Spend It All!

Here is another math activity that will have your students practicing subtraction of decimals, regrouping, and unit rates!  It's also quick and easy to make!

You will need index cards, scissors, glue and store ads.

Cut out items on sale from the store ad.
I tried to chose items that I know my students would be interested in.

Next, glue them onto index cards.  Try to glue them so that you will have room to write on a section of the index card.  Also, only glue one per card.

You have two options to choose from for this next part.  You can either use markers to write on the cards or you can print out the info and glue it onto the cards.  I chose the easier one. :D

Here is what I came up with!  Notice, on some of the cards students will have to determine unit rates.

Here are some more examples for you.

How do you play "Spend It All"?

Number of players:  2 to 4

Materials:  Paper, pencil and one set of "Spend It All" cards.

Directions:  Place cards face down on the center of the table.  Each player starts with $100.  Player 1 takes a card from the top of the stack.  This represents a purchase.  The card will state the number of items the player must buy.  The player will then subtract the amount from their $100.   Player 2 then repeats the same process.  Each player will have different cards (purchases) each time.  The player to "Spend It All" first is the winner!!!

As you can see, it is great practice for subtraction from zeroes and regrouping.
I would let each group have a calculator so they could check each other's work. This is great for immediate feedback and if the student knows he or she did the math correctly, their confidence level is raised!

Here are some closer looks at the cards.  Hopefully it will give you some ideas! :D

I truly hope this activity is helpful and of use to you! I think that it is good to have students work with something they see everyday outside of school, such as these ads. That way, they can actually realize that math IS important to learn and that they WILL use it in their daily life.  

Jenga Math Review

A while back I posted about a used Jenga game I purchased at a Goodwill store.  Well, I finally finished it!  It took me a while because I didn't really know what to use it for or how to fix it up.

Well, I'm finally done and here is the final product!

I used an old plastic bin I had for
storage since the original
box wasn't in good condition. 

They all fit perfectly!

I used fine point permanent markers to make the game colorful.  I included various types of skills that my students need review on. Since the game blocks were in excellent condition and very smooth, it was easy to write on them with markers. 

TIP:  Use brand new fine tip markers.  For some reason, my used markers bled into the wood. 

One of my student groups already tried it out and they said it was "cool"! 

I hope these tips were helpful.  Let me know what you think!
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UPDATE:  I was able to get a picture of Math Jenga in action.

I have my students seated in groups of four and I rotate stations around the room by groups.  Many students were anxious to get their turn at this station.  :D

Here is another great test review activity available at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Spring Time Math Review - Decimals, Integers, Order of Operations, and more!

Mad Math Skills - Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide, Fractions, Decimals, Integers