Play to Learn: Guess Who
Guess Who– one of the games we all grew up playing and that we probably have in our game closets, if we have kids. The classic game is a fun way to practice deduction, observation, and strategic questioning skills. Just a quick review of the simple rules of the game Each player randomly selects one character from a separate pile of cards. The goal is to guess the opponent’s chosen character by asking yes-or-no questions about their character’s features. Players take turns asking yes or no questions. Players eliminate characters on their board who don’t match the given features. The…
Play to Learn: Tenzi and More!
Today in the Play to Learn series, we are deep diving into the TENZI family of games! We will begin with the original TENZI game, that began this collection of games. TENZI is an exciting and quick-paced dice game that promotes fast reactions and is very easy to learn. To play TENZI, you roll your 10 dice as quickly as possible. The game comes with instructions for eight additional variations, including SPLITZI, MEGA TENZI, and TENZI TOWER. Playing TENZI helps children develop rapid and confident number recognition while being highly enjoyable and straightforward to play. It’s ideal for early finishers…
Play to Learn: Dice of Fury
The first three games we have looked at in our Play to Learn series have been games that take longer to play. Settlers of Catan, 60-90 minutes Carcassonne, 30-90 minutes Ticket to Ride, 30-60 minutes There are ways that teachers can be creative with how the games are played, saved, collaboratively played across different classes of the day, but sometimes we need quick games. Quick games can still connect to content in the classroom, but are time savers! Here is one of my FAVORITE short games to use in the classroom! Dice of Fury Think Yahtzee, with more…
Top Teacher Picks: Must-Have Games for Home and Classroom from Amazon Prime Day
Welcome to the ultimate guide to my favorite teacher items and math manipulatives, all available at unbeatable prices during Amazon Prime Day! As a dedicated educator, I know how essential it is to have the right tools to enhance the learning experience for our students. From engaging math manipulatives that make abstract concepts tangible to indispensable classroom supplies that keep us organized and efficient, this list has everything you need. Join me as I share my top picks, all at amazing discounts, to help you make the most of this year’s Prime Day deals. Get ready to stock up on…
Play to Learn: Ticket to Ride
The first American Style board game we will look at in the Play to Learn series is Ticket to Ride. This is one of the easier strategy games to play when entering this genre of games. It is in the group of games I first learned how to play and one of the first games I teach and suggest to new groups of gamers! Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure where players gather and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities across North America. Longer routes earn more points. Additional points are awarded to players who…
A Few of My Favorite Things- Non-Curricular Tasks
Within the past few years, Peter Liljedahl’s book, Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics for grades K-12, has blasted off in the mathematics education world! This popular book outlines 14 Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning- all focusing on a math classroom. Over many years of research in a variety of schools and locations, he noticed that students were not thinking about math. Enter his 14 best practices to improve how we get students to think about math. The tasks we give during a math class, based on his research, are based off of years of institutional norms. The way our parents learned…
Math on the Move: Exploring Algebra with TI Rovers
Just a few weeks ago, I was able to work with students in Algebra I classes using the TI-Innovator™ Rover. In New York State, we have end of the year Regents Examinations, which are achievement tests aligned with New York State’s learning standards. This year, the Algebra I Regents was early, which allowed for me to go into schools to use the TI-Innovator™ Rover. Students got to explore math content in a hands on way, while also learning how to code! One of the schools I went to had students compete in Rover Olympics! Each group picked a country to…
Engaging Students with EduProtocols
What are EduProtocols? EduProtocols are instructional lesson frames designed to engage students in learning through critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. EduProtocols can be used with any subject and any grade level, from kindergarten through adult education. The key to the success of EduProtocols is repetition. The original creators are Marlena Hebern and Jon Corippo, and several other authors have since added their voices to the EduProtocol movement. A recent addition is “EduProtocols for Primary,” which fills an important gap that was previously missing. I was lucky to receive an advanced reader’s copy, and it was fabulous! Any content can…
