I love to reuse and recycle our resources, nothing makes me happier because it means the hard work I have put into creating them can benefit my students in various ways over a number of lessons. Especially if you spread them across the year, using the same resource more than once, can keep students engaged while practising the skills they need to develop. Plus, who doesn’t love saving time and brain power?
Without much further ado, here are 8 different (and creative) ways you can use our Number of the Day templates that I can guarantee your students will enjoy:
1. Math Centre task
Laminate or put them in sleeves that can be written on with a whiteboard marker. By using a version where the students can erase easily (not only can you reuse it for each rotation) but the students know it is ok to make a mistake because their answers can easily be changed or fixed as they learn and discover more.
2. Progressive warmup / Intensive revision
Explicitly explain and model a new skill each day and then ask students to practise that skill on their Number of the Day worksheet. The task will be completed over a number of days focusing on one topic at a time. This strategy allows you to focus and hone in on one skill at a time and informally assess students on the run.
3. Formative Assessment or Portfolio piece
Number of the Day is a great tool to gain information on a range of number sense skills to see where students are making connections or missing pieces of the puzzle. It can give you information on where to focus your teaching next and what your students as individuals or a whole have already mastered.
4. Go Digital
Use an app like seesaw to complete digitally OR click here to get a digital version of this BLM using google slides! Using a digital version is an awesome way to mix up the learning for the technology natives in our classroom. (Scared of technology? Read our 5 top tips for implementing technology in the classroom here).
5. Use as an Informative Pre-test
Complete it as one of your first tasks of the year to see where your students are at and if they have any gaps in their learning as a class or individuals. It will help you to decide where to focus your attention. You could also ask your class to repeat at the end of the year and pass onto the future teacher as data that they can use.
6. Break into interactive puzzles
Have numbers displayed around the classroom and ask students to find the number that matches their pieces to the puzzle. You could also give students pieces and ask them to find other class members with matching numbers (the worksheet needs to be complete ahead of time to do this activity, why not repurpose some of your students work that has already been completed to do this variation?)
7. Compare different numbers and their properties
Assist in creating links and understanding how the number system works by comparing and contrasting numbers using this BLM. Ask students to explain what is similar about each number and what is different.
8. Team task + peer mentoring
Students work in a small group and choose a number. They then rotate the worksheet around the group, filling out one task each. Before they start on their task, they need to check the person’s answer before them, they either give it a tick or correct them if it isn’t right. This task is a great way to build classroom community and have students complete a maths worksheet without them even knowing it.
So, there you have it. 8 ways to reuse and repurpose Number of the Day in your classroom! Need this activity in your life? Grab it here.
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What to read next… check out our super easy and fun counting warmup + a freebie!
