Tuesday Teaching Tips: Movement in Math

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In this edition of Tuesday Teaching Tips, teachers share ways to get students moving in their math classrooms.  If you have something to add to the conversation, please share your ideas on Twitter, on Facebook, or comment below!  

  • I love doing #wodb (Which One Doesn’t Belong?) and using the four corners of my room. They move to the corner. Talk to a partner. Then they also have to convince people to join them or if they are convinced to move, they move.  May Van Swanson
  • We do regular scavenger hunts. Problems posted then they find the answer to determine their next problem. Letters are collected at each problem that are deciphered at the end to form some word or phrase.  Jessica Rice 
  • We have students up at the whiteboards- solving problems. Sometimes students check in on other teams and sometimes we sit to synthesize or get a hint on next steps before solving another problem. Sarah Anne
  • One of my favorites is a snowball fight. Each student writes a problem on a piece of paper. Crumple it up into a ball. Set a timer for 15 to 20 seconds. Throw them like a snowball fight until the timer rings. Find a ball and do the problem in it. Repeat as much as you want. Jessica Strom
  •  I use a lot of transitions with my junior high kids. It might be like: come get your paper, make corrections and then bring back to the box, next come get one of these papers for examples, and then come get one of these papers for your homework – oh and maybe go grab a mini whiteboard or calculator. I never pass things out to them, I intentionally make them come up to get it. I do the same with my older kids, but we also do a lot of work at the white boards.  So kids are up standing at the boards a couple times a week.  Kristen Helland