Math Rotations: Fact Practice


Thanks for hanging with me on this Math Rotations Journey. Although I am now describing the last "rotation"-ish, please know I have lots of extra posts I will be doing to follow-up on some of the ideas I have introduced. And, if you know me {which many of you do!}, you will also know I will be tweaking these along the way and sharing those new experiences, too.

If you ever want a full recap of these posts, be sure to click on the button on the top title to be taken to a nice and neatly organized linky with each Math Rotations post I have done. 

Ok, onto the non-rotation rotation:

Fact Practice


I call this a non-rotation rotation because kids may or may not get to this during our math class. Activities in Fact Practice are mainly for early finishers of Lesson Work and they are an occasional choice on our Math Centers Bingo Board.

I had to structure my time like this for a few reasons:
  • Limited Time= I have 60ish minutes to teach math, so four rotations just wasn't a feasible option (12 minutes for Teacher Time would be way too short for my littles)
  • Limited Technology= Many of the activities require a computer and I only have 5 in my class
  • Limited Stamina= For the kids, sometimes 20ish minutes of Fact Practice can be very daunting, and that can mean disaster when it comes to class management, so I prefer to keep Fact Practice short and sweet :)
Fact Practice options are listed on our white board and I like to switch them up from time to time to keep it interesting.
These signs are available in my TpT Store
Here's a rundown of some of our usual choices for Fact Practice:

I have kids work on Flash Cards and Dominoes with a buddy (quietly) or independently, making two piles as they go-- one for "known facts" and one for "unknown facts".

I picked up some very inexpensive flash cards from Target's dollar section over the summer and have addition,  multiplication, division, and even time!! Kids can also practice facts with dominoes and choose to do either addition or multiplication for practice (usually addition at the beginning of the year and multiplication for the second half).

If they do choose Xtra Math, they will need to pick up a Computer Pass from a bin on my desk. This freebie is simple and definitely helps with management when I am meeting with kids at Teacher Time. I have also kept the bin near me at the beginning so I can help regulate the process a bit more. 

I have also heard of a few more programs that I would like to look into, especially since I received word that my Donor's Choose grant to get four iPads for my class was FUNDED! {Insert a VERY happy dance here!}. Some of the options I'm thinking about are:
  • Sumdog
  • Scootpad (The Lesson Plan Diva has a great tutorial to walk you through HERE)
  • loads of iPad apps, but I haven't waded through the free ones yet and definitely need to hear some good recommendations from you all

So, that's my ending question for you-- what iPad apps and/or websites help your kiddos practice math skills? I love the data tracking that Xtra Math and Scootpad provide, plus, Scootpad has an app, which is always very exciting. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!


8 comments

  1. Great ideas for math rotations! I love that you use a center approach for both math and literacy. So much more engaging than "seat work."

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  2. Awesome post! I do math rotations as well and it was great to see that you do xtramath! I LOVE it! Here is my post about rotations if you every want to check it out. Math Rotations I love all the other ideas you have as well. I will have to check them out! Congrats on getting your ipads funded! I really need to try Donors Choose!
    Amy
    3 Teacher Chicks

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  3. I love the math rotations idea! I have been trying to figure out how to make that work in my classroom. I think I finally have it figured out thanks to you! Thank you. I am so excited to go into my classroom tomorrow to get it set-up.

    Krystyn
    Ms. Richards's Musings
    msrichardssmusings@gmail.com

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  4. Congrats on getting the iPads funded! That's super exciting! I've actually been teaching in a 1:1 iPad 4th grade, so I have a few tips on the iPad apps.

    Sumdog - when I last checked, they didn't have an iPad app, and the website itself runs flash so it's not iPad compatible. Sad, because I, too, LOVE Sumdog! There is a free app called Rover, though, that is a cloud-based flash player, so you can get to Sumdog on the iPads through that. There's a bit of a lag-time vs. a computer, but it's been an okay work around.

    McGraw Hill Everyday Math games - there's a whole series of apps that they have that my students have loved. They're paid apps, but I've noticed that for the last two years, they've offered at least some of them for free during the week of the national NCTM conference. That's how I originally got them. I would definitely recommend those.

    Good luck and have fun! I'll be excited to hear how else you'll be using the iPads in your classroom.

    Alison
    Eberopolis: Teaching Reading & Writing with Technology

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  5. I have started using Scootpad this year and really like it. I use it for homework, but like that it is CCSS related and gives me great reports.

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  6. I love scootpad. I let my kids choose the rewards and they worked hard to earn the prizes. Luckily, thye choose things like lunch in the classroom, free computer time, free pencil, and other inexpensive items.

    Susan Jinks
    www.jinksbuymeacoke.com
    Twitter: drjinks

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  7. Hey there... I just saw Math Rotations on Pinterest and have been reading like crazy! I love how you have everything organized. I figured out last year that teaching math in small groups was definitely best for my kids. I will definitely begin my year by teaching in small groups this year! I was in need of a way simple and planned out way.
    I will say that one of my stations is the computer and the kids work on Math Facts in a Flash. It's part of Accelerated Reader... maybe you could check into it. You can start the children on it and it moves them to the next level only when they master the current level they are on.

    Kailey :)
    thebikelands@blogspot.com

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  8. I love your rotations. Front Row is a fabulous free app that I use in my classroom with iPads.

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