December…is…a…lot!
You are the expert of your classroom and community. You know what will get your students excited and engaged. I encourage you to use this season of wild winter break build up to insert some play and fun because in the end it will infuse JOY and building your community with JOY is the best way!
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In This Episode on the Winter Break Build Up We’ll Chat About:
- sticking to routines in the classroom
- embracing the extra student energy
- adding extra fun activities to your lesson plans
Sticking to Routine even during the Winter Break Build Up
I am normally a teacher who sticks to my routines. I set up routines so that things can stay consistent and predictable. Routines help my students get through the day when things are a little off (like a looming break or extra energy from holiday events). So, I always stick to my routine. To be honest with you… you’ll find me on the last day of school still circling up for morning meetings and having our final word problem workshop. I love routine.
However, throughout the school year there are times when school is just different… and December is one of those times.
In December I usually like to take the “embrace it” approach. What I mean is, I embrace the energy students come to school with. I embrace the extra events. I embrace the build up to winter break.
The way I embrace it is adding in more time to play in math while still maintaining our routine.
Let’s Define Play
Let’s define what I mean by play. An opportunity to do something that is fun, including art, games, music, etc. I like to add these things into my routine normally… but some days call for some extra play.
For example, we like to sing the multiples songs in 3rd grade at the transition from recess to math. However, to add some extra fun I might play a YouTube video with multiples as a transition.
4 Ways to Include Play in Math
- Math Warm Ups– I like to add in seasonal themed (non math) slides. Check out these FREE winter math warm ups! Non-math thinking routines help our students practice the THINKING SKILLS needed in math, without having to apply the math. For example, if students are working on multiplying fractions. I might have a which one doesn’t belong that starts with images of snowy pine trees first. We would launch, grapple, discuss, and for the reflection we would go ahead and do another one which might include visual models fraction multiplication. That non-math WODB almost serves as the warm up for the warm up. It gets students justifying their reasoning and engaged in math thinking… before they have to do math.
2. Games– Like logic games. When I spoke with John SanGiovanni , we got into how important it is that students have experience problem solving in informal ways. He was talking about how a generation or two ago kids played a lot more logic games at home and now students play on their iPads or watch youtube (no judgment at all). However, playing games like Mancala or Blokus allow students to develop mathematical thinking skills while playing.
So, during these times of schedule mix ups or high energy days I like to allow students time to just play a logic game. Sometimes they don’t even know it is a “math” game. We can talk about how that strategy they are using is the same kind of thing they might do when they are solving problems in math class and they need a strategy. These types of conversations always uncover a lot of ideas from students that I hadn’t thought of. The connections they make are always fascinating.
I have lots of ideas for games as well as just math related gift ideas. So, if you’re looking for ideas of what to buy for your child or a kid in your life check out this gift guide.
3. Do a holiday math craft- Last year my students and I made snowflake ornaments. It was SO simple and they were super proud of them. This was in 3rd grade…. Students used pipe cleaners– twisted them together into an asterisk. Then, they put beads onto each arm of the snowflake. The only thing that was required was they had to put the same amount on each arm. They turned out so cute. And because I am who I am, I made them write addition and multiplication equations to match their snowflake. They were super excited to take them home and hang them in their windows and show their families their math thinking.
*Materials you need: pipe cleaners and beads
4. Plan a party & have the students do the work! You know the kids always want to have a party around winter break. I worked at a school that didn’t really allow parties. So, instead I decided to let the kids plan a “party” as a way to recognize the adults in the building that helped them. This was when I was teaching ⅚. We started by identifying what we would want to do at the party– they decided we would eat food, drink hot chocolate or coffee for the adults, and we would circle up and some students would speak and give compliments to the adults. Then, I had the students get together to organize the food, decorations, invitations, etc. It took us 1 class period to get the plan and then I just checked in with them to make sure they were doing what they said they would. I let them have full control and it was so much fun. The day came and it was a huge success. Kids brought in twinkle lights to decorate the classroom. They hung chart paper around the room with each invited adult’s name on the top. They asked everyone to go around and write a note to the person on the chart paper explaining how they’ve impacted them. Then, each guest left with their chart paper.
It was so beautiful and really engaged every child– and built our community. Sometimes, taking a pause and remembering that building community happens through these types of things is important. I made time in my busy pacing guide for it because, when we have that solid foundation of trusting relationships and joy among us we can get more done.
Mentioned in this Episode on Winter Break Build Up:
✏️ Click HERE for FREE Winter Math Warm Ups
🎲 Logic Games – Mancala and Blokus
🎁 Math related gift ideas here
❄️ Snowflake Ornament Materials (Pipe Cleaners and Beads)
🎙️Episode 85 – Math problem solving with John SanGiovanni
📱 Go to my instagram @hellomonamath & share with me how you’re listening!
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