Math Centers Archives - Krejci Creations

4th Grade Test Prep: How to Prepare Students for Success

April 20, 2023 by Krejci Creations

State testing can bring a mix of emotions to both students and teachers. It’s normal to feel stressed, anxious, and worried about these high-stakes tests. On top of that, planning for test prep can bring its own set of challenges. You want to review ALL THE THINGS in a fun and meaningful way…but how? Let’s just say it takes some TEAM-work!

All-Inclusive Test Prep Kit

This 4th grade math test prep kit includes ready-to-teach lessons and activities to use the week before testing.

It covers almost all 4th grade math standards with an emphasis on the more challenging skills that students need to review.

Whole Group Review Lessons

There are 4 interactive PowerPoint lessons to use for whole group instruction. These review lessons focus on heavily tested skills like multi-step word problems, line plots, and fractions. Students can use dry erase boards or math notebooks to follow along.

Take a look at the video previews below for a sample of each lesson!

Day 1 Skills:

1. Add and Subtract Mixed Numbers

2. Line Plots

3. Fractions and Decimals

Day 2 Skills:

1. 2D Figures

2. Measuring Angles

3. Units of Measure

Day 3 Skills:

1. Multi-step Word Problems

2. Place Value Relationships

3. Patterns

Day 4 Skills:

1. Factors and Multiples

2. Prime and Composite Numbers

3. Fraction Comparison and Equivalence

TEAM-Work Stations

After each mini-lesson, students break into TEAM-work stations that include a combination of independent and partner activities.

Their goal is to earn as many checkmarks as possible by completing the assigned tasks.

An editable spreadsheet is provided to help group students. The letters E, A, and M are moveable, so you can rotate the letters each day and easily move students to a new station.

What Do TEAM-Work Stations Look Like?

⭐Teacher Check Station:
Your job is to check in with students and help as needed. Your students will be working on challenging concepts, so they will need your help. Because of this, I do not recommend pulling small groups during this time.

✎ When you witness students working hard and staying on task to complete assignments, check the box in their “Teacher Check” column.

✎ In addition, you can use this time to check their work for accuracy using the provided answer keys.

⭐Electronics Station: Self-Checking Boom Cards
This is an independent station. Students have 4 sets of Test Prep Boom Cards on the topics listed below.

Boom Card Decks:
✎ Area and Perimeter

✎ Long Division

✎ Factors and Multiples

✎ Add and Subtract Fractions and Mixed Numbers

⭐At Your Seat Station: Printable Worksheets (all word problems)
This is another independent station. Students have 4 practice worksheets on the topics listed below.

Skills Include:
✎ Area and Perimeter

✎ 1 and 2-Digit Multiplication and 1-Digit Division

✎ Multiplicative Comparisons

✎ Interpret the Remainder

⭐Math with a Partner Station: Printable Worksheets
This is a partner station. Students have 4 practice worksheets on the topics listed below.

Skills Include:
✎ Add and Subtract Mixed Numbers

✎ Place Value Relationships

✎ Rounding Whole Numbers

✎ Multiply Fractions by Whole Numbers

Additional Test Prep Resources

Test-Taking Strategy Posters
Students can become overwhelmed if there are too many test-taking strategies to remember. Therefore, I have students focus on these 5 simple test-taking tips. These posters are included in the test prep kit…but click the button to grab them for free!

Tips For The Teacher

Tip #1: Set high expectations for your students, and make it clear that rushed and inaccurate work won’t earn them a check mark. I did not check the box if there were two or more errors on one activity. I instead circled the box and had students go back and correct their mistakes. Once the mistakes were fixed, they earned their check.

Tip #2: It’s important to set goals for students to work toward. For instance, if they complete 5 activities, they get a piece of candy. If they complete 10, they get a prize from the treasure chest. If they complete all 16, they get extra recess…whatever works for you! This will help motivate students to persevere when things get tough.

More teacher tips are included to help your TEAM-work stations run smoothly!

You Can Do This!

I used these math test prep lessons and activities with my 4th graders for many years and can tell you firsthand how well they work to prepare students! Grab this 4th Grade Math Test Prep Kit now and let the fun begin!

For more information on this test prep kit, check out Episode 32 of Elementary Math Chat and watch my Instagram Reel below to see this kit in action!

I wish you all the best as you head into state testing. No matter the results, you are a ROCK STAR teacher!

Until next time,

Happy Teaching!

P.S. If you’re interested in even more test prep Boom Cards, my TEST PREP BUNDLE covers all 13 units of 4th grade math. You can also read this BLOG POST for more info!

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Holiday-Themed Math: 4th Grade Activities to Spread Cheer

November 20, 2022 by Krejci Creations

'Tis the Season for Holiday Fun!

With December right around the corner, it’s time to prepare for a month of holiday festivities! Help spread Christmas cheer by incorporating these holiday-themed math activities into your classroom.

Let’s first acknowledge how CUTE this clipart is…I am obsessed! Your students will also be as they work through these Boom Cards on comparing fractions.

Boom Cards require NO PREP–just send students the link on Google Classroom, Schoology, Boom Learning, or whatever platform you use. Since they are self-checking, students receive immediate feedback after each question. They truly do learn from Boom Cards!

Another option is to use Boom Cards in your whole group lesson or display a few questions for a warm-up activity.

There are more holiday-themed math decks on factor pairs, simplest form, and converting improper fractions and mixed numbers.

Holiday-Themed Math Games

Another way to add a touch of holiday cheer to your classroom is with games. Games work well as a math station or choice board activity. Students love playing them, especially when they are decorated in all things Christmas.

Holiday-Themed Math Crafts

Think Christmas crafts are for primary students only? Think again! These Christmas factor trees reinforce prime and composite numbers and extend into prime factorization.

This festive craft even comes with its very own “O Factor Tree” lyrics! Read this blog post for more info!

Holiday-Themed Math Centers

Finally, incorporate holiday-themed resources into your math centers. Task cards, clip cards, and matching activities are my go-to resources for small group centers.

1. Task cards are extremely versatile, easy to differentiate, and provide meaningful practice for students. Since they only solve one card at a time, task cards don’t feel overwhelming like a worksheet sometimes does.

2. Clip cards are an effective resource because of their self-checking feature. Students can use paper clips, clothes pins, a dry-erase marker, or their fingers to clip and check their answers. They can also be used for quiz-quiz-trade, one of my favorite cooperative learning structures!

3. Matching activities have a game-like feel to them, which students love. This festive activity has students match the fractions on the colored ornaments to their simplest form on the tree.

The level of difficulty varies within the trees (tree #1 is the least difficult and tree #10 is the most challenging), therefore allowing students to work at different levels. For a lower prep activity, use the digital version instead!

Want to know more about these holiday-themed math activities? Shop the Christmas section within my TPT store for detailed descriptions, previews, and teacher testimonials.

Until next time,

Happy Holidays!

P.S. Need holiday party and gift ideas for your upper elementary students? I share all of that and more in Episode 21 of Elementary Math Chat! Episode 21: 10 Holiday Party and Gift Ideas for Upper Elementary Students

1-Digit Multiplication Activities Your Students Will Adore!

October 7, 2022 by Krejci Creations

If you’re a 4th grade teacher, you know how much time and effort teaching 1-digit multiplication requires. The various strategies and difficulty levels consume almost an entire month of the curriculum.

Why not make it fun for YOU and YOUR STUDENTS?

One of my favorite small group activities that incorporates a little bit of fun involves milk, cookies, and multiplication…need I say more?

1-Digit Multiplication Match with Milk 'n' Cookies

I created this activity with three objectives in mind: differentiate to meet the needs of all students, keep students engaged and motivated, and help me assess their understanding.

What I didn’t expect was how MUCH my students would enjoy it!

To play this matching game, spread the milk and cookies around your teacher table. The cookies are labeled with 1-digit multiplication problems, and the milks are labeled with the answers.

The goal is simple: Solve the 1-digit multiplication problem on the cookie and find the correct answer on a milk. I had my students make four matches, so they had to solve four multiplication problems.

How to Differentiate this 1-digit multiplication matching game

To differentiate this activity, combine several sets together. For example, when teaching 2-by-1-digit multiplication, include 3-digit questions to challenge your higher students.

The same goes for when teaching 3-digit multiplication (include 4-digit problems). This will ensure that all students have a difficulty level that is just right for them.

A major perk is being able to use this resource for several days and with any strategy such as area model, partial product, and the standard algorithm. In fact, I used it for an entire week, and my students were engaged and motivated each time they sat down to find their milk and cookie matches. Not having to prep a new activity each day will save you much-needed time!

Take a look at this activity in action from my Instagram Reel!

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If you want to motivate students even further, consider giving them an actual cookie when they finish! I only did this on the first day, and let me tell you…their eyes were on the prize as they worked through their 1-digit multiplication problems. Because of this small incentive, they will be excited and ready to work hard when they arrive at your teacher table.

1-Digit Multiplication: Assess Student Understanding

Even before students attempt the multiplication problems, you can assess their confidence and understanding by the cards they choose. Those who choose the 2 x 1-digit multiplication problems are most likely feeling unsure about this skill, so you may need to step in and give them additional support.

On the other hand, students who go straight to the 4 x 1-digit multiplication problems are probably feeling pretty confident, so they might not need your support as much as the others.

Now, while I do love watching students solve challenging problems from the start, it’s more meaningful for me to witness a student begin with the 2 x 1-digit problems and eventually make it to the 4 x 1-digit problems. Your teacher heart will nearly burst as you witness them overcome challenges and work their way up to more difficult problems!

What makes this activity even more meaningful is the amount of error analysis required. Students who cannot find a match must look back and find their mistakes. They might find an answer that is close but not exact, so it forces them to analyze every part of their work. Getting students to check their work is a struggle, but this activity motivates them to do so!

So what are you waiting for? Make a trip to your local Dollar Store, pick up a box of chocolate chip cookies, and grab this 1-Digit Multiplication Milk and Cookies Matching Game!

2 by 1-digit multiplication matching game

3 x 1-digit multiplication matching game

4 x 1-digit multiplication matching game

In case you’re interested, I have lots of 2-digit multiplication tips too!

Until next time,
Happy Teaching!

-Annamarie

P.S. If you need additional ideas for small group activities, I share much more in Episode 13 of Elementary Math Chat! EP 13: 6 Small Group Activities for Every Math Teacher

Math Games – 3 Reasons Why I Switched From Printable to Digital

June 7, 2022 by Krejci Creations

Walk into my classroom on any given day and you’ll see students playing math games. Games spark instant engagement and are a great way to practice math concepts. They teach students important social skills and provide opportunities to build relationships with their peers. Simply put, games are fun…and we want students to have fun, right?

Playing Games in a Pandemic

The pandemic forced me to rethink how I implemented math games in my classroom. Early on, students were not allowed to share materials, so playing a typical board game was out of the question. I was determined to find a way to provide these activities for my students. If there was ever a need for play in the classroom, it was during the pandemic.

Once I figured out how to embed dice in Google Slides, I added game pieces and set the game board as the background. Not only was this fairly simple, but my students also loved playing digital games! As I watched them play, I began to see the benefits of going digital.

Digital vs. Printable

There are 3 main reasons why I prefer digital math games over printable ones. First, all materials (dice, game pieces) are embedded, making them a NO PREP resource and mess-free!

Second, if students don’t finish playing in one class period, they can pick up where they left off the next day and actually finish the game. Students often run out of time with printable games and never finish playing.

The third thing I love about digital games is that I can view their progress at any time and even comment on their game. This creates more accountability and ownership than they had with printable math games.

Bump Game - A classroom Favorite

In this factor game, students roll two dice, add them together, and locate that number on the table. They then cover a baseball which shows a factor of that number. Students love this game because of the ability to “bump” their opponent’s game piece off the board when they also play that space.

However, once a player has two game pieces covering one space, that space is locked and cannot be bumped. The first player to place all 10 of their game pieces on the board wins!

Digital > Printable

Digital games solved every single problem I had with printable games. I no longer had students playing around with materials or throwing dice across the room. Gone were the days of game pieces being spread all over the floor (and so often never put away). Games did not become damaged from poor treatment. Once I went digital, I never went back!

All math games are created using Google Slides, making them super easy to assign to students. I’ve used Google Classroom as well as Schoology, and both platforms are teacher-friendly when it comes to assigning games.

If you haven’t used digital math games, I hope I’ve convinced you to give them a shot! They are perfect for math choice boards and early finishers, and can even be sent home to play as a family.

Click HERE to visit my TPT store where you’ll find over 40 fourth-grade math games to choose from!

If games are your thing, then Episode 18 of Elementary Math Chat is a must-listen! I share 7 review games to play in the classroom, and you can listen HERE or on your preferred listening app!

Until next time,
Happy Teaching!

-Annamarie

P.S. If you like digital resources, read this BLOG POST all about digital Boom Cards!

Subtract Mixed Numbers With Regrouping Using Unifix Cubes

January 7, 2022 by Krejci Creations

Math manipulatives are an essential part of elementary education. For years my go-to manipulatives were base 10 blocks, fraction tiles, and pattern blocks. I used them with place value, subtracting whole numbers, and pretty much every fraction concept, including when I taught students to subtract mixed numbers.

They did help my students learn, but these hands-on resources caused a lot of frustration. Not only did they take a lot of time to pass out and collect, but half of them would also wind up on the floor!

Oh, and the noise…the noise!!! Can we please make all math manipulatives out of foam? I soon discovered a much better resource that would end my frustrations for good.

In 2018, I was lucky enough to attend not one, but TWO of Greg Tang’s conferences. If you ever get the chance to see him, it will change your teacher-life forever!

It was during his conference that I discovered the magic of teaching with unifix cubes. My mind was BLOWN!

Although I had these manipulatives in my classroom, my students mainly used them during indoor recess. In my mind, unifix cubes seemed more suitable for primary grades, so I never considered them when teaching 4th or 5th grade.

But my mindset changed as I watched Greg Tang teach several upper elementary skills using unifix cubes. They quickly became my manipulative of choice and were a regular tool my students used when first learning a concept.

What Sets Unifix Cubes Apart

Remember my beef with manipulatives I mentioned earlier? Well, unifix cubes are different. For starters, they are SUPER EASY to distribute and collect. In addition, they are simple for students to assemble, and because of this, they are much less likely to end up on the floor.

Since learning about unifix cubes, I’ve incorporated them when teaching prime and composite numbers, multiplicative comparisons, and converting improper fractions & mixed numbers. However, my favorite skill to pair unifix cubes with is subtracting mixed numbers with regrouping.

Subtract Mixed Numbers with Regrouping

The first time I used them with this lesson, I was SHOCKED! My students actually understood what they were learning, and they were having FUN!

We then progressed to solving problems without manipulatives. I was in even more shock as I watched my students solve these problems with ease. This strategy was WORKING!

In that moment, I wanted to give Greg Tang a gigantic hug and thank him for sharing his brilliant ideas. So, how exactly do these manipulatives work with subtracting mixed numbers? I’m so glad you asked!

Let me walk you through two examples.

Step 1: Model with Unifix Cubes

To begin, have students model the mixed number they are subtracting from with their unifix cubes. In this example, they would model 3 and 2/5.

Since the denominator is 5, each whole number represents 5/5. Therefore, three groups of 5/5 are placed on the whole number side, and 2/5 are placed on the fraction side.

This first step alone is an important concept for 4th graders!

In fact, I recommend having your students model 3-4 mixed numbers before you even begin subtracting just so they get the hang of it.

Step 2: Regroup the Mixed Number

Next, it’s time to regroup the mixed number in order to subtract the fractional parts.

Modeling with unifix cubes helps students see why they need to regroup. How can they take away 4/5 when they only have 2/5?

By moving one whole over to the fraction side, they will understand why the 3 becomes a 2, and why the 2/5 changes to 7/5. This is the most difficult step, and unifix cubes make this crystal clear.

Step 3: Subtract and Solve

Finally, students subtract the fractions and whole numbers. Make sure to use a variety of denominators to reinforce how they affect regrouping. It’s also important to practice subtracting fractions from whole numbers. Students often struggle when there isn’t a fraction to subtract from.

Example #2
Watch this video to see another example of subtracting mixed numbers from start to finish.

This is from my Subtract Mixed Numbers with Regrouping PowerPoint lesson you can find linked below.

Subtract Mixed Numbers Resources

Are you ready to get started teaching with unifix cubes? I know you are! The work mat used in the examples is FREE and can be used during your whole group lesson or in small groups.

Full page and 4-to-a-page versions are included. Both can be glued in notebooks or placed in dry erase sleeves.

Click the button to grab this freebie!

Subtract Mixed Numbers Task Cards

Task cards are my go-to math resource because of their versatility. Whether used as a daily warm-up, practice for small group centers, or posted around the room for a gallery walk, task cards are effective and easy to use.

The first set includes images of the unifix cubes to reinforce the whole group lesson. The digital version includes moveable pieces to guide students as they solve!

The second set is less guided without the models. The questions increase in difficulty and have students subtract from both mixed numbers and whole numbers.

The editable PowerPoint Lesson includes printable and digital activities to use in math centers. All of these resources will support your students as they learn how to subtract mixed numbers with regrouping!

What Teachers are Saying

Want to know what other teachers are saying about these resources? Looks like I’m not alone in my love for unifix cubes!

Brittanie: “I downloaded your free template using these unifix cubes and used it with my summer school students this year. They instantly made the connection and understood it better than they did during school. They were all saying things like “this makes so much sense now” or “this is so easy this way”.

Kelly: “This was really helpful for teaching my fourth graders about fraction subtraction with regrouping. I never thought to use linking cubes before. I had my students make the problems with the cubes and then used this product on the Smartboard. It was great! Thank you!”

Amanda: “My kids were so stuck on this until I used this resource! Next year I am going to start my unit with this! Thank you!!!”

Teaching with Unifix Cubes

If you’re ready to get started teaching with unifix cubes, be sure to listen to Episode 26 of Elementary Math Chat where I share 4 additional skills you can teach with unifix cubes. This episode will make you love unifix cubes even more!

Listen by clicking the button or through your preferred listening app.

Until next time,
Happy Teaching!

-Annamarie

P.S. If work mats are your thing (and I hope they are), you’ll want to read this BLOG POST!