Place Valut SCOOT! (Product Review)

Place Value SCOOT! by live.love.teach.

The past few years in 3rd grade we would always start with place value.  Seems like a simple skill but the majority of students struggle with it initially.  They understand place value and estimating up to 3 place values, but go any further than that they often found it confusing.

I reassured the students that this is normal and it will get easier wit regular practice.  We spend a chapter introducing new skills and reviewing previously taught skills in this unit.  I also make sure to do a daily number activity where we dissect a 6-digit number.  Plus, we utilized this TPT product by live.love.teach.

What is SCOOT?

This was my first SCOOT game and took me a trial run to implement this into our class.  The students get an answer recording sheet and are presented with their first card.  The students are to answer the question using the number on the card and the numbered box on their recording sheet. After the allowed time you give the students a command (SCOOT!) to pass the card to the next person and answer their new card.  You continue this until all cards are answered.

How I Used Scoot:

I play this exact game about 2-3 times with the class with several days in between each day.  The first run of the game I gave 2-3 minutes for each card.  I had just under 20 students, but it took about 45 minutes to play the round.  I only used as many cards as students that were present that day.

It did take a bit of time, but I had students panicking with the limited time.  I would continue our lessons and several days later I would play the game again, but this time only allowing 1-2 minutes.  If I had time to play a third round I gave either 30 seconds to 1 minute.  A bit more challenge with less time to answer each time.  (We make sure to understand it's okay to skip and move on if time is up.)

How it worked for my class:

Although a bit frustrating at first, once the students understood the goal of the game they really enjoyed playing it!  We ended up playing SCOOT! with other skills throughout the year and the students were really excited to play!

I rate this product 4 out of 4 starfish!
Mainly because the students could improve their skills in a way they enjoyed!

Superheroes Can Multiply (Product Review)

One of the biggest skills we introduce and focus on in 3rd grade was Multiplication Skills.  This is essential to practice and master these skills, especially from 0-10 facts, to utilize for expanded multiplication & division.  I used the curriculum to introduce and model skills, but I know every day practice is the best way to build skills.

I had used Multiplication Top It, Flashcards, rolling dice, Beat the Calculator, white board practice,and other games that students came up with.  One I put together that the students LOVE was this product from Kathy Law called "Superheroes Can Multiply!"

I printed them out, glued to construction paper (front & back), bound it into a book, and placed it in a large Ziploc bag with a 10-sided dice and counters.

How I Used it in Class

I introduced this product to the students and demonstrated how you played with 1-3 players, rolling the dice to multiply each fact, and placing a counter on top of each correct answer.  Once this was introduced, the students were allowed to play once they finish their math work or during math centers.  The students were able to play this game on their own without needing me for anything, and easily monitored themselves.

Students Loved It!

The students are instantly intrigued with the superhero theme, even the girls!  They enjoyed the challenge that is able to be achieved with the right amount of challenges.  My struggling learners loved being able to complete the tasks on each page and gained confidence in front of their peers.

I give this a 4 out of 4 starfish!
Especially for the student guided success.

You can check out First Grade a la Carte Blog for more information on this product!  You can download the product at Kathy Law's TPT Store.

Rounding Up to the Millions Place Value

Rounding Up to the Millions Place Value packet is up on my TPT store! While teaching 3rd grade (8-9 year olds), we would always start our math curriculum with estimating and place value.  It's a skill I know they learned in the previous grade and they know how to apply the skills.  However, for some reason they always struggle with it!  (Nearly every student it seems.)  As the year would proceed and we would move on to the new chapters, we would move pass this skill.  Once we revisit this skill a while later, they have a better grasp of it and didn't understand why they thought it was so difficult.

This packet includes:
* 2 different cover pages for your mini book
* 30 pages of practice from 10s to 1,000,000s, 2 examples on each page (60 total)
* 7 blank sheets to create your own practice numbers (rom 10s to 1,000,000s)

You can either copy and staple as a packet, or cut the sheets in half and create a mini practice book!

Best for grades 1st - 4th!  You can customize your packet to meet the needs of your students, especially for struggling students and those who would like enrichment practice.

Rounding & Place Value Daily Practice

Last year, I decided to do a daily number to practice rounding to each place value, naming all the place values, reviewing some vocabulary, and so on.  I found regular practice made my students more comfortable and confident in rounding.

My students enjoyed this that they even wanted to try numbers up to trillion place value!  They really enjoyed trying to say these obnoxiously large numbers.

What have you done to improve your students' skills in rounding & place value?