Whole Class Activities
These activities were a huge success with my Grade 2's. The reason? They're all really active! They involve a lot of moving around which is great for retaining facts. Most of these can be done in a classroom but work well outside or in a gym.
Stand up, Sit Down!
Pick a "magic number" of your choice. Shout out math facts, if they equal the magic number, students stand up. If they don't equal the number, student's sit down. This is really good as an activity to fill 5 minutes at the end of class
Bunches
This activity requires a bit of an open space but can be done in a classroom. Students meander through the space, you can play music or sing a song, then the teacher calls out a math fact such as 3+4. Students then must form a group or 'bunch' with that many people, 7. Make sure you know how many people are in your class! You can play this elimination style as well where students are eliminated if they aren't in a group at the end.
Sidewalk Math
Create 2-3 grids with numbers 1-20 (or numbers of your choice) in sidewalk chalk on your playground cement. Sort students into groups of 4-5 at each grid. One member will have flashcards or a list of problems. This person calls the equation out and the members on the grid must jump to the correct answer. This gets them moving and really connects the information with body movements! Great for a warm spring day.Can be done inside using a table cloth with same grid drawn.
Bouncing Sums
Cover a beach ball with numbers (use a permanent marker or sticky labels). Toss the ball to one student and have her call out the number that her right thumb touches. She tosses it to the next student, who does the same and then adds his number to the first. Continue for five minutes and record the sum. Each time you play the game, add the sum to a graph. On which day did you reach the highest sum? The lowest?
Cross the Line
Students line up facing the teacher. The teacher says, “Cross the lineif____”. If the students agree, they cross to the
line on the other side. Ifthey do not agree, they stay put. For example, if the teacher says, “Cross the line if one plus one equals three,” students have to decide whether to cross or stay put. Any student who crosses when she shouldn’t (or fails to cross when she should) sits down. Continue until one person is left. As students are eliminated, make problems more challenging.
line on the other side. Ifthey do not agree, they stay put. For example, if the teacher says, “Cross the line if one plus one equals three,” students have to decide whether to cross or stay put. Any student who crosses when she shouldn’t (or fails to cross when she should) sits down. Continue until one person is left. As students are eliminated, make problems more challenging.