Do you use task cards in your classroom? I absolutely love task cards because there are so many engaging ways to incorporate them into our daily routine. I use them in whole group lessons, small group centers, and independent learning activities. I love having my task cards organized and on hand so I can quickly grab what I need. Today I wanted to share with you 5 ways to use task cards in the classroom. You’ll also find a FREE set of task cards at the bottom of the post!
Task Card Activity 1: Solve the Room
This is my all-time FAVORITE math center! If you’ve read some of my other posts, you have probably heard me talk about Solve the Room before (because I love it that much!) My kids do this math center every single week. I tape a set of math task cards around the classroom. When my first grade friends visit this center, they grab a clipboard and a recording sheet and walk around the room searching for task cards. They solve the problems on the cards and write their answers on their recording sheet. Students know the procedures for this center so all I have to do is change out the cards each week! If you want to read more about how I manage my math centers, check out this blog post!
You could also do Solve the Room as a whole group activity!
Task Card Activity 2: Quiz Quiz Trade
This is a whole group game that my students absolutely love! It is a great brain break that gets kids up and moving during a lesson. I use this for math task cards as well as phonics. For this activity, it is definitely important to discuss and practice expectations! To play, I give each of my students a task card. Students walk around our classroom with one hand up. They find a partner and give a high five. Students then quiz each other on their task cards. Once both partners have solved the task card, they trade cards and move on to find a new partner. I love this game because all students are engaged and participating!
Task Card Activity 3: Fast Finisher Activity
Task cards are PERFECT for review. After we have learned a math skill, I put a set of task cards with that skill in a drawer my students have access to. If students are finished with their work and have extra time, they know that one of their choices is the Task Card drawer. They can go pick a bag and a recording sheet and work on solving the task cards at their seats. I like to give students an incentive to complete this activity like a fun sticker after they are finished! If students don’t have time to complete all the cards, they can save their recording sheet and go back to it another time.
Task Card Activity 4: Beat the Teacher
This is an activity that I do during a whole group lesson or at my small group table. Each student has a dry erase board. I display a task card using my document camera for all students to see. Everyone (including me!) solves the card on their dry erase board. I then call on a student to come show their work. We discuss the answer together. If students solved the task card correctly, they give themselves a tally at the top of their board. I then show students my dry erase board. Sometimes I purposefully make mistakes so we can figure out together what I did wrong. Students LOVE correcting my mistakes! They try to earn 5 tallies (or more! Whatever we have time for) before I do!
Task Card Activity 5: Small group intervention
If there is a specific, previously taught skill that an individual or a small group of students haven’t mastered, task cards are such an easy intervention activity! In the morning when students are working on morning work, (or anytime throughout the day that I have a few extra minutes) I’ll pull students to my table and we’ll work through task cards together. I’ll model strategies for solving then give students time to practice individually. I usually turn the task cards over and have each student choose a card. Students solve the problem on their dry erase board, then when they are finished, they show me to the board to check their work. If they are correct, they put their task card back in the center of the table and choose a new card to work on.
There you go! 5 ways to use task cards in the classroom! You can find my math task card bundle that you can use all year long to cover over 40 math skills here!
Grab your FREE set of task cards here!
Are you planning on using one of these task card activities in your classroom? Let me know in the comments!
Hugs!
Kelsey
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