DIY Logic Puzzles for Math Class!

Logic puzzles involve thinking skills that are so valuable and applicable in so many content areas, but  are rarely stated directly in content standards. I would use them 2-4 times a year because they can easily be modified to fit into any theme or holiday. Solving them are a valuable exercise for every student. Writing them was quite a challenge that I reserved for my higher and gifted kiddos as a fun challenge!

How do they work? Logic problems are based on the idea that if one outcome is true, another outcome cannot be true. For each problem students are asked to follow clues to help them match pairs of things, with exclusive matches. For example, If Sam’s last name is supposed to be Lee, then his last name cannot be Smith, Jones, or Gonzales. This can also be a clue because it tells you what answers may be left. So you can ask yourself two questions as you read each clue;

  1. Which last name definitely matches each person?   ...and...

  2. Which last name definitely DOES NOT match each person?

As you read each clue it's good to mark the chart below so you can see and understand which matches are a YES, NO, or UNKNOWN still. Here's an example of a puzzle I used to teach the process to my whole class.

YES = ✔        NO = ✖       UNKNOWN =  ☐ Empty Box

The example below shows how the students write their own clues. They match their own names to categories of favorite things. You can select the categories with stickers or clip art, or let students write their own. It's can be a really fun way to learn more about them if they get to decide on their won favorite things. 

If they get lucky, this process is easy and smooth. The biggest place students get tripped up is by writing clues that are to specific or too general. Some of the clues should be general, meaning that more than one name will match each sport, for example. But, there has to be at least one or two clues that are specific enough to only match one name, or the kids will never figure it out! Testing their puzzles is the next most important step after writing them. It is fun to share them with other kids when they're done, but they have to make sure that their puzzles work first!

This weekend I'm releasing a new FREEBIE through my TpT Store as a fun December activity. Whether your school celebrates holidays or not, you can tailor the forms to your own themes.

In This Freebie You'll Get: 
 - Teacher directions and suggestions for successful use.
 - Presentation screens for explaining logic puzzles to your students.
 - My favorite websites for free printables and interactive logic puzzles.
 - Blank forms for students to try writing their own!

You can become a follower and enjoy other exclusive freebies ideas and updates by signing up for my newsletter. I hate overflowing inboxes, and no teacher has time for reading tons of emails, so I will not overload you with blurbs or ads. You will get helpful ideas, activities, free products, and links to hopefully make your job a little easier. Enjoy the FREEBIE and thanks for signing up!

Bless Your Holiday Season!

You May Also Like These Games...

Interactive card game for the whole class! Two sets of cards for Grades 3-5, and 6-8 standards.

No Prep Interactive Power Point Quiz Games. Grades 4-7 currently available. Search my store under the grade level you want.

FREE Equivalent Fractions Games with printable pieces and animated directions for students!

Games make Pre-Algebra Expressions Fun and Easy!

Today I'm linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It! One thing I was always looking for as a classroom teacher; fun games! I discovered "Who Has" games while teaching gifted resource students, and I loved the fact that it could be used in large or small groups for a quick and engaging practice. The greatest thing about this game is that the whole group has to stay engaged in order to play.


          Here's how it works...

1. You have a deck of 30 cards for each set. Copy, laminate, and cut out all 30 cards.

2. Randomly distribute cards to students until all cards have been passed out. This card game makes a round back to the first person who begins, so it is important that all cards are sued and that there is only one of each card. If you’d like to make multiple copies for smaller groups, I recommend using different colored paper for each set so they aren’t mixed up.

3. Anyone in the room can begin the game since it makes a round. Choose one student to read their question card. “I have...”. “Who has...?” I like to place cards under a projector so the whole class can reread them as they’re read aloud.

4. The student with the answer, or next card reads it aloud. If they do not have the correct card, the teacher or the class can help them figure that out and return to their seat to wait for the right prompt.

5. The game is done when everyone has read their card and returned it to the front. The last student’s card should align with the first reader’s card. If it does, the game was done correctly!

Hint: You many want to set a timer once the children know how to play! Challenge them to increase their fluency the next time! 

So many of the math standards for elementary and middle school requires students to translate words into expressions and equations. I was reminded of this as I finished up the learning goals and scales for the 3rd Grade Common Core Math Assessment. It seems to be in every grade level but begins heavily in third. Translating words could mean simple phrases or word problems, either way students are practicing the same skill. I just finished making a Who Has game deck for Pre-Algebra Expressions that aligns to the Common Core standards in grades 3-8. How did I align it to all of those grades? There are two sets; one for Grades 3-5, and one for Grades 6-8. You are welcome to use both for review in middle school, or an extra challenge in the elementary grades!

I'm offering this game as a freebie for my Newsletter followers until December 15th, 2014. You can follow my Newsletter through teacherspayteachers.com, if you are a member, or by signing up for the email list through this blog. (See the top right corner of the homepage!) 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the freebie!

Sincerely, 

Pre-Algebra Manipulatives and Apps

So, a few days ago I linked up with Teaching Trio for the Sunday Scoop and shared some example slides of pre-algebra problems from Common Core. The examples are from an interactive whiteboard application from Hands-On Equations. I accidentally deleted it - a long annoying story. I was going to repost it anyways and thought Tech Thursday would be the perfect opportunity! It relates to so many grade levels, whether you're teaching Common Core math or not.

I used Hands-On Equations with my 3rd-5th grade gifted and advanced students, but I also taught the basics to regular 3rd-5th grade classroom teachers from my two elementary schools. Your students do not have to be gifted to use it, and the program itself is developed with many levels, some of which I will illustrate below, so the exact same resources can be used from grades 2-8, and the students just work up to their own capacity.

The image above will give you an idea of how the materials needed, you will basically use the manipulatives to set up any problem involving a variable (missing number). The actual materials are very simple to create yourself using blocks, markers, or digital images, but the instructional progression of skills and problems for teachers and students come with the program. The examples below will show how the manipulatives can be used at various grade levels.

There are a few basic rules to using Hands-On Equations that come form the Properties of Operations. The first and most important one being, "Whatever you do to change the problem on one side, you must do to the other side." The second one is that you want to use inverse operations to simplify your equations! Subtraction should be used first, to get rid of extra values and simplify the equation, and then multiplication or division of values can be applied if necessary. Addition really doesn't enter in until the negative values are present; then students are adding values to both sides to make zeros, which are easier to work with.

The blocks are used to set up the equation or story problem. Red blocks represent positive integers. Blue markers represent positive variables. Green blocks represent negative numbers. White markers represent negative variables. The negatives become useful in the middle school standards. The red lines mean that values are being changed. If you use actual blocks, then you'd simply trade them for whatever you need next.

2.OA.1: 2 is subtracted from both sides. x = 5; 7 = 7.

The "Check" is part of the problem-solving routine. Kids have to redo the original problem with the new x value they've just found. It gets them in the habit of checking their work!

3.OA.4: Divide by 3 on both sides. x = 4; 12 = 12

 4.OA.3: Subtract 22 on each side. Divide by 3 on both sides. x = 12; 58 = 58.

For story problems and problems with large numbers, the pictorial method that allows students to draw out the blocks on paper, if they can't use real manipulatives at the time. Filled triangles represent positive variables; empty triangles would represent negative variables. Squares represent positive integers; circles would represent negative integers (see 7.NS.3 and 8.EE.2. below).

 5.OA.1: Add 15 to both sides. Divide by 3 on both sides. x = 11; 48 = 48.

6.EE.3: Subtract 6 on both sides. Divide by 3 on both sides. When 0 = 0, x can be any number!

                  7.NS.3: Add 7 to both sides. Divide by 12 on both sides. x = -12; -151 = -151.

             8.EE.2: Take the cubed root of both sides. Add 10 to both sides. x = 3; -343 = -343.

I have chosen a few examples based on the Common Core Standards for each grade level, but the complete program includes 26 different levels of increasing difficulty. It's a fantastic resource for differentiation or small group work with your higher students! Again, if buying a new program is not a possibility for you right now, you can definitely create your own materials and use it with your regular grade-level problems.

The materials you will need per student or pair are:

workman or model of a balance
2 dice with digits 0-5 (2 of each color)
2 dice with digits 5-10 (2 of each color)
8-10 colored markers (for each color)
(The actual colors are not important, as long as you have equal numbers of both.)

Hands-On Equations, the official program, can be found at http://www.borenson.com. Please visit the homepage and browse through some of the research and examples. I love this program so much, because as a visual-spatial learner, I always had trouble remembering the rules of equation transformation and equality. I was always taught Algebra as if it were just a big "to do" list of rules. The rules were hard for me to remember because I didn't have a concrete understanding of why we had to do it this way.  Consequently, I failed Algebra two different semesters, in 8th grade and in 10th grade. My mom hired a tutor and I started getting As again. My tutor didn't know about this program, but she did know how to explain concepts with concrete images instead of just rules.

I hope you found this helpful and will try using manipulatives for your pre-algebra lessons. If you're looking for more apps from Hands-On Equations, you can visit their Products page.

This month's Follower Freebie is a "Who Has" Game for practicing Pre-Algebra Expressions. Different sets allow differentiation for Grades 3-8! Sign up for my email Newsletter to get this exclusive offer! This offer will expire by Dec. 15th, 2014. Sign up today!

5 Steps to Creating Successful Common Core Scales for Student Learning

Linking up with Middle School Math Moments for Working on It Wednesday!

Is it just me, or is it a little bit time-consuming to create unique scales? The following article gives a 5-step process to create your own scales for any learning goal you choose.  This might be helpful if you're just starting out and trying to understand what each scale means.

5 Steps to Creating Successful Common Core Scales for Student Learning - 
                                         Learning Sciences Marzano Center

What I find much most difficult is deciding what content or sub-goal should be at each scale under the primary goal. When I am developing assessments, I usually define each sub-goal as a sub-skill or previous grade level skill that they would've needed to master first.

I have completed Grades 4-8, 

including the FREE Standards sets, Posters, and Portfolio pages! Yeah! 

I am still working on third grade. Here's some examples of 3.OA.6 and 3.OA.7.

I liked the ease of using a general scale, but felt like it wasn't enough for my students to be clear about how much they knew. I wanted to create specific scales as suggested in the article above. The Assessment helps to define each level with examples for the students. The posters give students a visual reminder of the scale for each standard.  By the end of this month I will be done with the Assessment, the Posters, and the FREE Portfolio Pages for tracking student progress. If you click the "Follow Me" star you will receive notices when products are published or revised.

Visit my store for a free sample of the Assessment with Common Core Standards 3.NBT.1, 3.NBT.2, & 3.NBT.3!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fan Freebie Certificates Coming Right Up!

Rereading Harry & Rosemary Wong's book, "The First Days of School," inspired me to start a Facebook discussion about student motivation and engagement. It's one thing to effectively track student progress in a way that they can SEE, it's another thing to keep that momentum going. Sharing progress with parents at conferences is great, but it isn't often enough. I decided to create some freebie student certificates for Facebook followers that can be sent home each time a student masters another level. You could start at 1, or wait until they've reached 3 or 4, different students need different amounts of external incentive. Students can color the numbers in to designate the level they've reached.
The great thing is that the certificates will double as homework passes, which every kid can get excited about!! I found these to be very effective for getting parents to engage in classroom activities or events as well, because the kids put pressure on them to get the freebie. :) The certificates indicate that the teacher has to approve the homework choice; I usually allow them to use it for one overnight practice assignment, not projects or packets.

I'd like to give people a chance to give some feedback - here is the preview. 

Visit me at https://www.facebook.com/MrsLsLeveledLearning and 

let me know what you think! 

I'll post the final version later this week!

You can receive these FREE certificates by following my TpT Store. Every month I send out Notes to followers with info and freebies.

Post by Mrs. L's Leveled Learning.

 November's Follower Freebie is a "Who Has" Game for practicing Pre-Algebra Expressions. Different sets allow differentiation for Grades 3-8! Sign up for my email Newsletter to get this exclusive offer! This offer will expire by Dec. 15th, 2014. Sign up today!

Sunday Scoop: AATM Conference was a hit!

Today I'm linking up again with Teaching Trio's Sunday Scoop! 

  

Yesterday was the big AATM, Arizona Association of Teachers of Mathematics Conference at ASU.

One big highlight for me was meeting a fellow blogger and seasoned TeacherspayTeachers.com Seller,  Jennifer Smith-Sloane from 4mulaFun! Check out her 5 FAB Fall FREEBIES for Math! Follow her blog link to see all the info for entering.  

Over 350 teachers attended and I had the chance to talk with at least half of them about what they're doing in their classrooms, and what kind of support they need the most. I found that most teachers are required to post learning goals of some kind ("objectives," "targets," etc.) in their classrooms, and an increasing number are required to apply learning scales to them. The most frequent question I was asked was, "How do you use a Scale?"

The first thing teachers saw at my table were the colorful Assessments with Learning Goals and Scales. The second thing they saw were the student binders with work samples and the Student Portfolio pages. Most teachers liked the idea of having a pre-test and post-test that shows growth. They also really liked the idea of having kids easily track growth by coloring in boxes. The student portfolio binders contain the Assessments with Learning Goals and Scales so kids, parents, and teachers can see concretely how the students determine each scale they are on. They still wanted to know more.

A few teachers had mentioned that their schools were requiring them to use scales with learning goals, but they were confused about how they go together, or what the scales are based on. The Poster examples show the exact scales used in the Assessments. These scales were inspired by the compilation of research by Robert Marzano in "The Art and Science of Teaching," and several resources went into informing the progression of skills that align with each standard. Marzano states that "The starting place for all effective instruction is designing and communicating clear learning goals.", but he doesn't specify how large or small those learning goals should be. I recognized the look of confusion and struggle in the faces of other teachers because that's how I felt when I was introduced to this somewhat ambiguous concept - what do you make learning goals about???? The answer is that any skill or concept knowledge can become a learning goal. I started out by writing sentences on the board relating to each day's lesson. That's how I started using learning goals. I'm sure it did help students focus on what they had to learn that day, but it didn't help them see their overall growth, or help me to track it. I chose to focus my learning goal Assessments on the Common Core standards because that is what everybody must master - regardless of how many tiny pieces I chop it into - that is our ultimate GOAL! Keeping track of anything else, especially with multiple grade levels, was just too much to stay on top of.

Using a general scale to apply to all learning goals is a good start, and writing your own could be even better, but the time and research it takes to write scales that really align to the standards sequentially can be hard to accomplish when there are so many other things to do! General scales can still create some confusion for students because there aren't concrete examples for each level, so they are still left to guess, or approximate their own level of proficiency. 

The second most frequent question I was asked was, 

"Do you have anything for Grades [K-2 or 9-12]?"

I'm thinking I may ask for input on Facebook this week because people will occasionally request grade levels  through the TpT store site, but it's hard to tell what the demand is. There is a huge difference between the structure and content of K-2 materials, and 9-12 materials, obviously. Although I have a background and a Bachelors in early childhood, I'm hesitant to create something for several reasons. First, the Common Core standards may or may not be totally appropriate for this age level, and the responsibility of creating an age appropriate assessment that matches the variety of ways that young ones are taught could get really tricky. Secondly, there are so many great resources out there for early elementary, I'm not sure the need is great enough for me to invest the time. That's where you can help me! I need to know who and how many people would actually be interested in a scaled assessment for K-2. I'd love to hear from you through my blog, or Facebook page Mrs. L's Leveled Learning. If I don;t get much feedback I will move onto Algebra I and Geometry standards for high school. I haven't worked with this content since I taught an 8th grade math class 8 years ago! I am excited to dive into it again!

Sincerely, 

Sunday Scoop Linky - What's on your plate?

Today I am linking up with Teaching Trio for the 3-2-1 Sunday Scoop! The beginning of the school year is always a bit overwhelming for teachers. Being at home this year, I have the advantage of choosing when to be busy, and when to take a break. Of course my two little ones don't allow for too many breaks between 6am and 8pm, weekends are awesome for catching up because my super-supportive hubbie lets me run away to Starbucks for some quiet work time while he gets the kids up.

Working from home, I set my own schedule, which is great if I can manage to be consistent, and a challenge when I have to re-negotiate work time around the family's needs. This week my to-do list looks like this...

First work item is the 8th Grade Math Madness Interactive Power Point Game! These take a few hours to complete and review takes and concepts front the 8th Grade Common Core Math Standards. I like using it as a beginning and end-of-the-year game. It works like Jeopardy, and is a no-prep teacher activity that kids love. The game board links to questions, and the links turn color after a question has been chosen so it keeps track of available questions for you. The questions link to "Correct!" or "Oops!" pages so there's also no checking for the teacher. Kids get immediate feedback and can even go through the game independently in small groups or pairs. I like to have all of the related grade-level projects done in the same week so it's easier for teachers to find everything. I'm a week behind on this game, but the FREE Student Portfolio pages, Assessment, and Posters are done! There's also FREE Excel Tracking Sheets for every grade level to help you track student progress and sort kids for differentiation.

COMING SOON!!

The next thing on my list is to prepare for the Arizona Association of the Teachers of Mathematics Conference! 350 math teachers from around Arizona will meet at ASU to learn how to better instruct students for success!

I will be exhibiting the Math Assessments with Learning Goals and Scales for the first time, so I am really excited! We only have one family car, so we have been making trips to the dollar store and local Walmart on foot.  I am also sporting my super-woman shirt which I think every teacher and mother need to have. 

I have been working on display materials for the last two months, including my FREE Assessment Samples with three CC Standards each. I will also be hosting a Raffle for every grade level 4th-8th, so teachers can win a FREE copy of the Assessments.

Number three on my to-do list is for my little baby! She's going to be 1-year old! It went zoo fast! We are planning a first birthday party for her. My husband and I like to make our own cakes and we have a princess dress mold we bought at JoAnn's. We used it a few years ago to make our son a rocket ship cake for his second birthday party. So, hopefully the princess dress turns out just as cute!

Two things I hope to do, is get further along on finishing the 3rd Grade Common Core Math Assessment with Learning Goals and Scales. A few people have already asked for it and I don't like to keep teachers waiting long - especially since the school year has started! Once you get too far in, it's difficult to go back and pre-assess standards so you can show progress!

For my son, I committed myself to making a First Year scrapbook. My mom, who is a very talented graphic artist, created beautiful pages for me, so all I had to do was add pictures and captions. AWESOME!!!! I knew it would still take a lot of time, so I only committed to the first year; after that all family photos go into a family book with pockets and captions - fast and simple, or I know it will not get done, and I really don't want to lose these wonderful memories in the fog of mental activity years later!

Finally, I am so grateful to have my two kids at home with me for a few more years. Instead of enrolling in preschool this year, our son is staying home and doing activities with me. I recently signed him up for ABCmouse.com, an online preschool activity center so he can 'work' while mommy works, and his sister naps. Working from home means I can't do everything myself. I enjoy our night-night story times, and having the chance to talk with him and see what he's interested in. It is such an exciting time of childhood! They are learning so much, developing so many interests, and it seems that their potential for the future is unlimited - at least I hope to encourage that perspective in  my children. Just yesterday my husband and I watched this really interesting video from TEDx about positive thinking research and it's effect on success; The Happy Secret to Better Work.

Basically he says that as a culture we have set ourselves up for unhappiness by pushing it off until we have 'met our goals.' As long as we believe we can't be happy or content until we have met some goal, then we continue to wait and feel stressed working towards it. Once we have achieved it, we still can't be happy because there's always a next goal, a revised goal, etc. Research suggests that it's the people who can be happy first, content with the process and progress, that actually achieve more success long-term! Can someone please send this to every administrator and school district they know!!! How amazing would it be for kids to feel proud and motivated to learn while they learn, and not having to feel stressed and anxious until the next round of testing results comes back! Really gave me something to think about too. As an adult who has been trained to always move onto the next goal, I have to stop and catch myself having this same attitude. Take a breath! Take a break! And make sure your kids know that they can too!  Happy thoughts... :) 

Have a great week!