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1. Solve 'N Switch - Students work in pairs and each pair gets their own “deck” of cards. Each partner takes a card and solves it. Then, the students switch cards and solve the problem again. They can compare answers and discuss if their answers don’t match. When their answer is correct, they move on to the next cards in the stack. I love using this, but it does take many “decks” of cards.
2. Tic-Tac-Toe - Students work in pairs and each pair gets their own “deck” of cards. They draw a tic tac toe grid. One student will choose a card from the face down stack. The student will work the problem on the card. If they are correct, they get to put an X or an O on the board. Then, the next student takes their turn.
3. Mix, Pair, Share - This is a Kagan cooperative learning strategy. This is similar to Quiz, Quiz, Trade. Music is played while students walk (or dance LOL) around the room. When the music stops, they freeze and pair up with the student closest to them. They share the problem on their cards and work the problems. When all of the students have solved their problems, the music starts again.
4. Traditional Partner Games - Students work in pairs and each pair gets their own “deck” of cards. A student will draw a card and solve the problem on it. If they are correct, they get to take their turn, if they are incorrect, they miss their turn. The students continue playing until someone wins the game. My favorite partner games to use are checkers and Connect Four.
5. Scoot! - It’s helpful if the desks are moved into a circle for this game, but it’s not necessary. Give each student a task card and they work the problem on an answer sheet or scratch paper. Then, students move to the next desk when you say “Scoot!” or “Rotate!”. When the students have gone through a certain amount of cards, go over the solutions as a class. My students don’t really like this one because they only have a certain amount of time to complete this card. However, I like it because it helps me see how long it is taking them to solve certain kinds of problems. It’s helpful for me if I’m having a hard time gauging their understanding with other formative assessments.
I hope you found some useful ideas! You can always find task cards in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. How do you use task cards in your classroom?
