Let’s talk about how to use task cards in middle school! I heard about the “task card holders” aka photo boxes that everyone was buying from Michael’s before I even knew what a task card was. Being the Type A person I am, I ran to Michaels to snag a few boxes before my first year of teaching was set to begin!
Once I figured out what the heck a task card was, I was hooked. My photo boxes are now jam-packed with task cards.
Why?
Because task cards are an excellent tool to bust out when you have early-finishers and when you want to get your students engaged in some sort of independent practice or whole-class review.
In this blog post, I’m going to share easy ways you can use task cards in middle school, including:
For independent math practice, one thing you can do is have the task cards at a station.
Task cards come in a variety of types, some have QR codes that lead to the answer, others have the answers on the back (like flashcards), and some don’t have answers at all
Most of mine are the latter, so I give my students a mixed answer key to use to check their answers.
A mixed answer key is just all of the answers scrambled across a piece of paper in no particular order (similar to a word/answer bank). If students see their answer, they know they solved it correctly.
In addition to using task cards as a station, you can also have them ready for early-finishers.
Just hand them a set of cards, a whiteboard + marker, and have them get to work!
One of my favorite ways to use task cards in middle school is with a whole-class review!
1. Bingo
My first experience with Bingo in a math classroom was when I did my practicum in college, except it was called Math-o. When playing Bingo in a math classroom, the BINGO letters aren’t actually used, they are just there to look pretty.
To use task cards for bingo, all you need is some Bingo cards with your task card answers!
You could either:
Display the task card answers on your projector and give students time to copy them onto blank BIngo cards.
or
Head over to BingoBaker.com, insert your answers and have it generate digital or printable cards for you!
2. Gallery Walk
A gallery walk is essentially just a fancy name for a scavenger hunt! You can do this by placing task cards around the room/hallway, or desks.
A fun thing to add is music!
For example, you can play music while students work on their task cards and pause the music each time they need to move to a different card!
3. Speed Dating
To use tasks cards for speed dating, place students in concentric circles. Meaning you have an inner circle facing an outer circle.
Give each student a whiteboard and a marker.
Display a task card on the board using a document camera or use a digital task card.
Give them time to write their answers on their whiteboard.
When you say GO!, students should reveal their whiteboard to their “date” and you should announce the correct answer.
If their answers are correct AND they match, they get a point. If not, they don’t get a point!
At this point, students in the inner circle move to the next seat and you display the next task card.
You can easily get started with making task cards by using a template I have created for you!
It is all done for you in my product Task Card Templates. Simply open up one of the templates in Google Slides and insert your content!
Want to grab the easy-to-use Task Card templates for your classroom? Click here to get yours for just $3.50.
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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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2 Responses
I have used task card before in my math centers or stations. I love the idea of “speed dating”. I cannot wait to try this with my 7th graders! Practicing their skills, using a whiteboard, and a little competition sounds like a win to me! Thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome Natalie!!! Enjoy!!