I'm so excited - tomorrow is the TpT back to school sale! I already have $140 worth of products in my cart, so I'm ready to check out first thing tomorrow morning! :)
I have spent this summer working on some math activities for next year, and today I managed to get two of them up in my store. These are "algebra" stations for elementary students (my second graders are always so impressed with themselves when I say we're going to do some algebra today!). As teachers, we call it Operations and Algebraic Thinking, but what do we know. ;)
One of my favorite ways to keep things hopping during "routine math practice" activities is to create stations. I've been using the idea of stations since my very first year teaching 22 years ago: I remember sending my kids around to measure whatever object I had placed by each station number. Now, of course, things are a little more fancy.
So I have two resources in this series up in my store as of this evening: Level 1, which uses addition and subtraction facts to 20, and Level 2, which uses two-digit numbers. Here's a peek at Level 1:
First, students get an answer paper. There are sixteen of these. Here's page 1 from Set 1:
Next, students get out of their seats (and see, right there, you've upped the interest level!) and go to each station to write down the station number. Here are the first six stations in Set 1:
At each station, children write the station number in the top blank to make an equation. So now, for A, their equation reads "1 + ? = 7" and they can write "6" in the answer space. Then they move to B, write a 2 on the top blank, and determine the answer (3 = 2 + 1).
Here's the part I like: you get to use these station numbers, Set 1, FOUR times. There are four different student pages that use those cards. Less printing with color ink!
Or you could use the black and white version of the station cards that is provided.
Or you could just display that page of the pdf on your screen, have the kids fill in those six station numbers, and work through one row at a time together, with partners, as a warmup each morning for a week . . .
So many choices! ;)
And when you're ready, you move on to Set 2:
and to the Set 2 student papers:
See how the station letters on the student pages match the letters on the station number cards? Yeah, somebody had fun with fonts. ;)
But maybe you teach third or fourth grade and this is too simple. The first week of school might be a good time to review two-digit equations instead of basic facts, so you'll want Level 2:
Level 2 has its own FOUR sets of station cards, like this one:
with corresponding student pages (front and back this time, so they have some room to show their work - or to figure out the answers!):
Oh, and everything comes with an answer key:
Again, four sets of station numbers, with four student pages for each set. Yes, 480 equations - and they're all unique. There are no duplicates in Level 2; students will solve "65 = 21 + 44" (station DD above) but will not encounter the other equations in that "family":
- 65 = 44 + 21
- 21 + 44 = 65
- 44 + 21 = 65
- 65 - 21 = 44
- 65 - 44 = 21
- 44 = 65 - 21
- 21 = 65 - 44
Every equation is different. And yes, I kept track. And yes, that got a little time-consuming by the end of Set 4. ;)
I'm still working on Level 3, which will be three-digit numbers.
Then comes Level 4, multiplication and division facts (I'm really excited about that one because a teacher in my school asked for it when she saw my kids working on a level 2 page the last week of school!).
And eventually, I'll make a "Second Grade bundle" (levels 1-3, because we don't multiply in second grade in my district) and a "Complete bundle" (levels 1-4 for you folks who do it all).
Shall we take bets on whether or not I'll manage to get these all done before I go back to school in three weeks? :)
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