Arcademic Skill Builders

ARCADEMIC SKILL BUILDERS is a set of the most AMAZING online games (math/language arts/geography/keyboarding) that kids ACTUALLY want to play!

And here’s why: Students each create a PLAYER and can player multiplayer games AGAINST other students in the class!!!

Here’s how it works!... I've attached a link to my newly created YouTube Channel, where I've recorded step-by-step instructions to creating games and passwords and finding friends/classmates online.  Feel free to show the video to your class in the computer lab if you'd like!

 

And then let it go! After a few tries, the students were able to CREATE games, search for friends’ games, and join on their own.  Even the little ones will get the hang of it! I was amazed to see even my most difficult kids get excited! In a few split-seconds we went from “WHAT?! Math games?! Seriously?” to “WHOA!!! Dude! Join MY game! Join MINE!” They LOVED it.

Mathematic Decathlon

When I had four days to review the entire sixth grade math curriculum, I panicked.  How do I squeeze all of it in? How do I keep my students and myself from going insane? I set aside two dys for a PRACTICE TEST and after a few hours of preparation, I had the two-day Mathematic Decathlon ready to go.

Like the cover page indicates, a decathlon is a series of ten events, usually completed over the course of two consecutive days.  For our Mathematic Decathlon, I prepared ten separate math games and activities that covered ten different math topics.

I set up ten stations and instructed students to complete 5 games each day.  I put them on 10-minute rotations and explicitly taught the behavior expectations for the event as well. After reviewing the directions for each game as a class and going over the instructions for completing the COVER PAGE (below) - I let them go.  ...These kids had a BLAST!

Below I have included links to download the materials for each of the ten Mathematic Decathlon Games. Instruction pages are included. These games would be awesome activities for individual math lessons as well.

ISLAND CONQUER - Coordinate Grids, Area, & Perimeter 

(credit to Laura Candler)

Island Conquer Set-Up

FACTOR RACE - Factors (credit to Laura Candler)

DECIMAL SCOOT - Multiplying Decimals 

(credit to MJ @ Teaching in Heels)

CLICK HERE to download my version of the student directions.

Decimal Scoot Set-Up

SHOW-IT - Decimal Place Value

CLICK HERE to download the Show-It Cards (credit to Laura Candler)

MEMORY MATH - Fractions, Decimals, & Percent

CLICK HERE to download the Memory Math Cards

Student find matches of fractions, decimals, and percents.

BLOCK PARTY - Surface Area

CLICK HERE to download some Nets for prisms and pyramids you could use for this activity.

Students constructing prisms from nets.

TIC-TAC-TOE - Volume (credit to Pearson Education)

BEYOND 10 - Adding & Subtracting Integers

CLICK HERE to download Number Line templates   
(credit to Utah Educational Network)

CLICK HERE to download Number Cards  
(credit to Utah Educational Network)

CLICK HERE to download Star Cards 
(credit to Utah Educational Network)

CLICK HERE to download the Student Recording Sheet 
(credit to Utah Education Network)

Beyond 10 Set-Up

Students practice adding and subtracting integers against a partner.

CLASSROOM WALK ABOUT - Ratios, Simplifying Ratios, & Unit Rates

Students wander and count objects in the classroom to create ratios and find unit rates.

21 - Mean, Median, & Mode

Students use playing cards to practice finding Mean, Median, and Mode.