Happy OCTOBER!

Since we are entering "spooky season", I wanted to address themed resources and older students.

I think there is a misconception that the older students get, the less they benefit from “seasonal” resources. But seriously, something happens when you give the kids an activity with a pumpkin on it in October and an image of a reindeer in December. For some reason, their attention is spiked – even for just a minute!

I’m a big fan of taking hold of those moments of increased interest and using it to your advantage. Any holiday provides you with the chance to add a little more fun to your classroom. Print your stations on orange paper in October. Give the kids a homework sheet with a pumpkin in the corner. Use a coloring activity with a ghostly themed coloring page. Of course there will be students who don’t appreciate your affinity for the holiday seasons, but most will!

Matching activities are a really great opportunity for students to get up and move around the room (if you set them up as stations) and work collaboratively. Simply solving problems gets old – fast. But solving with moving pieces and finding matches really brings a new level to any skill. Plus, matching activities are essentially self checking because all pieces must be used! If one match is off, at least another match will be off, causing students to go back and check. You can check out the scientific notation matching activity pictured by clicking HERE or a combining like terms matching activity HERE!​

I also have FIVE FREE Halloween/Thanksgiving related products in my store. You can download them HERE!​

What is your favorite fall math activity? I'd love to hear about it!
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Have a great day!

Lindsay