Math Contests and In-School Competitions

Consider planning some grade-level math contests or competitions based on Mathwire activities. Teachers who have organized these contests find that students are highly motivated to master basic facts in order to compete. These grade-level competitions and their in-class daily preparations are a great way to include dedicated time for students to master grade-level skills and basic facts. Here are some suggestions to consider, based on popular Mathwire components:

Who Has?: Provide practice decks for classes to use in every day timed events. Plan a grade-level competition to see which class is best by challenging students to compete using an unfamiliar deck. Check out the Mathwire collection of ready-made Who Has? decks, complete with classroom management ideas and suggestions. Mad Minute Mayhem: Encourage students to develop basic facts proficiency by providing regular practice, using simple worksheets of target skills: multiplication facts, simplifying fractions, division, etc. Use a class contest to identify Fact Monsters who eat up the competition. Individual students complete the worksheet and write their own time at the top. Students should strive to improve their own time and accuracy with each new round, making everyone who participates a winner. Award certificates, as appropriate, to recognize student achievement and personal improvement.

Contig: Hold grade-level playoffs for this engaging game which should be a staple in all middle grade classrooms. Encourage pair play to increase mathematical discussion and strategy between players. Read more about the Contig Game. Number Line-Up: Get students up and active by challenging small groups to compete in the Place Value Face-Off. Provide the same numeral cards to two small groups and see which group can more quickly assemble to provide a correct answer. Keep score and increase the challenge with each round to review appropriate place value skills. NOTE: Small groups not currently competing should ACTIVELY practice using small digit cards at their desks. Check out Number Line-Up to read more about this activity and to download number cards and suggested place value activities.

Tip of the Month: Incorporate Themed or Seasonal Elements in the Morning Routines

Change up the Morning Routines a bit at the beginning of each new month. This month, for instance, use the Ladybug Mat suggestion [above in feature article] to provide concrete practice in identifying odd and even numbers. Primary students may use their own mats with chips to reproduce the date and classify the number as odd or even or simply draw spots on ladybug mats in their calendar folders.

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