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At youcubed, we inspire, educate and empower teachers of mathematics, transforming the latest research on mathematics learning into accessible and practical forms.

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We learn better when we are curious, resourceful, resilient and collaborative.

Here are some collections of mathematical activities designed to help you develop these characteristics.

In this film (available here if you live outside the UK) the mathematician Andrew Wiles talks about his personal experience of seeking a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. He describes what it is like to do mathematics, to be creative, to have difficulties, to make mistakes, to persevere, to make progress, to have a dream and love what you are doing so much that you are willing to devote yourself to it for a long time. Of course, each mathematician's experience is different, and most mathematicians do not work alone for such prolonged periods without discussing their work with others, but much of Andrew Wiles' experience is shared amongst mathematicians, and reminds us of the rewards of perseverance in the face of difficulty.

Recommended Books
We have compiled a list of books for young people who are interested in mathematics.

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A collection of resources aimed to help Lower Secondary students to think like mathematicians

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Slow Reveal Graph is an instructional routine that promotes sensemaking about data. This highly engaging routine uses scaffolded visuals and discourse to help students (in K-12 and beyond) make sense of data. As more and more of the graph is revealed, students refine their interpretation and construct meaning, often in surprising ways.

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Steve Wyborney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission.

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170 New Esti-Mysteries - Steve Wyborney’s Blog: I’m on a Learning Mission.

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This school year, I’ll be creating and posting 170 brand new Esti-Mysteries. I’ll be posting a new one nearly every day for the rest of the school year –

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Steve Wyborney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission.

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Welcome to Splat! You are only moments away from a VERY POWERFUL, highly interactive number sense strategy that can be used at any grade level!

This post includes 50 (fifty!) free, downloadable PowerPoint math lessons!

Watch the video, download some (or all) of the lessons, and experience what happens when you unleash this resource in your classroom!

I've been excited to click the Publish button on this post for several weeks! It's time!
UPDATE: The Fraction Splat! Series (with 20 more downloadable lessons) is now available!
After reading this blog post, take a look at THE 12 MOST POPULAR MATH STRATEGIES AND DOWNLOADS ON THIS BLOG.

Splat Through 10
How many dots are under the Splat?

Splat Through 20
How many dots are under the Splat?

Multiple Splats
(Note: Splats that are the same color must cover the same number.)
Splat 3.1 - multiple splats Splat 3.2 - multiple splats Splat 3.3 - multiple splats Splat 3.4 - multiple splats Splat 3.5 - multiple splats
Instant Multiple Splat
(Note: An additional feature of this level is the opportunity to ask, "What could the total be?")

Splat 4.1 - Instant Multiple Splats Splat 4.2 - Instant Multiple Splats Splat 4.3 - Instant Multiple Splats Splat 4.4 - Instant Multiple Splats Splat 4.5 - Instant Multiple Splats
2-Color Splat
(Splats of different colors must have different values.)

Splat 5.1 2-color Splat Splat 5.2 2-color Splat Splat 5.3 2-color Splat Splat 5.4 2-color Splat Splat 5.5 2-color Splat Splat 6.2 Instant 2-color Splat Splat 6.3 Instant 2-color Splat Splat 6.4 Instant 2-color Splat Splat 6.5 Instant 2-color Splat
Instant 2-Variable Splat
(Splats of different colors must have different values. Splats of the same color must have the same value.)
Splat 7.1 Instant 2-variable Splat Splat 7.2 Instant 2-variable Splat Splat 7.3 Instant 2-variable Splat Splat 7.4 Instant 2-variable Splat Splat 7.5 Instant 2-variable Splat
Number Splat
(Note: Only the numbers circled on the screen may be used.)
Splat 8.1 - Number Splat Splat 8.2 - Number Splat Splat 8.3 - Number Splat Splat 8.4 - Number Splat Splat 8.5 - Number Splat Splat 9.1 - Instant Number Splat Splat 9.2 - Instant Number Splat Splat 9.3 - Instant Number Splat Splat 9.4 - Instant Number Splat Splat 9.5 - Instant Number Splat
Instant Number Splat with 2 Variables
(Note: Only the numbers circled on the screen may be used, and Splats of different colors must have different values.)
Splat 10.1 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat Splat 10.2 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat Splat 10.3 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat Splat 10.4 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat Splat 10.5 - Instant 2-Variable Number Splat
NOTE: I wrote each of these lessons using PowerPoint, so I recommend playing them in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint, you may want to download the PowerPoint viewer so that you can play the lessons.

UPDATE: The Fraction Splat! Series (with 20 more downloadable lessons) is now available!
Other Posts and Resources Which May Be of Interest Tiled Area Questions The Maze Hundreds Chart
Introducing Cube Connectors
Provide Massive Space to Notice
Primary Tile Questions
3 Powerful Tile Strategies (and 40 new downloadable pages)
Please take a moment to subscribe to the blog so you'll be notified each time new resources are posted!

I would treasure hearing about your experiences using Splat! to promote number sense in your classroom!

All my best,
Steve

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Splat! - Steve Wyborney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission.

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Welcome to Splat! You are only moments away from a VERY POWERFUL, highly interactive number sense strategy that can be used at any grade level!

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Edtomorrow- Supporting Today's Educators through Restorative Practices PD

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What Is The First Five? - Edtomorrow- Supporting Today's Educators through Restorative Practices PD

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Users pick 1 of the 9 activities from either the Primary or Secondary First Five.

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And this the FB group's Curriculuar task spreadsheet.

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This is a link to the non-curriculuar tasks that is on the FB Building Thinking Classroom Group.

They describe it as ...This is a working document to collect information and resources for non-curricular tasks. As defined in Peter Liljedahl's Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics book, non-curricular tasks are clearly mathematical in nature, but do not map well to specific outcomes or standards specified in the curriculum. These tasks should be highly engaging, rich problem-solving, non-routine tasks. These tasks are used to "prime the class" and set the stage for building a thinking classroom. Then, the class will be ready to move on to curricular thinking tasks.

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A collection of Performance Tasks.

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We have collected some of our favorite performance tasks for you to download and use with your students. Consider scaffolding the tasks so students can build up their perseverance and confidence throughout the year. The goal is for most students to complete one of these independently in 40-60 minutes.

We'll have more offerings for other grade levels soon!

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Performance Tasks - CCSS Math Activities

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CCSS Math Activities provides tools to support K-12 teachers in teaching math by engaging students through activities and tasks and informing teachers about the Smarter Balanced Assessment.

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Here is a link to the spreadsheet that is also posted in our PD Google Classroom so we can take notes on tasks that we try. (Maybe share a solution, or ideas to support the task working with our students.

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This is targeted at elementary but can easily be applied to high school

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Social and emotional learning skills have been part of classrooms for years, albeit often without this label. Recently, though, social-emotional learning skills are showing up explicitly in the curriculum. The revised 2020 Ontario Math Curriculum includes an entire strand dedicated to SEL in Math. Here's how to build these skills in your classroom.

What is social-emotional learning?

Social-emotional learning, in particular how it pertains to the new math curriculum, includes:

identifying and managing emotions

recognizing sources of stress and coping with challenges

maintaining positive motivation and perseverance

building relationships and communicating effectively

developing self-awareness and a sense of identity

thinking critically and creatively

Students need to learn about and practice these skills the same way they practice multiplication facts or work on their reading. These are life skills that can significantly impact student learning and performance.

What does SEL look like in the math classroom?

Social-emotional learning in math class focuses on mindset, perseverance, risk-taking, relationships, and attitude. These are the key indicators that students will build as they interact with the math curriculum's processes and expectations.

For a more detailed explanation, please check out the full curriculum document

Strategies for Building a Growth Mindset in Math

Unfortunately, math traditionally has a bad rep. I'm sure many of the students in your classroom have heard an adult in their life say, "I'm no good at math." or "I'm just not a math person." These statements immediately set our students up with an excuse or reason for failing. We must be extremely careful not to pass these fixed mindsets on to our students!

In my classroom, I have my students regularly reflect on how they feel about a subject or topic. You can do this in your classroom by asking questions such as:

How did today's math make you feel?

What positive and negative ways can you respond when math feels hard?

What can you say to a friend who is struggling with math?

What parts of math feel stressful?

What can you do when you feel stressed out in math class?

What parts of math make you feel successful?

What can friends say to you to make you feel better about math?

What self-talk can you use to help you persevere?

What can we learn from our mistakes in math?

How are mistakes a positive experience in math?

How can you respond appropriately if you disagree with someone during problem-solving activities?

How can you be a good group member?

Having these conversations daily as part of your regular mathematics lessons is a great way to build these skills. They are best embedded into everyday experiences instead of being taught in isolation.

Strategies for Building Perseverance and Risk-Taking in Math

Perseverance is a means of getting through challenging situations. When math is hard, students want to give up. We have already established that they have the excuses they believe will justify that behavior. It is our job to shift that perspective. I believe that a key to building math perseverance is to celebrate mistakes!

In my classroom, we spend a lot of time talking about how mistakes signal that we are growing and learning and that we don't have the opportunity to stretch our brains and make new connections without mistakes. Some ways to do this include:

Celebrate mistakes.

Focus on the process of learning instead of the final result.

Working on challenging problems weekly. I recommend 3-Act Math Tasks for this!

Give students work with mistakes and have them explore what went wrong.

Recognizing there are many ways to solve problems in math. Instead of working on 5 problems during a math period, why not find 5 different ways to solve ONE problem?

Understanding that an unproductive struggle is not the same as a productive struggle and learning to shift in that direction.

Give students time to reflect on their work. Using some of the questions above, students can develop a positive growth mindset and persevere when math gets tricky.

Ask your students questions to guide them toward learning instead of giving them the answers when they struggle.

How to Help Students Shift Their Attitude About Math

The most important thing teachers need to do to help students shift their attitudes about math is to create a supportive environment.

If they feel like mistakes show failure, this won't happen.

If they feel constant pressure to get the "right answer," this won't happen.

If they are laughed at or teased by the teacher or peers for errors, this won't happen.

Students need a learning environment where they feel:

Shifting your feedback during assessment for learning is key. Try focusing on the students' effort instead of whether or not they got the correct answer.

Building your students' social and emotional learning in math class is not an overnight job, but making these skills part of your everyday teaching is a great way to make progress!

If you'd like to get started with SEL in your math class, grab a FREE sample of my resources for Grades 1-3 and 4-6 right here:

I have an entire set of SEL in Math activities for the Grades 1-3 and 4-6 curriculum in Ontario available here:

If you have enjoyed this post, please share it with friends and colleagues on Facebook or pin it on Pinterest:

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How to Spark Social-Emotional Learning in Your Math Classroom - Mrs. Beattie's Classroom Shop

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Social and emotional learning skills have been part of classrooms for years, albeit often without this label. Recently, though, social-emotional learning

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Lots of questions stems organized by what we need students to do while they talk.

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WODB

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This is Which One Doesn't Belong?, a website dedicated to providing thought-provoking puzzles for math teachers and students alike. There are no answers provided as there are many different, correct ways of choosing which one doesn't belong. Enjoy!

Which One Doesn't Belong?

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This is Which One Doesn't Belong?, a website dedicated to providing thought-provoking puzzles for math teachers and students alike. There are no answers provided as there are many different, correct ways of choosing which one doesn't belong. Enjoy!

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Estimation 180

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How do I get started? 1 USE THE FREE MATH LESSONS Estimation 180 Tasks 3-Act Tasks 2 SUBSCRIBE Email Newsletter Podcast

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Visual Patterns

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The number of objects listed under each pattern is for step 43 in that sequence.

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Open Middle

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CHALLENGING MATH PROBLEMS WORTH SOLVING DOWNLOAD OUR FAVORITE PROBLEMS FROM EVERY GRADE LEVEL Get Our Favorite Problems Take The Online Workshop WANT GOOGLE SLIDE VERSIONS OF ALL PROBLEMS? HERE’S OUR GROWING COLLECTION Get Google Slide Versions WANT TO SHARE OPEN MIDDLE WITH OTHERS? CHECK OUT THESE FREE WEBINARS TO HELP TEACHERS RETHINK CLASSWORK Elementary Version