Fast forward a year… and I am a huge Boom Learning fan! There are so many uses for boom cards in education, but I think boom cards for math can be most helpful for educators. There are so many possibilities for skill reinforcement and repetition, but in a fun and engaging format! 

If you are wondering how to use boom cards and why they are so helpful, then read on… I’m about to get into the nitty-gritty of why boom cards can be such important math tools. Make sure to read to the bottom for my list of what to look for when buying Boom Decks!

(Looking for Boom Cards to help with Fact Fluency? This Math Facts to 10 Bundle breaks down math facts into groups so that your students can master them sooner!)

What Are Boom Cards and How Do They Work?

The first thing you’ll need to know is how to get started and how to use Boom Cards. Boom Cards are accessed through the Boom Learning website. Here, you can set up a free teacher account where you can see and assign decks to your students. A free account allows you to assign decks to as many students as you like by giving them a special “pin” to access. 

Boom Cards also has a premium version, which allows you to have multiple classrooms and keep track of student data. You can try a free version of the premium version here to try it out.

How To Use Boom Cards

Once you’ve got an account (free or paid), you can start looking for Boom Decks that you’d like to use with your students! These are a set of task cards practicing a certain skill. Students answer using the interactive features of Boom Cards. Sometimes they have to drag and drop, sometimes they have to click on the correct answer, or sometimes they have to type something in.

You can assign different decks to different students. Some decks are free, and others need to be purchased. All of the decks you have downloaded will show up in your library for you to get the special “pin” to send so that students can access them.

Students can use a computer or tablet to access the decks you have assigned them. There is also a Boom cards app that they can be downloaded for them to have easy access to their decks.

All Types of Learners       

One of the very best advantages of using Boom Cards in education is that they can reach students with a variety of different needs. Their interactive nature helps students stay engaged, and also helps them learn using multiple modes. This is perfect for math — it can be so hard to address all students and their needs with a single curriculum.

For example, many Boom Cards have audio on every slide that reads the directions aloud. Some cards might have drag and drop features that are great for highly visual learners. And finally, the keyboard interaction helps kinesthetic learners have hands-on opportunities. 

In fact, I’ve found that using Boom Cards for math is often a favorite practice activity in my classroom. My students love using the iPads to do their Boom decks – even the students who struggle with math!

Repetition and Self-Checking

Boom Cards naturally provide the repetition that students need to master many math skills, especially fact fluency. As students work through Boom Decks (which can include dozens of task cards), they are gaining repetition and practice. 

High quality Boom Decks will provide practice with the same skill using several different modes of understanding. This keeps engagement high during repetition and gives the student a well-rounded knowledge of the concepts.

Furthermore, the self-checking aspect allows students to know right away if they got an answer right or wrong. If they got it wrong, they can redo the same question until they get it right. Or they can press “skip” and come back to it later. This immediate feedback helps students in their learning process, and they can immediately try to fix errors as they go.

Choosing the Right Decks

When looking for the Boom Cards for math, here are some things to look for to help ensure your students will be highly engaged:

• Focus on a specific skill: Boom Decks that have a little bit of everything aren’t as effective as decks that help your students focus on mastering one skill at a time. Look for a set of decks that breaks things down into bite-sized pieces so that your students are getting the reinforcement they need.

• Offers multiple modes of learning: I love finding decks that provide several types of practice for one skill. These can help students who may need multiple modes of learning to understand new things.

• Bright, colorful graphics: Some teachers might not put this high on their priority list, but I think that having Boom Decks that draw kids in with pleasing colors and graphics is hugely helpful, especially for our more reluctant learners!

Data for the Teachers

Finally, I want to talk about how to use the provided data. If you opt for the premium account, you get access to all your student data. This can be useful in providing you with different insights into how your student are doing.

For example, you can see if they show improvement with the same deck over time. You can also see which cards they are having trouble with, to help you find specific skills they need more practice with. The data will also show overall how your class is performing, which can help you adjust your lesson planning throughout the school year.

Boom Cards in Education

While Boom Cards definitely had their moment in the spotlight during the pandemic, I believe they still deserve a place in everyday learning. I have found again and again that they can be a highly engaging and very effective way for students to get extra practice with new math concepts and skills.

How will you use Boom Cards in your classroom? Let me know in the comments! 
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

10 Ways To Have Fun With Math Facts – Yes, It’s Really Possible!

Math Activities 1st Grade Students Absolutely Love

5 Color by Number Worksheet Tips To Actually Help Students With Math

The post What Are Boom Cards And How They Make Math Fun appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Here are my top tips for using color by number worksheet packets to help your students actually get better at math!

In a pinch and looking for something ready-to-go? My color by number worksheet pack is designed to help students master their sums to 10 in a sequential and strategic way. Snag it here.

Tip 1: Choose a Skill To Practice

If you want your color by number worksheets to be effective, you need to have a plan for which skill you are trying to help your students learn.

The most common skill to target is math fact fluency. This is such an important skill for students across all grades to be working on, and color by number math worksheets are certainly a valid source of fluency practice. So depending on your grade level, you can decide if you want your students to be working on math facts with sums to 10, or maybe subtraction, or maybe early multiplication facts. I love using these to help my students learn their addition math facts to 10.

Tip 2: Get Specific

Okay, so let’s say you want your students to practice their addition math facts to 10. Now you need to get even more specific. Which fact fluency skill are you going to zero in on? 

Are your students still learning one more and one less? Did you just teach ways to make 10 and your students need extra practice? The more specific you are, the more meaningful the practice will be. Printing off any old “addition color by number worksheet” is not really going to help your students. But if you find a “doubles and doubles plus one facts color by number worksheet” because that’s what you’re teaching right now – that is going to be helpful!

Possible Specific Skills To Target:

• Identifying Numbers to 10
• Adding 1 or Subtracting 1
• Adding Doubles and Doubles Plus 1 under 10
• Ways to Make 8, 9, and 10
• Subtracting 1 and 2
• Multiplying 1, 2, and 3
• Multiples of 4
• Etc…

You can see those skills get pretty darn specific – as in, they are specific to one or two lessons you would teach. 

This is truly where the gold lies with color by number math worksheets – when you can align them with a specific skill you are teaching at the time.

Tip 3: Teach the Strategy First

Once you know which skill you are targeting, you need to make sure that you first teach the necessary strategies. In other words, the color by number worksheets are a source of application and practice – They certainly aren’t a replacement for your math lesson.

For example, if I want my students to get more practice with one more and one less, I need to first teach them a lesson with several strategies to solve one more and one less problems. For example, we could practice counting up or down on a number line, and then in our heads. Maybe we practice drawing a dot as we count up or down one. Or we practice using our fingers to help us go up or down. Once we’ve gone over these strategies, then I can use the color by number printables as a way to practice these strategies. 

Skipping this step will unfortunately lead to the color by number worksheets becoming meaningless busy work. We don’t want students left to their own devices to find ways to solve each problem on the worksheet. We want them practicing the strategies we taught them!

Tip 4: Differentiate Your Color By Number Worksheet Packs

Inevitably, even if you are teaching the same strategies and skills to all your students, they are going to end up in different places and have different needs. 

One of the best ways to make color by number worksheets a meaningful tool is to differentiate them for your students.

This means different students will be working on different worksheets, depending on which math skills they are currently mastering. One way to do this is to have different sets of color by number worksheets that get progressively harder. Each worksheet set should target a different fluency skill (probably in the order they were taught). Then as students demonstrate mastery with one set of worksheets, they can graduate to the next. 

I find that if I have these worksheets ready to go, it’s easy to have students working on different things. When a student finishes one set, I check to see they’ve reached a good level of independence with that skill. Then I can just hand them the next set.

Tip 5: Change It Up!

Let’s be honest, doing the same thing over and over again can get boring! Even if you have an endless supply of cute pictures for your color by number worksheets, eventually students are going to get tired of doing the same activity.

So even though we’ve established some great habits for making color by number worksheet packs an effective part of your math teaching, we also want to mix in some variety for students.

Did you know that there are lots of different types of color by number printable worksheets? Most people think of a clipart picture divided into different sections that you slowly color in to reveal the image. But there are lots more!

There are secret messages, mazes, pixel pictures, riddles, hidden paths, and probably even more that I don’t know about! Mixing and matching these options will keep students loving their color by number work, even if you’ve been using them all year long.

Color By Number Worksheets Rock!

Hopefully, you now have some great ideas for how to use those super cute color by number worksheet packs you’ve been saving! As long as you’re aligning them with your curriculum and your students’ needs, you can rest assured they are benefiting your students and helping them get stronger with their math skills.

In a pinch and looking for something ready-to-go? My color by number worksheet pack is designed to help students maBy Number Worksheet Pack!

It's already broken down by skill, differentiated into three different parts, and has loads of variety.ster their sums to 10 in a sequential and strategic way. Snag it here.

What do you think? Will you be trying out some color by number worksheets with your students this year? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

You may also be interested in:

Math Activities 1^st Grade Students Will Love

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How To Use Color By Number In The Classroom And Not Feel Guilty

The post 5 Color by Number Worksheet Tips To Actually Help Students With Math appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

When I first heard of them, I had no clue what they were. I remember staring at the little circles and lines and trying to figure out how I was supposed to use these number bonds in kindergarten math.  But I am willing to bet that after reading this blog post, number bonds are going to be your new favorite tool for helping young students understand basic math concepts! So if you want to stop wondering what are number bonds used for, read on!

What Are Number Bonds?

So let’s get right down to the first big question – really, what are number bonds?? I'm going to let you in on a little secret… number bonds are the ultimate visual representation for part-part-whole. 

Basically, a number bond shows three numbers and two lines: two parts and the total when you add the parts together. The two lines connect the parts to the total. Sometimes, the appearance of number bonds varies a little, but that part-part-whole relationship is always there. 

Here are some pictures of number bonds you might see around:

Number Bonds Addition 

So now that we’ve defined a number bond, it’s time for you to learn the secret power of using number bonds in your math lessons! 

The most basic use is to represent an addition problem. The numbers in each part represent the two addends. Then you add those together to get the number in the total.

Missing Total Problems

A number bond addition problem can be shown like this:

The two addends go in the parts of the number bond and the sum goes in the total. This is a common way for students to practice adding. Filling in the total of a number bonds addition problem is the same as filling in the answer to a plus problem. 

Missing Addend Problems

But they can also be a helpful visual for a different kind of addition problem. 

In this number bond addition problem, the total is given but there is one part missing. This provides a helpful visual for students to practice finding missing addends. This type of number bond is also helpful for remembering number pairs to make a certain sum. For example, having students practice with number bonds for 10 is a great way to learn those 10 pairs!

To see more number bonds in action, check out how I use them to help my students master their addition fact fluency!

Number Bonds Subtraction 

Okay, we’ve got number bonds addition down now. But can we also use number bonds for subtraction? You can absolutely practice subtraction with number bonds! In a subtraction problem, the first number is the total. The number you are taking away is one part. And the answer is the other part.

Using a number bond for subtraction can help students better understand the relationship between addition and subtraction. It helps to visualize subtraction as taking away one number pair from a sum to find the other pair.   

I always have students practice taking this type of number bond and writing a matching missing addend problem (we call this a mystery number problem!) as well as a subtraction problem. The more students understand the relationship between addition and subtraction, the stronger their math skills will become.

This is really the beauty of number bonds – they show so clearly how math is related. Finding number pairs, solving for a missing addend, and answering a subtraction problem are all actually the same thing! 

Number Bonds and Word Problems

When students learn to use number bonds in kindergarten, they can continue to use this part-part-whole visual for years and years! And they can more easily build on it as math gets harder. 

For example, most word problems are either asking you to find a missing total or a missing part. If students can learn how to put the facts from word problems into a number bond, then voila – it makes it so much easier to find the answer! I always teach my students to draw a number bond as their first step of solving a word problem.

Addition Word Problems

A number bond can be used to find basic addition problems where there’s a missing total. In this case, the word problem gives two parts that need to be added together. For example, “José received 5 marbles for his birthday and 4 for Christmas. How many does he have all together?” Students can fill in the number bond parts with the numbers given. This then gives them a clear visual to help them write the correct addition problem to find the answer.

Other times, a word problem provides information about the total and one part. For example, “There were 12 birds flying through the air. 7 were red, and the rest were blue. How many were blue?” For a problem like this, students must recognize that they are being given the total in the problem. Then they know to fill in the number bond with the total and one part. From there, they can solve the problem with a missing addend addition problem (I like to call these mystery number problems) or a subtraction problem.

Subtraction Word Problems

In a subtraction problem, students are usually given a total and one part. This can take many forms, which can sometimes confuse students. For example:

• “Jen had 14 baseball cards. She gave 6 away. How many does she have now?”
• “Ahmed made 14 muffins. He ate some, and now there are 6 left. How many did he eat?”
• “Penelope read 6 pages of her book today. If her book is 14 pages long, how many does she have left?”

These subtraction problems are all worded in different ways, with pieces of information in different orders. But they can be solved with the same number bond! I teach my students to recognize when they are being given a total and a part, so that they can fill in their number bond and identify the correct subtraction problem to find the answer.

Number Bonds Rock!

These are just some basic ways to use number bonds to teach foundational math skills to young students. I use them almost every day in math class, and they will continue to be an important part of my teaching.

How are you going to implement number bonds into your math teaching? Tell me in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

You may also be interested in:

Math Activities 1st Grade Students Absolutely Love

20 Terrific Activities and Ideas for Teaching Number Bonds

Making Sense of Number Bonds

The post What Are Number Bonds and Why Are They So Important? appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

This article is all about math activities 1^st grade teachers should always be using!

Hands-On Math Activities

Using manipulatives is a sure way to help your math activities increase engagement and effectiveness. Concrete representations are the best place to start when you’re teaching new material. Here are some of my favorite tools to use if you’re looking to incorporate some hands-on math activities for 1^st grade:

Counters

• There are so many fun kinds of counters you can use! Double-sided math counters, mini erasers, and small animal counters are all fun choices.
• You can use counters to practice number pairs or use them with ten frame or number bond templates.
• Counters can also be offered as manipulative to make give any worksheet or workbook a hands-on option for the students who need it.

Pop-Its

• Pop-its provide a fun hands-on option for math activities. These are great for students who need extra kinesthetic feedback.
• You can use them to practice counting on (students pop a circle down for each number they count on).
• Get a 10×10 pop it to practice counting to 100, counting by tens, or to notice patterns within a hundreds chart.
• You can even make your own ten-frame pop it by trimming them to two rows of 5!
• There are even Pop-It game boards. You can create a math game activity by having students roll the dice and pop down the number they get and add on to try to make it to a certain total.

Ten-Frames

• You can get physical ten frames for your class or students – magnetic ones, plastic ones, or have them as a whiteboard template.
• Use your ten frames for number sense by practicing visual recognition of groups of 5.
• You can also use them for practicing number pairs adding on from 5 (5+1, 5+2, etc).
• And of course you can practice pairs that make 10!

Unifix Cubes:

• Use these cubes to practice counting on – start with any number and then move a cube over for every number as you count up.
• Use two different colors to practice finding different number pairs for a certain sum.
• You can also use cubes inside of ten frames or number bond templates to practice adding on or finding number pairs.

Math Activities With Art

I am a firm believer that the arts can help students learn every subject more richly and deeply. Even math! I use crafts, songs, and movement all the time to help students master new math concepts. The arts provide a huge number of ideas for math enrichment activities.

Math Crafts 

Turn new strategies into a craft by having students use art materials to represent numbers. Crafts are a great example of math activities 1^st grade students will be engaged and excited about

• I love using pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, pom poms, or sequins to represent tens and ones.
• Crafts are especially perfect for units on measurement, time, money, or geometry. These units naturally lend themselves to cut and paste projects that help students apply and review math concepts.
• You can even turn simple practice into a craft by adding in some fun art mediums. Have students use chalk on black paper or glitter pens and it instantly uplifts what would other feel like repetitive work!
• Color by numbers are one of my go-to math activities for 1^st grade, because they incorporate some coloring and art into math. I suggest finding color by numbers that target the specific skill or strategy you’re working on (pairs that make 10, counting on by 2, adding to 10, etc.)

Math Songs

I love turning math concepts into songs. These little ditties not only help students remember things better, but they make everything much more fun. Here are some examples to get you going. They don’t have to be anything fancy!

• A song for Tens and Ones:

“All teen numbers are ten and some ones,

Ten and some ones,

Ten and some ones,

All teen numbers are ten and some ones!

Ten and one are what? 11!

Ten and two are what? 12! Etc.”

• A song for learning trapezoids:

“It looks like a diamond yes that’s true,

But that’s not its name I promise.

4 sides all the same length, what’s it called?

It’s a rhom, it’s a rhom, it’s a rhombus!

Rhom, rhom, rhombus, we call it a rhombus!

Rhom, rhom, rhombus, we call it a rhombus!”

• A song for inequalities:

“The alligator looks for something to eat,

He’s looking for a nice big tasty treat!

One number is bigger, the other is smaller,

Which one is the alligator going to swallow?”

Math Movement Activities

Incorporating dance and movement into any math activities for kids can be so helpful. Our brains work better when we move, so let’s get our students up and out of their seats! These types of exercises are math activities kindergarten, first grade, and even second grade students will enjoy.

• 4 Corners: post math problems in each corner. Then pass out cards that have answer on them to each student. Students then have to find the corner with the problem that matches their card’s answer. Collect the cards, shuffle them, and repeat!
• Let’s Split Them Up: A game to practice number pairs. First, choose a number for your sum. For example, you could decide to practice ways to make 8. Then choose 8 students to stand in the middle. Select one student to split them into two groups by gently moving them to different sides. Then have the student share with the class the number pair they made (for example, “5 + 3 = 8”). Repeat with different students, having each of them split the students in the middle using a different number pair.
• Dance in the Shapes: First, tape lots of outlines of the different shapes you are studying on the ground. Then have students volunteer. Choose a few students to go dance in a specific shape. Play music as the students find the correct shape to stand and dance in. When the music pauses, they have to back to their seats, and it’s time to choose a new group of students.

Math Games Activities

Games are one of the go-to math activities in kindergarten and all the way up to high school. There are so many choices for how to use games as math enrichment activities. Here are some of my top suggestions:

Independent Math Games

These are great because you can have every student work at their own personal level. Two of my favorite options are the mazes from Miss Giraffe on TPT and the independent math game packs from Sweet Firstie Fun on TPT.

Math Card Games

There are so many wonderful card games that can be used as math activities for 1^st grade. Some include:

• Go Fish 10: Instead of trying to get a matching pair, students try to get pairs that add up to 10. This game could be played for any sum, just remove the higher numbered cards.
• Adding War: Each student flips two cards and adds them together. The student with the higher sum gets to take the pile for that turn. Whoever has all the cards at the end wins.
• Slap 10: Students each flip a card. If the two cards add up to 10, they should try to slap the pile. Whoever slaps the pile first gest to take it! If a student slaps but the cards don’t equal 10, the other student gets to keep the pile! Whoever has all the cards at the end wins.

Group Math Games

These can be fun math activities to get the whole class moving and playing together.

• Bingo: Fill a bingo board with math problems. Draw cards that have the answers. Students need to find and cover a square with a problem that matches the answer you drew. Whoever gets 5 in a row gets a bingo!
• Pop: A game for counting practice. First, decide what counting you want to practice (by ones, by twos, counting backwards, counting by fives, by tens, etc.) Then choose one number to be the “pop” number. For example, if we were counting backwards from 20, we might choose 14 to be the “pop” number. Go around in a circle with each students saying the next number in the counting pattern. When it’s a student’s turn to say “14”, they say “pop!” instead, and they stand up. They are now out of the counting circle. Continue with the game (when you get to 0 you would start back at 20), continuing to have students “pop” on the number 14. Whoever is the last student in the circle wins!

Math Activities Online

While I believe that hands-on, off-screen learning should be the first choice for every classroom, I can’t deny that math activities online can be highly appealing and motivating for some students. I started using Boom Cards with my remedial tutoring, and I couldn’t believe what a helpful motivator it became to help with mastering math facts! I personally found Boom Cards to be the most engaging online math activities online option. Most games I found online were pretty basic and just about repetition and memorization.

I got hooked on using Boom Cards, and I ended up creating my own line of Boom Cards! These decks teach, reinforce, and help students master their math facts up to 10. You can check all of my decks out right here, and you can even try out my “Ways to Make 10” deck for free!

Boom Cards can be used as a special treat for students, or as part of a remedial math program for students who are behind.

Well friends, I hope you now have lots of ides for fun math activities for 1^st grade!

Which one of these are you most excited to try out with your students? 
Xoxo Laura

More reading for you:

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Getting the Most Out of Virtual Small Groups

15 Simple and Powerful Small Group Strategies For Addition and Subtraction

30 Active Math Games and Activities for Kids Who Love To Move

The post Math Activities 1st Grade Students Absolutely Love appeared first on Love Grows Learning.