Our New Math Contract

I'm especially excited about our most current math learning contract!  This contract incorporates a variety of activities that are definitely engaging the students!   

The activities on the contract are:

• 36 Toothpicks and 24 Squares:  The students will explore area and perimeter through discovering how many different perimeter measurements can be made with an area of 24 square units, as well as how many different area measurements can be made with a perimeter of 36 units.  
• Area and Perimeter Grid Design:  The students will create their own design (picture) on grid paper, using squares and rectangles.  They will then find the area and perimeter of the squares and rectangles, as well as the area and perimeter of their entire design!
• Division Games:  The students have games such as Snowflake Division, Burst the Balloons, Remainders Wanted, and Football Match they will play to practice their division skills.  (All games are FREE on Teachers Pay Teachers!)  The games are differentiated to meet the needs of students who are beginning to understand division, to those who are solving problems with 3-digit dividends and remainders!
• Volume and Surface Area of Boxes:  For this activity, we will have a wide-range of boxes that students will measure and determine the volume and surface area of.  The boxes will range from paper clip boxes to packing boxes!  Using the different size boxes will not only help with students seeing the relationship between the dimensions and volumes of different boxes, but will also help differentiate the activity!
• Volume Match:  This is a basic match game where students match 3-D pictures to their actual volume.  We noticed students were sometimes having trouble looking at a 2-D picture of a 3-D shape (made of cubes) and determining the correct volume, so this activity will help them practice that skill!
• Algebra Wheels:  This is a game where students are solving for variables (Another game that is FREE on Teachers Pay Teachers!).  There are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems on wheels, the students solve for the variables and attach the correct answers (written on clothespins) to the problems in the wheel! 
• Algebra Expression Match:  Another matching game where students read a scenario and match the expression to the scenario.  The students then have numbers to actually solve the expressions.  (Yes, another FREE activity from Teachers Pay Teachers!)
• Life in a Geometrical Town:  The students LOVE this activity!  They create their own town using many different geometrical and measurement skills (types of lines, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, volume).  
• Fraction and Decimal Activities:  We have TONS of games, primarily from the Investigations series where students will practice their fraction and decimal skills.  Again, the activities can be differentiated based on the students' different levels of understanding of fractions and decimals!  

Our students were chomping at the bit to start these activities and are now off to the races with them!   It is wonderful observing how engaged they are during our math time!  :-)