Cup of Cocoa (Math Freebie)

I hope your students came back to school ready and eager to learn! Today I want to share one of my favorite winter math freebies with you and show you some ways you can differentiate to support your struggling students.

One of the ways I review math facts in January is with 3-addends. I use this Cup of Cocoa pack, which is designed to be used as a Scoot or Roam-the-Room activity. Most of my students are able to walk around the room and complete the task cards on the go. This helps get the wiggles out and gets them moving after sitting during the lesson. However, there are always a few students who need a little more support. When this is the case, I bring the materials to my small group table.

One of the ways I support struggling students is with a 20-frame card and cubes. Since we are working with 3-addends, I have cubes in three different colors. Students fill the frame in the same order as the task card. This works well with the first eight task cards that ask students to find the sum.

For the last eight task cards students are given the sum and two addends. For these types of problems I provide a number line and two clothespins. Students place the first clothespin on the sum so they can see their target number. Then I have students add the two given addends together and mark that number with the second clothespin. Finally, students need to find the difference between the two marked numbers.