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Math Task Cards With a Twist - Print and Digital Truth or Dare!

4/11/2017

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Truth or Dare Game: Math Task Card Game to Provide Self-Differentiation and Promote Discussion
image of task card math game on ipad with caption print and digital math games
If you're like me (and so many other teachers), you know that math task cards can be used in sooo many ways in middle school and upper elementary math classes.
​From math centers to Footloose (or Scoot) to exit tickets to entrance tickets to mini-quizzes - the list is long!


Truth or Dare Game with Math Task Cards
However, if you're like me in other ways, you're always looking for something new and different to spice up math class. This year, my "new and different" was to start playing Truth or Dare in math (and language arts) classes!

To use task cards this way in middle school math, some of the question cards need to be written as True or False questions, which can make the questions a little trickier and lead to more in-depth thinking.

Dare questions are a little harder, and require students to complete more calculation or explain more than the Truth cards, and so they are worth more points. (Truth cards are worth one point and Dare cards are worth 2 or 3. I've even thrown in a 4-pointer here and there:-) 

Playing Math Truth or Dare (paper/pencil version)
This is how to play this math task card game (or ELA game, or game for any subject!) 
1. Students are in groups of 3 – 4. 
2. Students each get a recording sheet.
3. Each group gets a set of “Truth” cards and a set of “Dare” cards (I make 18 of each). These go into separate piles, for students to pick from. 
4. Students can decide who should go first, and then for each student’s turn, they can decide to choose a Truth card or a Dare card. 
5. During their turn, students should read the question card aloud to the group, record their answer/work on the recording sheet, and share their answer with the group. (I allow students to discuss the answers after the "official" answer is given, and sometimes students end up having great discussions!)
6. When students answer a Truth card correctly, they earn 1 point. Dare cards are 2 or 3 points each – students won’t know the point value until they choose a card. The point value will be recorded in the “Points Attempted” column on the recording sheet.
7. Students check the answers and record points they earned. Once all answers are checked and points earned are recorded, students add up their points to see who won!
Check out this Truth or Dare video to learn more about the way the game is played with paper/pencil - in any subject (it's an old one, lol)!

1) It makes middle school math practice fun and engaging, 
What makes this game fun? Well, it's a little different - with the "dare" part in there. Students also don't always know how many points the Dare card will be worth, so that offers a little excitement.
2) It gives a chance for self-differentiation
I like the fact that students can choose the type of question they want, so it allows for some self-differentiation...the choice gives the more hesitant students the chance to feel a little more confident.

Digital Math Truth or Dare
After creating several paper and pencil Truth or Dare games, my wonderful friend Leah (Secondary Resources for Social Studies & English) suggested I make a Google classroom version, and I'm so glad I did!

​It's easy to use and there's little to no copying needed! (A little copying if I want students to write their work/answers on paper; no copying if I want to share the Truth or Dare game in Edit mode and have students type their answers.)  


​Check out the 2-minute video below - it shows how the game works in Edit mode (there are one or two "slow to refresh" spots in the video, so please don't think it's not working:-)

Benefits of the Math Task Cards Truth or Dare Game

You can check out the Truth or Dare task card games in my TPT shop.

I hope you can use this task card game idea! It can be used in any subject area, and I do have both a print template and digital template to help you make your own:-)

P.S. Truth or Dare task card games (as well as other activities) are also available to play on my digital math activities site, as web-based activities.

What other games or activities do you use math task cards for in middle school?
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Fraction, Decimal, Percent Math Wheel

4/5/2017

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Image of fraction, decimal, percent math wheel. Try this FREE math wheel for notes and practice in your middle school math class. Click the button at the bottom of the post to download from TPT
I'm really liking the math wheel idea, so I created a new wheel for fraction, decimal, percent conversions:-)

​How to use this resource (this information is also in the free download):
Around the outside of the wheel are the different conversion headings – you can use the wheel to introduce the conversions, filling in just the ones you are covering each day. Or, you can use it to review all the conversions at once. In either case, the wheel can be kept in students’ notebooks as a reference/study tool.

1) I like to begin with decimal to percent and percent to decimal. In the arrows in these sections, you’ll see x 100 and ÷ 100. It think it’s important that students understand that these are the operations being used for these conversions before giving them a shortcut, so I let them use calculators to complete the examples. Once the examples are complete, I ask the students to look for the pattern – what happens to the decimal point in each of these cases?
We decide on the “shortcut” rules together and then write them at the bottom of those sections.

2) The fraction to percent and fraction to decimal sections have the rules written already, so the examples just need to be completed.
I always relate fraction to percent to students grades. By the time we get to this topic during the year, students have been figuring out their grades for months (I never write their percentages on their assessments – they need to calculate
them). They know how to find their percentage if their quiz grade was 6/8 or their test was 48/52. However, sometimes they need a reminder that this official fraction to percent “rule” is the same thing they’ve been doing for months! I have them
write a  little reminder in that section - “just like test grades!”

3)  For percent to fraction, students need to remember that percent means “out of 100,” so the percent number will always go over 100. Then they must reduce.

4)  I find that decimal to fraction is sometimes tricky for students. When they have trouble, I ask them to read the decimal number according to place value (“How do you say this number, using tenths, hundredths, or thousandths, etc.?”). Once
they speak it, they know how to write the fraction – 0.27 is 27 hundredths, which is 27/100. After completing the examples, we discuss the idea that the denominator will be whatever the last decimal place is (10, 100, 1000, etc.) and the numerator will be the digits in the decimal number. We write this rule as simply as possible.

5)  Students then complete the 10 problems around the page. Above each number is the conversion to complete (F to P, P to D, etc.) They can then color the rest of the wheel background. 

I had a great time coloring my answer key! These could make a fun decoration as well:-) 

I hope you can use it!!
Get the Math wheel!
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    Hey there! I'm Ellie - here to share math fun, best practices, and engaging, challenging, easy-prep activities ideas!
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