FREE Back to School Tips & Tricks

The return back to school is right around the corner.  Mandy from Mandys Tips 4 Teachers decided to host a Back to School blog hop. In celebration of this blog hop I will be providing 2 back to school tips and 1 FREE math activity for Back to School.

Spare Pencil Cup-  All of us have students that lose their pencils and need a replacement pencil during the height of instructional time. Consider having a cup that always contains freshly sharpened pencils, whether they are used or new.  Students that borrow pencils from the Spare Pencil Cup should be expected to return them after use.

Centers on the Go- Buying plastic bins for centers can be costly.  Instead purchase large zip lock bags or large envelopes and label the center.  When labeling centers include the title, clear directions, objectives and/or I can statements.  Also be sure to include the targeted grade level standards.

Mystery Numbers Booklet-  Looking for an engaging math activity for the first week of school?  Sometimes students have a negative perception of math.  This activity uses numbers in a fun way!  It is a great getting to know you activity that uses numbers in real life situations.  Try using the Mystery Numbers Booklet activity to start the school year off right.

Follow the steps below:

• Download the FREE Mystery Numbers Activity link.
• Select a cover and make double sided copies of the cover and the clues sheet to form a booklet.
• Level 1 (Grades Kdg. - 1) - Show students the questions provided in the free Mystery Numbers packet.  You can also create your own questions for students to answers.  Students write the questions inside their booklets and write the number answers on the cover.
• Level 2 (Grades 2-5) - Allow the students to create their own clues. Students record the 4 clues inside the booklet and the 4 numbers on the outside of the booklet. You can differentiate this activity by allowing some students to record only 2 or 3 clues, if necessary.
• Allow the students to present their clues to a partner or to the entire class by reading them out loud while displaying the cover.  
• Allow the audience to guess which clues match particular numbers.
• Repeat the process as necessary. 

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Greg.