Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Math in a File Folder

This is such a fast and simple idea, but yet it can yield loads of math fun.

All it is is file folders with the foamy stickers in them. That's it.

Then you either ask questions to your students from these folders content, or let them come up with their own questions. It's a good small group activity, or something to give to that early finisher and ask them to write their own problems.

Let me demonstrate:



This first folder was a bit of a fail. I did two different colors, but I should have also varied the sizes to give it another dimension.

But I could ask questions like:
  • What part of the whole are the green/blue flowers? (part-part-whole concept).
  • How many total petals are there? (multiplication).



Here we have a lot of ways we could go:

-How many total sheep/cows? (counting)
-How many are purple animals out of the whole? (part-part-whole)
-What fraction of the purple animals are sheep? (fractions)
-How many more purple cows are there than yellow sheep? (comparative subtraction)



When the animals (or object) are all the same in the folder, you can do multiplication problems.

-How many total legs?
-How many total spots on their backs?

And if they are different colors you can do part-part-whole/fraction problems.

-What part/fraction are red?


Get the idea?

The possibilities are endless!

1 comment:

Sneaker Teacher said...

Cute idea! I absolutely love making great games with lower cost materials as opposed to buying expensive ones from teacher stores! Sometimes I look on the educational games/teacher store sites and find things I like then try to recreate them in a more cost effective way.

LOVE IT!