project
Lesson plans for this architectural blueprint project I do each year with my students! They must design a dream house or building on grid paper and then enlarge it (to scale) onto the poster board. They always have a lot of fun with this one!

9. Percent Scramble
Percent Scramble is a fun and easy to prep math game that helps students practice finding the percent of a number... with some friendly competition of course! They must flip over a percent card and a whole number card. Once they find that percent of their number, they record their score for the round!

10. Pi Day Challenge
Check out the start of this post! :)

I hope you can all find a use for some of these activities in your classroom! I intend to update the Freebie Bundle every time I get a new free product up in my store, so make sure you stay tuned! Enjoy the weekend everybody!
 

Math Task Cards and the Teacher Center

Well, it took a little bit longer than I expected, but my new Math Task Cards are finally all finished and ready to go! Last year, I created a full-year set of Enrichment Task Cards, pictured below, to use at my Teacher Center during my 6th grade math workshop. I found these enrichment problems extremely useful and engaging for any of my students who grasped the basic concept quickly and needed a challenge.

What I didn't have, was a good method to display/give the more basic problems to these students - the problems that I use to determine if each students understands the basic concept. I had tried writing them on the board behind me and writing them on a mini-white board and holding it... both of which were annoying and sucked a lot of prep time out of my day (having to think of and write these problems every day!). That's when I decided to start making a set of more basic task cards (as opposed to my Enrichment Task Cards) for my students to use. That way I could give them the basic task card to work on first and if they finished that one easily, I could hand them the enrichment task card. Just recently, I finished up all twelve sixth grade math units and included them all in my Math Task Cards Full-Year Bundle. So far, it has worked out great! Here is a shot of the cards set out and ready for my students!

I love how convenient and easy to distribute these cards are. Although it takes a little extra time, I usually try to cut, round the corners (with a corner rounder from Target), and laminate my copies. Since I use them within the math workshop structure, I only need six copies of each - since my largest group has six students. I have found the extra step of laminating, as you teachers all know well, saves a lot of time in the long run! By the way, if you are curious about the dry-erase table... be sure to check out my post about how I turned my front table into this fun classroom work space!

Here is another shot of these task cards up close. The topics span a whole range of math concepts... multiplying/dividing decimals and fractions, ratios, percents, algebraic expressions, equations, geometry, probability, and more! I use these with my 6th graders, but they could also be used in 5th or 7th grade for different students. If you are curious about the level of the cards, I would recommend checking out my first unit for free, which focuses on decimals and exponents!

*Update: With my transition to teaching 8th grade math, in addition to 6th grade, I created task cards for 8th grade math as well! You can check out the two full-year sets at the following links!

8th Grade Math Task Cards Full Year Bundle

8th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Full Year Bundle

I hope you all have a great second half of the year!

Dry Erase Table Update...3 months later

I thought it is about time I give some updates on the biggest change to my classroom this year...our new dry erase table! Earlier this school year, I wrote about the process of turning my front table into a giant dry erase board for students to use during our 6th grade math workshop. Click HERE for that linnk. A can of primer and dry erase paint later, here is what the initial result was... a brand new (and shiny!) table.

The students have absolutely loved using the table. We used it almost every single day during our math workshop at the "Teacher Center." At this center, I give students 3-4 problems to try and I can help as needed. I recently began creating task cards of these problems (I was tired of holding up the problems on a white board!). Click HERE for a free copy of the decimal and exponent problems (and check out my store for other units - more are still in the works!). If students fly through these initial problems, then I give them an enrichment task card that is focused on whatever math concept we are learning. A full set of these enrichment task cards has been available in my TpT store for a while - if you are interested in a copy click this link: Math Enrichment Task Cards. The dry erase table has been perfect for students to use as we complete these problems. I can easily check to see if they are on the right track as they work!

My biggest concern with the table going in was how it would hold up. I bought the cheapest dry erase paint from Home Depot... I think it was about $20 if I remember correctly. I'd say on a scale of 1-10, I would give it about a 7.5 as far as its condition after three months. This is after pretty heavy use I might add. Each spot on the table gets used by 12 groups a day, which means 12 students per spot. Each of those students is doing approximately 5 problems each day at that spot. That adds up to each spot being used and erased about 60 times per day! Here is what the table currently looks like.

It's a little tough to see with the glare, but the heavily used spots are definitely not perfectly white anymore... but honestly, this doesn't really bother me. For how much students enjoy using it and how convenient it is to use during math workshop, it is definitely worth it. Other than it not being perfectly shiny, the only other minor issue has been a few small chips or cracks in the paint. I am considering putting on a fresh coat of the dry erase paint over winter break, although it wouldn't be necessary. So what's my opinion on how the table is working? Even though it isn't a perfect white (I was never expecting it to stay that way!) and there are a few small cracks in the paint, I am happy with how it has worked in my classroom and would 100% do it again.

Here are a few more shots of the table in action! If you have questions about the table, let me know in the comments!

1,000 Follower Sale!

It is time for a sale! I recently reached 1,000 followers on TpT! As a thank you, I will be throwing a 20% off sale on Thursday and Friday this week! If you are already following, be sure to check your Teachers Pay Teachers Inbox for a freebie that I sent earlier this week! Most of my activities and resources are geared towards upper elementary and middle school math.

The sale includes EVERYTHING, including all of my bundles. I encourage you to take a look around everything in my store, but I thought I'd highlight a few of my bigger bundles here that you can save big on!

First off are these Math Enrichment Task Cards! I use these during math workshop with any of my students that show they have a solid understanding of whatever topic we are learning about. These could also be used as a center in themselves or for students who get done with their work early! They cover a ton of different topics that would work well for advanced 5th and 6th grade students.

Also included are these Math Brain Busters. I recently discovered a new storage system for them that was really easy and really effective! Just a few tacks and they were ready to go! The full bundle includes 675 questions relating to all of the 6th grade math Common Core Standards.

One of my most recent products are these math sorts. These have been very engaging for my sixth grade students. They must sort the cards based on their answers. Once sorted, they flip over the cards and must unscramble the fun words on the back. These are great as centers, for groups done early, or as a planned group activity as a whole class. Lots of different upper elementary and middle school topics are included!

The majority of my products can be purchased at a big discount as a part of my Math Mega Bundle. Right now, the only products not included are the Math Sort activities and my newest Fractions, Decimals, and Percents Memory game. Everything else is a part of this Mega Bundle.

Anyways, I hope you are all off to a wonderful beginning to the school year! If you have any questions about any of the products or sale, comment below and I will be sure to get back to you!

Math Mega Bundle (For Upper Elementary/Middle School Math)

Wow...can't believe we already are four weeks into our school year, but things are off to a great start in sixth grade math! We recently finished up our first unit, which focused on multiplying/dividing decimals and solving problems with exponents. As I am sitting here grading tests (and watching college football pregame of course...) I am excited about how well the sixth graders are doing with our first unit! This year, I have been able to incorporate a lot of my new math games and activities into our math workshop. I was recently able to combine my math resources into one, huge, discounted bundle! In this post, I wanted to highlight and give a preview to some of the bundles included in this Mega Math Bundle!

First up are these Math Enrichment Task Cards. I created these task cards to challenge my students who quickly understood whatever concept we were learning about. The bundle includes 1-3 challenging problems for 87 different lessons, ranging from geometry to algebra (and everything in between!). All in all, the bundle includes 162 of these enrichment questions. Students love the challenge and it has really helped my higher students continue to grow (and not get bored!). I created them for sixth grade math, but have gotten a lot of feedback from fifth grade teachers who have found them useful as well! I personally use them at my front table during math workshop (at our Teacher Center), but they could easily be used in a lot of other ways!

Another fun bundle that is included in this Mega Math Bundle are my Math Brain Busters. This bundle includes six different Brain Buster sets. I created one set of Brain Busters that relate to five of the Common Core standards for sixth grade math and one additional variety set. With these problems, I enjoy how students are able to self check their work. They read and solve the problems on the front of each card and can then check their answers on the back. I have also found that students enjoy the format of these Brain Buster sets. I have used these in several different ways in my classroom...as a math center, for students who finish work early, and with my math intervention groups. If you combine all six sets, this bundle includes 675 problems for students to solve!

One of my newest bundles is this Connect Four Bundle. I just recently used my Connect Four: Multiplying Decimals game and the students really enjoy playing. For 14 different topics that my students study throughout the year, I created a Connect Four game. In the game, students solve problems and then cover up that answer on their board. The first person to connect four in a row wins! Each of the 14 games include six game boards and sixteen problem cards. This is a great one to use as a math center or use with intervention groups!

Another math game that comes in handy as a math center once we move into our algebra units are these Equation Top-it games. Every time we did any math activity with a deck of cards, I always had students asking if they could play the card game War. This gave me the idea to make a math game that incorporates the rules of War, only math related. In this game, students divide up the equation cards evenly. After each flipping over a card, they must solve the equation on the card. Whoever has the greatest solution gets both of the cards and adds them to their deck. This bundle includes sets for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and two-step equations! Also, each of the five sets includes a beginner and difficult set to help differentiate. I usually have my students start with the beginner set and then have the difficult set ready to go if it seems too easy! This is a game that makes solving equations fun! I have used this as a math center, in partners (as a whole class), and in my math intervention group.

Next up...BINGO! The three bingo games that are included in my Math Bingo Bundle were a some of the first math games I made when I began teaching. I still use these quite often as a way to practice basic facts, multiplying negative numbers, and squares/square roots! The bundle includes three bingo games...Multiplication Bingo, Negative Number Bingo, and Squares and Roots Bingo. Each set includes 30 unique game boards and calling cards. The Multiplication Bingo is a great one for students who are still in the process of mastering their basic multiplication facts. I usually start the year playing Multiplication Bingo, then begin incorporating Negative Number Bingo and Squares and Roots Bingo as my students begin to really master their basic facts.

For the first time last school year, I tried doing a math scavenger hunt with my students. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous about how they would handle it and how it would go. Turns out, it was extremely engaging! For whatever reason, the idea of a scavenger hunt was all it took to help motivate ALL of my students. I had several students asking why we couldn't do one every day! What is really great about these is it gets the students up and moving around the room. My Math Scavenger Hunt Bundle includes 7 different scavenger hunts. Each includes twelve problems that are posted around the room. Once a student solves a problem, they must walk around and find that answer on the top of their next problem.

These are just some of the math resources that are included in my Math Mega Bundle. There are several more that I didn't highlight in this post (Math Jeopardy games, a Stock Market Challenge, flash cards, a fun probability activity, and more!). I also included all of my free products from my store! I encourage you to head over to my Math Mega Bundle and take a look at everything that is included in its description.

Creating My Dry-Erase Table for Math Workshop!

Well, it's official. I finally gathered up the courage to do something I have been thinking about for a while...creating my own Dry-Erase table for my 6th grade math workshop! Previously, my students had been using some old white boards (the ones on the table below) during our teacher center. Towards the end of last year, these boards started to peel, break, and turn every color BUT white. That is about the time I started to see pictures of white board tables floating around the internet, and last weekend I finally decided to give it a try. Here is the table I started with. It was a very dark brown and had a very smooth surface.

My first step, was to prime the table. My table was such a dark table to begin with, I thought this was necessary. I wanted to make sure that if I was going to try this project that it turned out, so I decided to take the extra step of priming it. If the table was white or a lighter color to begin with, then I maybe would have considered skipping the primer. I didn't end up sanding the table at all (I actually didn't think of it until it was too late!). I used a bunch of Frogtape to line the side of the table so that it wouldn't get any primer or paint on it. Here is a shot of the table halfway through the primer! I used a few coats of the KILZ 2 Latex Primer.

After getting the primer on, I went home and gave it about 24 hours to dry. When I came back, I got out the dry-erase paint kit I purchased. For about $20, I bought the Rust-Oleum Dry Erase Paint. I was a little skeptical going in, since this was the "cheap" option and I had read some not so great reviews of the paint. I followed the directions on the box, giving the table two coats of the dry erase paint. I used a foam roller that was designed to paint a smooth surface. Once you mix the paint together, you only have an hour to use the paint. I did one coat, let it dry for about 25 minutes, and then added the second coat. It was as easy as that! The toughest part was waiting the three days before trying it out! Here are a few pictures of the whole process!

I am making sure that I test out all of my markers on a different white board before using it on the table. For some reason, my green Expo markers always have a tough time erasing, so I am making sure I don't use those. My sixth grade students were beyond excited when I showed them the table! Since we haven't gotten into our math workshop rotations yet this school year, they haven't had a chance to try it out yet...but we are looking forward to it this week! Not only will it be fun for students to use, but it is also great from my perspective, since I can easily see all of the work that they are doing during our teacher center!

Update: I am now in year two of using the white board table! Students love working on it. After three months of use last year, I posted this update about how it was holding up. Click the link below to see how it held up after three months of heavy use!

Dry Erase Table Update... 3 Months Later