Build It! : A Hands-On Math Center
Back to school season is here! I recently wrote all about the way that I organize and manage my math block, whether it’s an in-person school year, or a virtual one. You can read about my in-person math block organization HERE, or read about the completely digital math block HERE!
In both of these posts, I talk about my Build It! stations. Build It! is a hands-on learning center that allows students to create objects using the principles of a specific standard or skill. I want to give you guys and inside look at my these centers today, so you can see how they can be incorporated into any teaching environment, and keep your students engaged in the standards they need to know!
Build It!
When you download a digital or printable version of these centers, you will find that there are three different ‘themes’ within one domain. For example, the place value build it themes are: Build a Tower, Build a Zoo, and Build a Monster.
If you assign students the digital version through Google Slides, you could assign where you would like for the students to start, or give your students complete choice! Likewise, with the printable version, you could put all three sets of activities out at the same time and let students work through them for weeks at a time, or swap out a new one every two weeks.
Within each of the themes, students work through over a dozen tasks using the skills for that set. Within the place value center, if students select to ‘build a tower’, they will work through several different prompts to build different types of towers using place value blocks! (Digital manipulatives are included in the digital version!)
My favorite part? The connection back to the standards! Students don’t simply build a tower with place value blocks and move on. They must tell the value of their tower by finding the tens, the ones, and the total value. This is perfect for 1st graders at the end of a place value unit, or 2nd graders near the beginning of the year!
Right now, place value, 2-digit addition, money, and 2-D shapes are available for individual purchase. But, if you purchase the growing bundle, you’ll receive all future sets for FREE as they are completed and added in!