Self-checking math activities are my secret sauce to leaving work at WORK. I don’t take anything home to grade because most of my activities give students immediate validation.
The good news? You don’t have to spend any money to make them unless you want to!
This is a great last-minute way to give students the opportunity to check their own answers. As students are working, you can grab your answer key and quickly (and randomly) write out the answers on the board. When students are done with each question, they just need to look at the board to see if they see their answer! Sassy tip: add in a few extra answers so they can’t just guess when it gets down to the last couple of questions.
This option is great if you remember to do it right before you make copies. You just need to write the answers in the corner of each question. This strategy is also a great way to force students to show their work. Many students are focused on simply getting to the answer without showing us how they got this answer. This is an easy solution!
Scavenger hunts require a little more prep (or you can purchase a set online!) but they have two benefits. They get your students up and moving and they’re self-checking! The type of scavenger hunt you need to create or look for is the type that has the answers on the bottom half. That way, when students have their answers, they go around the room to find their answers on the next question.
I don’t know about you but, I love digital activities primarily because they help decrease the stacks of paper that are around the room. Drag and drop activities are one of my favorites because they are super quick to create and simple for students to use. A drag-and-drop activity has questions and an answer bank. Students solve each question and then find their answer in the answer bank. Once they find their answer, they drag and drop it to the question!
Want to create your own drag-and-drop activity?
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I started The Sassy Math Teacher in 2020 to help teachers like you increase classroom engagement and teach with confidence!
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3 Responses
Sometimes I just need a new way of thinking about a classroom dilemma. Thanks for the ideas. I will be trying this out immediately.
Same!! You’re welcome!
Thank you for giving ideas of how students can self-check their answers! It is so important for students to have the ability to work at their own pace but ensure that their answers are correct so they are practicing the correct steps.