Task cards are a great tool to use in the classroom. Do you ever find yourself using task cards the same way every time? Today I’m sharing three ways you can use task cards to show what you know. I’ve used all of these in my own classroom and think you’ll love trying them out in yours.
Show What You Know with A Math Hunt
One of the ways I use task cards is a math hunt. I take all the cards I’m going to use and place them around the room. (out of order) A couple of years ago I got smart and bought these for hanging up the task cards. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? I always taped them up and then when I had to take them down, all of the tape wouldn’t come off. They would start to get yucky from all the tape over the years.
I should note that I make sure that the cards have letters or numbers to identify them. I usually use letters for math because the answers the kids record are usually numbers. This helps to lessen any confusion. For Math hunts, I make sure I have at least one task card for each kid. If I don’t have enough I make doubles. This prevents overcrowding at one task card. I give the kids recording sheets or they record in their math notebook. They go around the room and look for all of the task cards they need answers for. Super simple but gets them moving which makes it different than just solving problems on a worksheet.
When they have found and completed all of the task cards they come to see me so I can check their work. If they have any problems that are incorrect, they go back to correct them. While the kids work I walk around the room to help or answer questions.
Math Game
Another way to show what you know with task cards is a team game. Turn anything into a game and you have instant engagement! I divide the class up into teams with kids that have close to the same math ability. I find it’s the best way to group them. Usually, if I group strugglers with high achievers, the high achievers just tell the strugglers what the answers are.
Decide on a game to play like basketball or football corn hole. (I have a ton of games that I’ve accumulated throughout the years. I usually buy them from Five Below and they are ready to go when I need a quick game.) Make a set of cards for each group. Someone from the group takes a task card, reads it and everyone on the team solves it. Then they check with me to see if they are correct. If they are right, they get a point and a chance to play the game for an extra point. So for example, if we are playing basketball, they have a chance to throw the ball in the hoop for 3 extra points.
What works for me is to keep track of points and how many plays each team gets on paper. Then we all play the game after the task cards are completed. But you could also let teams play for extra points after solving a task card correctly. Do what works for you!
Partner Game
Partner up kids according to ability. Give each pair a set of task cards. Player 1 turns over a card and both players have to solve it. Player 2 checks player 1’s answer. If player 1 gets the right answer, they get a point and get a chance to spin for more. If they don’t get the right answer they get no points. Player 2 turns over a card and both players solve the problem. They repeat the steps to see if player 2 gets the points. After all, the task cards have been solved or time is up, the player with the most points wins!
It’s easy to show what you know using task cards in Math. But there are so many ways you can use them in Reading: vocabulary, character traits, text features, synonyms, and antonyms. I hope you found some good ideas for using task cards in your classroom. If you’re looking for 3rd-grade math task cards, I have some HERE.
