It’s that time of year again! Time for a math review! You have covered a lot of math skills this year, and the idea of reviewing them may seem a little overwhelming. How do you review so much content and keep your students engaged?
Have no fear. I have the ultimate math review game for you! This activity is comprehensive, engaging, standards-based, and easy to use. Let’s jump right in!
Math Review Tournament
I love March Madness. The craziness of the tournament always reminds me of the craziness of state test preparations. So much is happening all at one time!
This math review is set up in a tournament format but is meant to be used so students compete against themselves, not each other. This allows students to work independently and develop their math skills. It has everything you need to run a Math Madness tournament in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom.
Take a look at this project up close!
Getting Started
The best way to get started with this project is to let students create their teams. They can create a team name, mascot, and jersey. This helps students to build their excitement to start playing the game.
Tournament basics
The math review bracket is set up like a regular 64-team tournament. There are a total of 6 “games” that can be played. One for each standard domain you’ve covered this year (place value, operations and algebraic thinking, fractions, measurement, and geometry), plus a mixed skills game.
Each student gets their bracket, and they put their team name in the round of 64. You select which “game” you want them to start with, and they work to complete it. When that student has correctly completed that worksheet, they win their game and move on to the next round.
Students keep working on each game until they reach the championship (normally the mixed skills) and the game ends.
Students are not competing against each other in the brackets but rather just trying to win their games by correctly completing each activity and then moving on. This allows students never to be “knocked” out of the tournament and allows each student to complete the entire math review.
Overtime
Want to make things exciting? The math review includes two overtime games that you could give students. So, if they finish their game, you can tell them it went into overtime, and they have another activity to complete. These two overtime games focus on problem-solving and are a great option for early finishers.
Championship
Once students have correctly completed each activity, they have won their tournament. There is a trophy page that you can present to them and congratulate them on their hard work!
Modifications
Discover how you can make this tournament work for you and your students.
-Multiple brackets are included, so you can shorten the tournament and only complete a few activities.
-It also comes with a print, color, and digital version. So you can find just the right fit for your class.
-This review is created so each student completes against themselves. But you could also have students work with partners or in groups and compete against each other. There are so many options!
Get Creative!
This best-selling activity has been used in classrooms nationwide, and teachers have added their twists in many fun ways! Look at some great ideas for making this review even more engaging!
Kelly H. said, “My students LOVED this so much! I made it into a march madness competition, and they could take shots in the basket after they finished each round to score extra points.”
Jennifer V. said, “My students loved it and were engaged for the game’s duration. I had students work in pairs and check their work after each quarter. If they fouled (missed any questions), I circled the wrong answer, and they had to fix it. Once all answers for the quarter were correct, each partner could shoot the ball and try to make a basket- 3 points each if there were no fouls, 2 points for one foul, and 1 point for two or more fouls. We kept score all week, and my class had so much fun. They hardly knew they were learning.”
My Place in Primary said, “My students loved this math review activity! They couldn’t wait to get to the next game! Once they “won,” they got to pick a basketball sticker and key chain. It was such a fun way to review before our big test!”
Teachers are so creative. They never cease to amaze me at the lengths they go to help their students.
Math Madness is standards-based and available in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade standards. Win big with your students with this engaging math review game! Grab yours today!
No Comments