Math Manipulatives Scoot

What do you do at the beginning of the school year to get your students excited about math? How about letting them play?!? I've heard of other teachers allowing students to explore the various manipulatives they will be using in math and I thought it was a great idea! That's why over the summer I created Math Manipulatives Scoot.

I like the idea of giving my kids a chance to "play" with the math manipulatives they'll be using for their learning, but I definitely wanted it to be structured and standards-based. I do not want a free-for-all where kids are allowed to just play with the materials for no educational reason. Maybe during indoor recess on one of our below zero winter days, but not during my sacred math block and certainly not during those vital first few days of school. Like I said in a previous post on establishing routines and procedures, that time is too important to waste.

Math Manipulatives Scoot uses 8 different manipulatives (in 8 stations) that are common in most 2nd/3rd grade classrooms:

I've come up with stations that use these materials in engaging ways. All of the stations are a review of 2nd grade standards except for the fraction station. In both the CCSS and MN Standards fractions are new in 3rd grade. I wanted to include them, but did so in a way that won't be overwhelming or frustrating for end-of-year 2nd graders or beginning-of-year 3rd graders. Students will practice addition, place value, comparing, fractions, geometry, creating bar graphs, telling time, and collecting data.

This activity was designed to be used as a back-to-school review/preview for 3rd graders - a fun way to get back into a math mindset by reviewing what they learned in 2nd grade (and previewing fractions), but it could definitely also be used by 2nd grade teachers at the end of the year to review learning from the school year. Heck, you could even leave the fraction station in there, borrow some fraction bars from a 3rd grade friend, and let the kids know they will get to learn about fractions next year.

I plan on using it after a lesson on following directions when it comes to manipulatives and treating classroom materials with care and respect. It's controlled play to let the class know that in this classroom we will have fun, but we will also work hard.

You could also separate out the stations and use them as centers during the school year. I plan on doing these as my first centers once I launch guided math. I know the kids will know how to do them and be successful with them and they're a great review!

Thanks for stopping by to learn more about Math Manipulatives Scoot!
-Interventionista