I keep seeing the same questions posted over and over again on social media about the last day of school.
“What do I do now that state testing is over?”
“How do I keep my students engaged in learning til the end of the year?”
And, “Oh my gosh! My kids are going crazy. What do I do with them?”
The answer to all three questions is the same – PLAY!
We have the perfect math bingo games to keep your kids learning by playing.
Games
When my students hear the words, “Let’s play a game,” they could be thinking: basketball, dodgeball, or even tag in the classroom? They might even be a little disappointed when they find out that I don’t have video games in mind. But, when I pull out the Bingo cards and the prize or prizes that I have up for grabs their interest is instantly piqued, especially on the last day of school.
History
I’ve been teaching fourth grade for over 16 years. My students are no different than any other group of upper elementary students and I know exactly what to expect. The day after our state mandated tests are over my students will enter the room and ask, “Now what are we going to do?” While my curriculum director, principal, and instructional specialist are insistent that I continue on with math instruction, they don’t mandate how it needs to be done.
So, I tell my students, “Today we’re going to play!” And that’s exactly what we do!
It was Albert Einstein that told us
“Play is the highest form of Research.”
So, let’s let our students play!
What to do on the last day of school
On the day after state testing, we’ll play Division with Remainders Bingo. I project either a model of division or simply the equation. My students will focus intently on their computations and check their work twice to avoid making a mistake just to find that quotient on their Bingo card. The next day during our Area/Perimeter Bingo game, they’ll add and multiply to find area or perimeter and subtract and divide to find the length of a missing side. And year after year, I watch a classroom full of fourth graders complete 25-30 equations all while they are ‘playing’ Double Digit Multiplication Bingo.
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This young man thinks he is playing a game, while in fact he is reviewing what he’s learned about numerators, denominators, parts of a whole and parts of a group!
I use prizes to motivate students to do their best throughout the school year, but Bingo games add another level of determination. Each student has a different card and an equal opportunity to defeat his or her classmates, so being the smartest or the fastest doesn’t necessarily guarantee a win! Therefore, all of my students are more motivated to do all the math problems. That’s a WIN for all of us!
Can you believe this?
Speaking of a win for everyone – math Bingo games are now easily accessible for everyone and at such a great price. This is how I used to have to purchase a bingo game for my class. $12.99 for each different game. I couldn’t afford them all.
Area and Perimeter Bingo was the first Bingo game that I created. I needed an exciting way for my students to review what they’d learned about area and perimeter and I needed it to be cost effective. A variety of questions and lots of bright colors will keep your students actively involved in their own academic advancement!
So when your students are driving you crazy at the end of the school year, don’t be afraid to let them ‘play!’ You may be surprised at just how much work they get done! And I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out that they will leave your classroom asking the same question that mine will inevitably be asking. And that is, “Can we do this again tomorrow?”
Very First Product
This is the first product that I ever created as The Teacher Down the Hall. It is a great game for students to play after being taught the steps to multiply 2 digit numbers. I have seen students complete over 40 multiplication problems in a single setting just to get to play! I’ve also seen a 10 year old teach another student, who was absent on the first day of instruction, how to multiply 2 digit numbers just so that they could play the game! Your students will love it as much as mine do, and it’s FREE! Try it out with your own mathematicians tomorrow, or save it for the last day of school! This product was featured on TeachersPayTeachers.com
That little game of Tic Tac Toe instilled in me the desire to create a fun, engaging way for my students to practice everything I am required to teach them. I’ll never tire of hearing those magic words: “Can we do this again tomorrow?” And so everything created by The Teacher Down the Hall is made with the intention or making learning fun.
We’ve all thought it at one time or another, and many of us have heard it stated out loud: “The teacher down the hall is doing something fun again.” Don’t you want to be the teacher they’re talking about?