Math Workshop, Part 5

This section goes along with Everyday Math.  Inside the student workbooks, there is a math box page that goes with each lesson.  It provides a place for students to review skills.  Inside the differentiation handbook you can find extra math box pages.  The intention is you can create your own math boxes for differentiated instruction.  In the past, I have had some of my top math students create their own math boxes to swap with a partner (after I review, of course).  I plan to continue that idea.   I keep copies of the blank math boxes behind this divider.  Sometimes I will make a copy of a student-created math box if I find it well done.  Here are pictures of what the math box pages look like:

Years ago I found pattern block activity pages.  I mounted them on construction paper and laminated them for durability.  I’m not sure the exact resource book I found my pages in, but this picture is similar. My book has pages with the blocks shown, but plenty more with just the black and white outline (some of the black and white cards have challenges already written at the top):

They are a great way for students to practice spatial awareness skills.  You can easily add extension activities for enrichment, too.  For example, students can write the fractional part of each pattern block included.  Also, you can create math problems (__trapezoids + ___ triangles = ____ total blocks).  Another idea is to graph the pattern blocks used.  You can also have students calculate the perimeter of the shape using  a triangle edge as the unit.   I plan to continue adding extension activities for these activity sheets behind this divider.

Divider #12 – Tangrams
Currently I only have a couple of sets of tangrams and I need to track down more.

This is one of the books I have found resources in.  It has puzzles of varying abilities so it is a good thing an answer key is included in the back.  This book challenges the students to make letters of the alphabet, animals, and more.  It is about half the size of a normal workbook so there are several small images on one page.  I have make copies of some of the pages and cut them apart to make smaller playing card-type pieces (mounted on cardstock and laminated for durability, of course).  I keep the masters for the copies I have made in the binder.

Whew!  That’s it for posts about my math workshop binder.  If you have missed my previous posts, I have included the links below.  Thank you to those who have been e-mailing me or commenting with new ideas and resources you have used.  School starts after Labor Day here so I am enjoying your stories about how math workshop is going.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4