Embracing a project-based approach to practicing grade-level math skills can transform your students’ learning from mundane to memorable. Math projects allow students to practice new skills in a real-world setting. They provide relevance and meaning behind the concepts they are learning. Math projects are a must in your upper elementary classroom.
Read to explore a world filled with math project ideas you can use and connect throughout the school year.
Math Project Ideas: What are the benefits?
Real-world math projects are an excellent way for students to practice new math concepts and skills. Here are some benefits of using these math project ideas in your math class…
- They are engaging. Math projects are more than a worksheet. They create a story-like activity that is engaging to students.
- Math projects provide relevance to math skills. These activities show students how to use the new math skills they are learning in the real world.
- Math projects help students build their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students are not just practicing math skills in isolation; projects require students to apply these skills to authentic situations that require critical thinking.
- These activities prepare students for the real world. Students get to practice using real math in real-world settings, which will help prepare them for life as they age.
- Math projects can help create lifelong learners. Projects allow students to see that math is all around them. Once they start to notice where they can use math, they will continue to look for new ways to use their skills.
Math projects are a great way to supplement math in your classroom. They have so many benefits for your students. So, what math project ideas should you use? Let’s explore Math City!
Math Project Ideas: What are Math City Projects?
Math City math projects were created to help students make real-world connections with the grade-level math concepts they are learning. Each math project in Math City covers specific standards or math skills.
For example, students will practice place value skills in the bank project. The bakery project will require students to practice their measurement conversion skills. The city park project will test their geometry skills.
Each project is unique to grade-level standards, but the other projects include City Hall, the baseball team, house builders, a pizzeria, a candy shop, a waterpark, and a farm. These projects cover fractions, measurement, place value, computation, and geometry skills.
The Math City Ice Cream Truck covers various grade-level math skills so that you can use it any time of the year. You can use all the pages in the project or choose the ones your students are ready for. This free project includes the only business in the city with wheels. It is fun to introduce your students to Math City and get them hooked! Grab your free math project by clicking one of the links below.
Each grade level of Math City has ten different projects, which cover all the primary math skills required in that grade level. These projects allow students to practice their new math skills meaningfully and engagingly.
All the Math City projects include a regular and differentiated version with more student support. Both versions require students to practice their grade-level skills. The differentiated version may contain extra space, sentence frames, number sentences, and more. The goal is for all students to reap the benefits of using math projects, no matter their skill level.
Each Math City project also has an extension activity, which can be an excellent tool for your early finishers. Some examples include creating currency for the bank, creating a jingle for the candy store, and designing the baseball team logo. These activities are a fun way to wrap up each math project.
Math City projects are engaging and standards-based. They include multiple options that support the unique learners in your classroom.
Math Project Ideas: When can they be used?
Math City projects can be used in various ways. They can be done independently or in groups to practice new skills or review. Add these projects to your small group time, centers, morning work, and more. They also make for a great activity to leave for a sub because they come with all the answer keys needed.
Math City is versatile and easy to make work for your students.
Math Project Ideas: How can they be used throughout the year?
What makes Math CIty special is how it is all connected and can be used throughout the year. Each of these math project ideas is connected to the overall Math City project.
Each project also comes with a file folder-sized city layout map (with and without grids) that students can glue in a file folder. Once they complete each project, they can cut out the building that correlates with that project (e.g., waterpark, farm, etc.) and glue it onto their city map. By the end of the year, they will have created a city with all the collected Math City buildings.
This project works well as a math portfolio displaying all the math skills your students learned and practiced throughout the year. Students can look at the different buildings and remember the math projects and skills they practiced. You can then use their completed Math Cities as a classroom display at open houses, conferences, and more.
Check out your grade level Math City below!
Math City is full of math project ideas that will engage your students. The standards-based projects require students to apply their knowledge to real-world situations. Your students will love completing the individual projects and enjoy creating their entire Math City even more. Math City provides a beautiful learning experience for students and a meaningful way to display all the learning in your upper-grade classroom.
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