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How to Make Word Problems More Engaging for Students

Math, Story Problems August 14, 2023

Photo of word problem projected on white board.

Word problems. Just the mention of those two words can make many students break into a cold sweat. These mathematical conundrums have long been a source of frustration and anxiety for learners of all ages. However, as educators, we have the power to transform these intimidating challenges into engaging opportunities for growth and learning.

Word problems are not only integral to mathematics education but also play a crucial role in developing critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and real-life application of mathematical concepts. Yet, all too often, they become a tedious exercise in plugging numbers into formulas, leaving students disenchanted and disconnected from the beauty of mathematics.

The good news is that there are practical strategies and creative approaches we can employ to make word problems more captivating and relevant to our students. By infusing excitement and relevance into these mathematical puzzles, we can foster a genuine interest in problem-solving, encourage active participation, and ultimately empower our students to become confident mathematical thinkers.

In this blog post, we will explore a variety of techniques and approaches to transform the way we present word problems to our students. From incorporating real-world contexts and relatable scenarios to leveraging collaborative learning, we will discover how to make word problems come alive in the classroom. So, let’s dive in and uncover the secrets to making word problems more engaging for our students. Together, we can turn these mathematical challenges into exciting adventures that inspire a lifelong love for learning.

Tip#1 – Use real-life examples

Use word problems that relate to real-life situations that students can relate to. This will help students see the practical applications of math and make it more interesting. I like to bring in real-world examples that fit students’ interests. I also like to bring in word problems from my own experience – at the grocery store, at a restaurant, trying to figure out how many stickers come in the pack, etc.

Tip #2 – Encourage group work

Photo of teacher standing and helping 4 students who are sitting.

Encourage students to work in groups to solve word problems together. This will allow them to discuss their ideas and work collaboratively, which can help them better understand the problem and come up with creative solutions.

Building Thinking Classrooms is a great example of collaborative group work and problem solving. You can learn more about it >>> HERE.

Tip #3 – Provide visual aids

Photo of Subtraction Strategies Anchor Chart.

Use visual aids such as diagrams, charts, and graphs to help students visualize the problem and better understand the concepts involved. I create a lot of math anchor charts with my students, which they can then refer back to during independent work and word problems. Visual aids are great to help students who might need a little assistance getting started or a reminder of strategies they know.

Tip #4 – Students share strategies

When it comes to solving word problems in math, students often employ a wide range of strategies. These strategies should be shared and celebrated in the classroom. By encouraging students to share their approaches, whether it’s using diagrams, creating equations, or employing mental math techniques, we can create a vibrant learning environment where students learn from each other, gain new perspectives, and build confidence in their problem-solving abilities.

Get a Word Problem FREEBIE

I have 3 FREEBIES for you to choose from today! You can grab an Addition, Multiplication, or Elapsed Time Word Problem FREEBIE. You can download one or all three!

FREE Addition Word Problems

FREE Multiplication Word Problems

FREE Elapsed Time Word Problems

For more Word Problem Ideas…

Additional Word Problem Resources:

Math Idea for Introducing Line Plots

Math April 16, 2023

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Line Plots can be a tricky data analysis skill to teach, but to be honest – it’s one of my favorites! The more practice kids get with this math skill the better! Today I’m sharing with you an easy line plot idea you can use with your class!

Line Plot Idea

Photo of Number of Years at Our School Line Plot

As with all graphing standards I love to create graphs with my students and line plots are no exception! I love to use this question for one of our first line plots – How long have you been at our school? Now, depending on your school the data could range. One of the schools I taught at had preschool and pre-k so by 2nd grade some of the students had been there 5 years.

After I pose the question, students can either verbally respond and I’ll chart their answer or they can respond on sticky notes. Sticky notes are a great idea at first because then you can work as a class to organize the data and come up with a good way to sort it (this is where the line plot comes in).

We then set the line plot up based on our numbers and each x represents one student’s answer. After creating this chart, I ask a variety of questions for the students to answer using the data for the line plot.

Here are a few questions I ask…

How many students attended for 1 (2, 3, 4, etc) years?
Which number of years had the most?
Which number of years had the least?
How many students were surveyed?
Did more students attend 2 or 3 years?
How many more/fewer students attended 4 years than 1 year?
How many students attended 2 years or more?

Line Plot Practice

Photo of Line Plot Activity from Team J's Classroom Fun TPT Store

If you are interested in more line plot practice, check out my Line Plot Activities >>> HERE in my TPT store. It includes independent practice, small group practice, a project, differentiated practice, and more!

Line Plot FREEBIE

I have a FREE Line Plot Small Group Practice page for you to grab today! Click HERE for a Line Plot FREEBIE!

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Digit Place – Engaging Place Value Game

Math August 14, 2022

Place value is an important skill in math and one that we practice a lot in the primary grades. Today I’m excited to share with you one of my favorite games that focuses on place value and it’s one you can play all year long!

This game is called Digit Place and this can be played whole group, small group, or with a partner. I recommend playing whole group many times before moving this into a partner game. Digit Place is also a great Morning Meeting Activity and could also be used as a math warm-up or a game to play when you have a few extra minutes.

Digit Place Game Instructions:

Here’s how you play:

You make 3 columns on the white board – Guess | Digits | Place
I also put up numbers 0-9 so we can cross off numbers after we eliminate them – there is a lot of strategy in this game too.
You think of a secret number that the kids will have to figure out – this can be 2-digit, 3-digit, 4-digit, etc – depending on your class’s needs.
Your students will guess a number. *Let’s say my secret number is 352. They guess 201. I will then write their guess in the guess column and write a 1 in the digits and a 0 in the place because they got one of the digits correct (2), but that digit was not in the correct place.
We keep going until we get to the correct number

*This game has some strategy to it too. I will often have students figure out if the guess all of one number it can help us quickly figure out what the 3 digits are. For example, if they guess 999 and I say 0 numbers are correct – then we know 9 isn’t one of the numbers.

Digit Place FREEBIE

Photo of FREE Digit Place Recording Sheet

Grab this FREE Digit Place Recording Sheet printable! This is great for small groups or partners and can be used as a math game in stations once students get the hang of it. Click HERE to get your FREE recording sheet!

Multiplication Math Strategies

Math April 10, 2022

Introducing multiplication to my class is one of my favorite math units to teach! I love giving them opportunities to explore the different multiplication math strategies and then finding the one that works best for them!

Multiplication Math Strategies:

Below you will see four different multiplication math strategies that your students might use. Each student will be in a different spot with their math strategies. For example, some students need the concrete/manipulatives and equal groups will be best for them. Other students might be ready for skip counting or repeated addition. Students can use a variety of strategies and will move through them at different rates when they are ready. I highly recommend letting them explore these strategies first so they understand the concept of multiplication before having them memorize their multiplication facts.

Equal Groups:

Draw out circles for the number of groups that you have. This problem represents 6 groups of 4. Then, in each group put 4 dots. Then, students will count them. Students can count these in a variety of ways. Some students may count by 1s, 2s, 4s. I recommend having them write the number they are on below each circle to help them keep track. After counting by 2’s, the students came to the answer of 24.

Arrays:

Arrays are another great visual strategy. Again this problem represents 6 groups of 4. In terms of arrays, this means 6 rows of 4. So students will draw out 6 rows of 4 using “x’s.” Then students count the total to find the answer of 24.

Repeated Addition:

For repeated addition, students will still need to find the answer for 6 groups of 4. So they start by adding 4 six times. Doubles come into play with this, which can make it easier for students to quickly add up the numbers and come to the answer of 24.

Skip Counting:

For students who are strong with skip counting it can be a great strategy for multiplication. For 6 x4 – students need to skip count 4 six times – 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24.

Multiplication FREEBIE

Grab these FREE Multiplication Word Problem Practice pages for your students! These are great for homework, formative assessments, independent practice, and more! Click HERE to get your FREEBIE!

Extra Multiplication Practice

If you are interested in more multiplication practice for your students, check out my resources below.

Multiplication Practice Worksheets

Differentiated Multiplication Word Problem Worksheets

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January Classroom Ideas

Reading, Math January 1, 2022

Please note Amazon affiliate links are included in this post for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Blog Header for January Classroom Ideas. Photos of Snowmen Book, Free Writing Prompt, Word Activity, and Crumpled paper.

Today I’ll be rounding up a variety of teaching ideas that you can use during the month of January. I will share some engaging books, activities, and a FREEBIE that you can use with your class.

January Book Suggestions:

Photos of 5 January Books - The Mitten, How to Catch a Snowman, Snowmen at Night, Sneezy the Snowman, and Snow Globe Family

Here are five fun books that you can share with your class during the month of January.

January Classroom Ideas for Grouping Students:

Photo of crumpled paper for January Classroom Idea

One of my favorite greetings for Morning Meeting is the Snowball Greeting, which can also be used to help group or partner students. For this snowball activity, each student will need a piece of blank paper and they’ll write their name in the middle of it. Then, students will stand in a circle and crumple their paper up (making it a snowball). Then, you’ll announce snowball fight and students will toss their paper/snowball into the middle of the circle. Students will then go into the middle to grab a snowball (you’ll want to go over expectations for this so it doesn’t turn into chaos). Students will read the name on the snowball they grabbed and that will then be their partner for the activity or discussion. You can also have students continue to do this after each question so they get a different partner to work with each time.

January Resource Suggestions:

Photo of January Slides, Word problem, and making words activity for January Classroom Ideas.

Here are three of my favorite resources to use during the month of January…

January Morning Meeting Activity Slides – You’ll have your entire month of January planned out for Morning Meeting Activities with this easy-to-use resource! Includes activities like Noggle, Word Creator, Story Starter, Quick Draw, and more! Click HERE to grab these for your class.
Winter Word Problems – I love using word problems in the classroom since they hit so many skills (addition, subtraction, strategies, problem solving, and more). These winter themed word problems are great for independent practice, can be used as an Around the Room Activity, and more! Get these word problems HERE for your math students! (Digital and Print and Digital Bundle are also available in my store).
Winter Making Words – Students love this activity and it is perfect for a literacy station! Students cut up the letters and use those letters to make as many words as they can. They also are working to figure out what the mystery word is using all of their letters! Grab it HERE for your class.

January Classroom Ideas FREEBIE:

Photo of Free Writing Prompts with Snowman Prompt - How to Build a Snowman

These FREE Winter Writing Prompts are perfect to use in your classroom during the month of January! This FREEBIE includes 4 different prompts total and cover narrative, opinion, and procedural writing. These engaging prompts are great to use as a writing warm-up, for homework, literacy stations, and more! Grab this FREEBIE >>> HERE.

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Subtraction Math Strategies

Math August 29, 2021

Math has always been one of my favorite subjects to teach. I think one of the main reasons why I enjoy teaching math so much is the variety of strategies that can be used to solve a math problem. After reading this post you’ll learn four different subtraction math strategies that your students could use to help boost their understanding and math problem solving abilities.

Subtraction Math Strategies:

Below you will see four different subtraction math strategies that your students might use. Each student will be in a different spot with their math strategies. For example, some students need the concrete/manipulatives and place value strategy will be best for them. Other students might be really good at breaking numbers apart and using them in different ways – then break apart or expanded might be best for them. With math strategies there is not a one size fits all type of mentality. Students can use a variety of strategies and will move through them at different rates when they are ready.

Place Value Strategy:

Draw out how many there are to start with – 95 Then, take away or cross out how many are being taken away – 56. Start by crossing out the 5 tens for 50. Then, you have 5 ones and you can’t take away 6 from 5 so, take a ten and regroup it into 10 ones. (Circle the ten and change it into the ten ones (dots)). Now, you can take away the 6 ones. Then, count what is left – 10, 20, 30, and 9 more so 39.

Empty Number Line Strategy:

Photo of empty number line subtraction math strategy

First, draw an empty number line. Then, start at the number that you’re beginning with – 95. 95 will go on the right side of the empty number line because you are subtracting so your number will be getting smaller. Then, 56 can be taken away a few different ways. In this example, they first took away 50 and got to 45. Then, took away 5 and got to 40 (friendly number) and one more and got to 39. Students could also take away all 6 ones. The 50 could also be broken down into – 20, 20, 10 – 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 – 30, 20 – 40, 10 – etc.

Break Apart Strategy:

For break apart, leave the first number together since this is the number that you are starting with. Then, break apart the number that you are taking away. So, 56 would break into 50 and 6 (expanded notation). Then, 95 – 50 = 45 and 45 – 6 = 39.

Expanded Form Strategy:

First, change each number into expanded notation. 95 = 90 + 5 and 56 = 50 + 6. Then, subtract the ones from the ones. You can’t take away 6 from 5. So, you take ten from the 90 to add to the ones. When you take ten from the 90, the 90 turns into 80. Then, add the ten you took to your ones 10 + 5 = 15. Now, you can subtract. 15 – 6 = 9 and 80 – 50 = 30. Then put the numbers back together 30 + 9 = 39.

Subtraction Practice:

Photo of subtraction word problem resource

If you’re looking for some subtraction practice pages for your students to practice these strategies – I have worksheets already created for you. Best part is – they are differentiated into 3 levels! These Subtraction Word Problem Printables are great for independent practice, homework, formative assessments, and more. Check them out here >>> Subtraction Differentiated Word Problem Worksheets.

If you are interested in learning about Addition Math Strategies, check out my blog post>>>HERE.

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Addition Math Strategies

Math August 16, 2021

Blog header with photo of addition math strategy.

Math has always been one of my favorite subjects to teach. I think one of the main reasons why I enjoy teaching math so much is the variety of strategies that can be used to solve a math problem. After reading this post you’ll learn four different addition math strategies that your students could use to help boost their understanding and math problem solving abilities.

Variety of Math Strategies:

While in math there is typically one right answer – there are many different ways you can get there. When I was in school I was good at math and got the right answer, but had no idea how or why. For addition, my teacher taught me one way – with carrying over and I did and I got the answer. But, I didn’t really understand the “why” behind the math. What I love about teaching math now is we let kids figure it out for themselves. We give kids a chance to explore multiple strategies and find the right one for them. There is no more one size fits all. I wish I had learned math this way when I was younger (and please know I’m not faulting my past teachers – this is just the way it was taught then).

Addition Math Strategies:

Below you will see four different addition math strategies that your students might use. Each student will be in a different spot with their math strategies. For example, some students need the concrete/manipulatives and place value strategy will be best for them. Other students might be really good at breaking numbers apart and using them in different ways – then break apart or expanded might be best for them.

Students can also move through the strategies. One student might start with place value strategy, but as they become more comfortable in math they then move on to empty number line or one of the others. Students aren’t pigeon holed into their strategy. Think of it almost like a buffet where they can try the different strategies and see which one works best for them.

Place Value Strategy:

Example of place value addition math strategy. Students use base-10 blocks to solve the problem.

Start by drawing out the place value model using base 10 blocks for each number. Students would draw 3 tens sticks and 9 ones dots to represent 39 and then below 2 tens sticks and 8 ones dots to represent 28. Then, count the ones. There are 17 ones. Since there are more than 10, you would regroup. Circle the ten ones and draw an arrow to the new ten that you made over in the tens area. Then count up your tens (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) and 7 ones and your answer will be 67.

Empty Number Line Strategy:

For empty number line strategy you start with an empty line. Students have a choice and can either start at 39 or 28. This is a great learning opportunity to talk about what is more efficient. It would be easier to count up 28 then 39. So on the left side of the number line, place the number 39. Then, for counting there are multiple options. We want to avoid students counting all 28 by ones so they can break it into tens and ones. Some students might start at 39 and jump 10 to 49 and 10 to 59 and then count up 8 ones to get to 67. Some students might start at 39 and jump 20 to 59 and then 8 ones to get to 67. There are multiple ways students can use the number line to help them solve the problem.

Break Apart Strategy:

Photo of break apart addition math strategy.

For the break apart strategy it is just what it sounds like – students are going to break the numbers apart into tens and ones. 39 breaks into 30 and 9. 28 breaks into 20 and 8. Students will then add 30 and 20 and get 50. Then, add 9 and 8 and get 17. Then they’ll add 50 and 17 to get 67.

Expanded Form Strategy:

Photo of expanded form addition math strategy.

This is one of my favorite strategies and it is very similar to the break apart strategy. Students will start by writing both numbers in expanded form. 39 expands to 30 + 9 and 28 expands to 20 + 8. These numbers will be written vertically on top of each other (ones on top of ones, tens on top of tens). Then students add straight down. 9 + 8 = 17. The student will write down 7 in the ones spot and then move the 10 up to the 10s spot. Then add 10 + 30 + 20 = 60. Then, put the numbers back together 60 + 7 = 67.

Addition Practice FREEBIE:

Grab a FREE set of Differentiated Addition Word Problems for your students to use to practice their addition strategies. Click HERE for your FREEBIE!

Even More Addition Practice:

Photo of 3 addition word problem worksheets.

If you’re looking for some addition practice pages for your students to practice these strategies – I have worksheets already created for you. Best part is – they are differentiated into 3 levels! These Addition Word Problem Printables are great for independent practice, homework, formative assessments, and more. Check them out here >>> Addition Differentiated Word Problem Worksheets.

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8 Ideas for Teaching Place Value

Math, Math Stations July 26, 2021

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This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

Place value is an important foundation skill for all students to master. It sets them up for success as they continue their journey through mathematics. After reading this post, you’ll have 8 ideas for teaching place value.

#1 – Place Value Books

I love using books to introduce new math topics! Here are a few of my favorites books to use when teaching place value.

Place Value by David A. Adler

Picture of Place Value book cover. Monkeys holding numbers above their head.

A Place for Zero by Angeline Sparagna LoPresti

Picture of book cover for A Place for Zero.

Earth Day – Hooray by Stuart Murphy

Picture of book cover for Earth Day Hooray

How Much is a Million by David M. Schwartz

Picture of book cover for How Much is a Million

#2 – Manipulatives

Manipulatives are so important for students to use when building math skills. Place value is no exception! I always have base-10 blocks on hand for my students to use when we are working on place value and other math skills. The blocks are very popular and some people also like using the place value discs to model different numbers.

#3 – Shorthand Base-10 Trick

In addition to using manipulatives, I like to have my students draw out their base-10 or place value model for numbers. But, I don’t like them to spend hours trying to draw the ones, tens, hundreds, etc. Many of them like to try to draw each teeny tiny square within the hundreds block – we don’t have time for that lol. So below in the picture you’ll see the short hand I teach them. This is much more efficient. Students draw a dot for ones, a stick for tens, a square for hundreds, and a square with a “th” in the middle for thousands.

Photo of short hand for place value blocks.

#4 – Food

Who doesn’t love food? We all know students are more engaged when food is involved. Base-10 blocks and drawings are great, but you can also incorporate food into the mix. Students can represent numbers using Saltine crackers for the hundreds, pretzel sticks for the tens, and M&Ms or some kind of round candy for the ones. And of course when they are done they can have a taste of their work!

Picture of saltine cracker, pretzel stick, and M&Ms.

#5 – Teaching Place Value Anchor Charts

I use anchor charts for all math topics including place value. I like to create my anchor charts with my students so they are more engaged and part of the creation process which makes them more likely to refer back to it later. After we create our charts, I hang them where they can see them so they can refer back to them as needed. Here are a few examples of ones I’ve created…

#6 – Differentiate Practice and Homework + FREEBIE

Students will need opportunities to practice and demonstrate their understanding of place value. I like to use these differentiated worksheets for independent practice, homework, and formative assessments! My classes typically have multiple levels of students and these worksheets are differentiated into 3 levels so I can meet the needs of all of my students! These worksheets are available in my TPT store>>> HERE.

You can also check out a FREE sample >>> HERE.

#7 – Place Value Activities + FREE Game

I love using a variety of place value activities during my math rotations or stations. These activities are still focused on the standards, but provide opportunities for kids to move around and work with a partner.

Here are a few options:

Great for Around the Room or Scoot –

Expand It – Practice using expanded notation

Write It – Practice writing numbers in standard form from word form

Place Value Around the Room Task Cards – great review of a variety of place value skills

Partner Opportunities:

Read It – Students can practice reading the numbers to each other – this could also be done chorally whole group

Show Me the Number – This activity is great for kids to use the base-10 blocks to build the numbers. 2- and 3-Digit Numbers

3- and 4-Digit Numbers

FREE GAME:

Roll and Compare – Students can practice comparing 2-, 3-, or 4-digit numbers using comparison symbols. This game is great to play during rotations or stations.

You could also save 20% by grabbing all of the Place Value Activities in my Place Value Bundle.

#8 – Digit Place

This is one of my favorite games to play with my students when I am teaching place value. This game can be played whole group – it’s great for a math warm-up or a Morning Meeting Activity and could eventually be played with partners once students get the hang of it.

Here’s how you play:

You make 3 columns on the white board – Guess | Digits | Place
I also put up numbers 0-9 so we can cross off numbers after we eliminate them – there is a lot of strategy in this game too.
You think of a secret number that the kids will have to figure out – this can be 2-digit, 3-digit, 4-digit, etc – depending on your class’s needs.
Your students will guess a number. *Let’s say my secret number is 352. They guess 201. I will then write their guess in the guess column and write a 1 in the digits and a 0 in the place because they got one of the digits correct (2), but that digit was not in the correct place.
We keep going until we get to the correct number

Photo of Digit Place Game for Teaching Place Value Ideas

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Math Rotations Round-Up

Math April 17, 2021

Blog header for Math Rotations Round-Up showing management board.

Math Rotations have easily become my favorite way to teach math! With rotations I am better able to meet the needs of all of my learners, provide practice and review, and continue to teach the same standards in differentiated ways.

I have written multiple blog posts on this topic over the years and wanted to share them with you in one spot so everything will be easy to find.

Math Rotations Blog Posts

The Why Behind Math Rotations – Great background information to see the various benefits of using rotations in your classroom.
Math Rotation Groups – Tips for how to create your groups so that your math block will run smoothly. Includes how I group the students, the number of groups I use, and how I keep the groups flexible to meet my students needs.
Initial Set-Up – In this post, you’ll learn how I set-up, plan, and start Math Rotations in the classroom.
Mini-Lessons – Ideas and tips for mini-lessons to use at the beginning of your math session.
Management Tips – Tips and ideas for how to make sure your rotations run smoothly so you are able to focus on your small groups.
Teacher Time Ideas – In this post, you’ll see a variety of ideas for what you can do with your students when they come to you for the teacher/small group instruction part of the math rotation.
Seat Work Ideas – Ideas for what your students can work on independently during the rotations while you are pulling small groups and students are completing the other parts of the rotation.
Tech Time Ideas – Different apps and websites that you can use during your math time.
Game/Activity Ideas – Engaging activities and games for students to work on individually, with a partner, or with a small group during one of the rotations.
Math Rotations Wrap-Up – A few last minute tips and ideas for resources that can be used during your rotations.

FREE Math Rotations Planner

Photo of Math Rotation Planning Page for teachers to use to plan out their math block.

Math Rotations can seem a little overwhelming at first especially when you are trying to differentiated to meet the needs of all of your students. To help make this easier, I’ve created this digital or printable planning sheet that you can use to plan out your whole rotation for the day – standards, mini-lesson, rotation activities, and differentiated small group activities. This is a FREEBIE that you can sign up for HERE. Happy math planning!

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Fun Review Games for the Classroom

Math, Language, Reading November 11, 2019

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Reviewing content does not have to be boring! Reviewing is necessary and to make it more meaningful we need to make it engaging and fun! Check out five ideas below for fun review games you could use in your classroom. (These games are mainly math focused, but you could use them for any subject matter).

Connect 4 Review Game

I got this idea from Candance (@themeaningfulmiddle on IG). Connect 4 is always a fun game and it can be used to review any type of content! I’ve used it in math and to review classroom expectations. This game can get very competitive and it’s fun to see the different strategies the teams use to win.

To play…

Divide your students up into teams. I typically put 4-5 students on each team.
Each team gets a different color pad of sticky notes. This is where they write their answers.
Create any type of questions (Math, ELA, Grammar. Social Studies, Science, etc). I project these on my Smart Board. This photo is an example from a first grade math review. (This is done ahead a time).
Students will work with their team to answer the question and place their sticky note on the board. The goal is to try to connect 4 horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Students may also place their sticky note in a way that blocks others from connecting 4.
Once a team has connected 4, I draw a line through the four and give the team a point. The team with the most points at the end wins!

This game may get a little rowdy, but they have tons of fun and they are reviewing content all at the same time!

Crack the Code

I created Crack the Code last year as a way to review math content. This game works well with math because the hidden message is uncovered through numbers. You could always use this with different content areas too.

To play…

Create your hidden message. I often make it a fun reward like (YOU GET EXTRA TIME AT RECESS) or something with a special treat.

Then, you create the questions. I typically create around 20. You just want to make sure you have enough to cover all of the letters.

The hidden message is put up on a white board (as seen in the first picture) and I normally show the actual content questions on my Smart Board.

The questions then align to the numbers which help them crack the code. For example, the problem 8 + 7 = ___. Students will get 15 as their answer which corresponds to A. You then fill in the letter A in the 15 number spot of the hidden message.

For students, I have them use white boards for this game. This way each child is engaged and participating. Students will respond on their white boards and then show their answers. We will then discuss, put the letter in the correct spot, and move on to the next question.

Once all of the questions are answered, the hidden message is complete and the kids will find out what it says.

Basketball Review Game

Basketball room transformation. The basketball hoop baskets on the tables are used for the game.

This review game came to be because it tied in perfectly with my basketball room transformation during March Madness!

To play…

Divide your students up into teams. I typically put 3-4 students on each team.
Each team gets a white board to respond to the questions.
Create any type of questions (Math, ELA, Grammar. Social Studies, Science, etc). I project these on my Smart Board. (This is done ahead a time).
Students will work with their team to answer the question. Once each group has answered any team who has the correct answer gets a chance to shoot a basket. (I gave a clear rotation for this so students knew the order and everyone got equal turns).
The basketball shooter would come up to the carpet with one of my tiny basketballs (foam or small ones) and would shoot it into the basketball Easter basket (you can see these on the students tables). If they got the ball in the basket, then their team earned a point. The team with the most points at the end – wins!
I didn’t get very clear pictures of this game, but you can see the basketball hoops used in the photo above!

Horseshoes Review Game

This review game came to be because it tied in perfectly with our Rodeo Day in February and my rodeo room transformation!

To play…

Divide your students up into teams. I divided the class up into two teams.
Each team gets a white board to respond to the questions.
Create any type of questions (Math, ELA, Grammar. Social Studies, Science, etc). I project these on my Smart Board. (This is done ahead a time). You can see an example at the bottom of this paragraph.
Students will work with their team to answer the question. Once each group has answered any team who has the correct answer gets a chance to toss the horseshoe. (I gave a clear rotation for this so students knew the order and everyone got equal turns).
The student would come up to the carpet to throw the horseshoe. If they got it around the pole then their team earned a point (see picture above). The team with the most points at the end – wins! I got my horseshoe game at Amazon.

Review questions for finding the rule and the missing numbers.

Saran Wrap Game

I know this game is often played as a holiday game at Christmas time, but it also works well as a review game!

To play:

Teacher sets up the saran wrap ball ahead of time. I included 16 review questions so I had 4 different colors and a total of 16 unifix cubes. I used blue, yellow, green, and orange and had paper that color coordinated.
Then, set up the review problems. I used a simple table and made sure the paper color coordinated to the colors in the saran wrap ball.
Students are each given their own review packet and each group is given a saran wrap ball. I had my students work in groups of 3-4.
One student unravels the saran wrap ball until a cube pops out. If it’s a yellow cube then everyone solves one problem on the yellow page.
This continues until all of the cubes are unwrapped and all of the problems are solved.
During the activity, I would go around to check for understanding and assist as needed while the students were solving the problems.

I hope this ideas are helpful and can make your review time more engaging. I know my students and I both enjoy these games and they definitely are more fun than a boring review packet.

Long Pin for Fun Review Games for the Classroom

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