Random Grouping Cards

I created these FOREVER ago, but haven't used them since the pandemic. However I decided to bring them back and give them a face lift and share them with you all!

These random grouping cards allow you to create random groups in your classroom in a fun way that gets students up out of their seats. I enjoy using these because it eliminates the groups of friends that join together when you ask students to pick their own partners or groups. I don't like that there are always a few students who are left out because they are new or do not have friends in the classroom.

The first few times you use them it can take longer than expected for students to figure out the groups. I often start using them during the first week of school so students are comfortable using them after a month or so. Just as an FYI, I do not use these every time I group students together. As mentioned, it can be time consuming and let's be honest, sometimes I want to create specific groups.

The version that I use with my upper elementary students has multiple grouping options on one card. I like that I only have to keep up with one set of cards.

The grouping cards can be used to create groups of 2, groups of 3, groups of 4, and groups of 5. You can also use the numbers in the middle to create different groups as well. For example, odds and evens. The top right images are for partners/groups of 2. The top right images are for groups of 3. The bottom left images are for groups of 4 and the bottom right images are for groups of 5.

Some of the cards are customized for the area that I teach in. I used 3 local universities, 3 local professional sports teams, and the state I live in with the surrounding states. There are slides at the end that include a blank space so you can customize them.

I also created cards that have individual pictures on them for each group. These would be better for younger elementary students who may get confused with multiple images on a card. You can find the links to those on the second slide of the file.

Click below to get your FREE copy of these random grouping cards!

Random Grouping Cards

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"I'm Done, Now What Do I Do?"

This question never goes away. 

Whether you are in the school building teaching or teaching virtually, the question, I'm done, now what do I do seems to get asked at least once per class period. When teaching in the school building, I always have bins or things set up for the students to do either independently or with a partner when they have finished their work.

Now that I am teaching virtually, I realized that I need to have something set up for the students to do when they have finished their work. Originally, I would tell them that they could just log off the live session and work on any assignments that they may need to complete in any of their classes. But now that our state is mandating the students be live with us for a certain amount of time, I wanted to give them a choice of things that they could do while still staying in the live session.

The first thing that they must do is check Google Classroom and make sure that there are no assignments that need to be completed. Because I only teach them math, I am only requiring they check their math assignments so that I am not getting questions asked about other content areas that I may not know the answers to. I am learning that many of the students are not finishing their assignments, or maybe they are finishing them, but just not turning them in on Google Classroom. So I thought if I give them some other things that they could look forward to when they have finished their work, then maybe it will motivate them to do their work or turn it in.

My county uses an intervention program called Dreambox. So that will always be one of their choices of things to do when they are done.

Math Blaster is a website with many online math games for different grade levels. I have it linked to the 5th grade activities. However, this is a box that I may change throughout the year. There may be times that I link to a specific math game. Here are some other math games online that students love to play:

• https://www.mathplayground.com/math-games.html
• https://www.mathgames.com/math-games.htm
• https://mrnussbaum.com/games/math-games
• https://www.coolmathgames.com/
• https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/

Epic is an online platform full of books. While I will encourage them to read a math book every now and then, I also just enjoy promoting a love for reading. Check with your county, because many school districts purchase licenses for some type of online book platform. The local libraries often give access to their online resources for the public school students as well.

The two boxes on the right will be the boxes that I change throughout the school year depending on the topic we are currently learning about in the classroom. The KenKen puzzles is something we did in class during the first week of school, so I wanted to give the kids who like puzzles something to choose from. The place value riddles is an activity I used in my classroom when we were in the school building, so I just created a virtual version for students to complete. Below are some great websites to check out for math activities that could be used in the classroom:

• https://jenniferfindley.com/category/math/
• https://jillianstarrteaching.com/category/math/
• https://games4gains.com/pages/freebies
• https://teachingwithamountainview.com/category/math/

What types of activities are you using for your students to do virtually when they finish their assignments before others?

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