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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Math may seem like an abstract concept to some students, but it actually exists all around us in the physical world. Help your students tie mathematical concepts to their reality, while making math class fun, different and hands-on. Host a Math Scavenger Hunt!

This article includes instructions for two Math Scavenger Hunt activities - one for elementary school and the other for middle or high school. Printable, downloadable support materials are provided for each.

Math Scavenger Hunt for Elementary School
The scavenger hunt concept is simple: challenge your students to see who can find the most items from a list. In this case the list contains mathematical concepts such as counting, shapes, or fractions, as seen in everyday components of the real world. We've provided a sample list below, which encompasses a variety of basic math concepts, and examples of ways to find those concepts exhibited in nature or manmade objects. Download this list, adapt it to your students' capabilities as desired, and provide a printout to each student.

The students' assignment is to use their imaginations and their grasp of math to find their own unique examples of the concepts on the list. As they find items that illustrate the various concepts, they can either describe their find in writing, or they can take a picture of it. Alternate ideas include collecting photos from magazines or the Internet.

The elementary school list:

Math Principle: Counting

Examples: Find multiple numbers of the same object, such as: eggs in a carton, roses in a garden, or windows in a building. How many do you see?

Math Principle: Addition

Examples: Mom adds her money to Dad's, two teams meet on a playing field, or the total number of windows in a building when a new floor is added (on a construction site). Represent your find as an addition problem.

Math Principle: Subtraction

Examples: A sale sign says $5 off, trees are chopped down in a forest, or someone removes eggs from the carton. Represent your find as a subtraction problem.

Math Principle: Shapes and Geometry

Examples: Windows, signs, pavers or bricks (rectangles), a ball (sphere), a plate (circle), lines in the cross-section of a log (concentric circles) or a pool table ball rack (triangle). How many shapes can you find, and what are the definitions of those shapes?

Math Principle: Fractions or Division

Examples: A sale sign says 10% off, 3 eggs are gone from the carton, half of an apple, or a section of an orange. Represent your find as a division problem, a fraction, a percent, or all of the above.

Taking It to the Next Level
Your scavenger hunt can end once the students have completed their lists, or you can expand the exercise by asking the students to explain how the math concepts were illustrated in their finds, either in a written report or an oral presentation to the class, ala show-and-tell.

If you'd like to add an element of competition to the activity, you can award a prize to the student who finds the most examples for each math concept, or you can have the class vote on which of their classmates' oral presentations made math the most interesting.
Download Elementary School Scavenger Hunt
Math Scavenger Hunt for Middle and High School
We suggest focusing on geometry for the scavenger hunt at this age level and increasing the complexity by requiring that the students not simply find examples of geometry in real life, but also be able to articulate how a variety of geometric functions apply to the objects found, and make the related calculations.

Most students at this age will have access to a phone or some other type of digital camera to record their finds. If this requirement presents any kind of hardship, the students can simply describe or sketch their finds. As an alternate approach, they can collect pictures from magazines or the Internet.

At this level, you need only provide the students with a list of geometric terms (see download) and let them find their own examples. If necessary, the hunt can be preceded by a class discussion of the terms, or the students can look up any terms that may be unfamiliar to them.

Download our list of 20 geometric terms, adapt it to your students' capabilities as desired, and provide a printout to each student.

Reporting on Their Finds
As noted, at this grade level the students will be expected to demonstrate application of geometric concepts and calculations to the objects they've found. You can customize the report requirements based on grade level and areas of class focus.

We recommend asking that each student choose a minimum of 5 of their hunt items and provide the following:

A definition of the term this object illustrates

A description of how the object fits that definition, in mathematical terms

A calculation of the area of the object, the degrees of any associated angles, and all related formulas

Evaluation of the significance of the geometric concept in this object. For example:

Why did nature - or man - design this object in this way? For example, why is a honeycomb composed of hexagons?

What practical concerns are addressed in this design?

What would happen if the support beams in a building were not parallel or perpendicular?

Why must railroad tracks be parallel - and do they truly qualify as parallel lines?

Why must a ball be round?

Are all baseball diamonds symmetrical? Why or why not?

What is the relationship between the various shapes or lines seen in this object?

Challenge your students to use their creativity in determining exactly what is interesting, mathematically-speaking, about the objects in their list. This part of their report should be open-ended, encouraging critical thinking. You can also award extra points for students who are able to devise word problems that reflect one or more of the objects in their lists.

The reports can be either written, or presented to the class orally, ala show-and-tell.

The Competitive Element
Since competition often generates an extra level of engagement, you can award prizes to students based on a variety of elements, such as:

The most unique examples of the geometric terms

The most thorough evaluation of how geometric concepts apply to the objects

The most complex calculations

The most artistic example of geometry in the students' photos

A class vote on which oral presentation made math the most interesting

Download Middle/High School Scavenger Hunt
Once math has obtained real-world relevance, the concepts discussed in class may become both more concrete and more intriguing to your students. At a minimum, this activity will help expand your students' understanding of the scope of math in their lives. For even greater relevance, we encourage you to tie your math lessons to real-world problem-solving, as well as careers requiring math expertise.

Post your own ideas for hands-on math activities in our Comments section.

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Math may seem like an abstract concept to some students, but it actually exists all around us in the physical world. Help your students tie mathematical concepts to their reality, while making math class fun, different and hands-on. Host a Math Scavenger Hunt!

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How to Use Learning Stations in a High School Classroom

Learning stations or centers are very popular in elementary grades, but do they work with older students? Absolutely. In fact, they are an incredible tool for focus and learning. So, if you're wondering how you can use learning stations in a high school classroom, read on! (and if you want some learning stations examples that are ready to use, see the end of the post).

There are so many reasons why I use (and adore) learning stations in my high school classroom, but I'll give you the quick version here:

Learning stations get students to focus on small chunks of learning which keeps them from getting overwhelmed

This focus helps you scaffold skills one at a time and leads to deeper learning

The students have to get up and moving which not only adds variety to the class but also helps the learning process

Students love them!

So how do learning stations work with a class full of teenagers? Let me take you through the steps:

1. Plan your learning stations by starting with the end in mind:

Before you begin, you need to know where you're going. Ask yourself: what is it that I need my kids to know or understand? What skill(s) do they need to work on? At the end of the class, what will be accomplished?
Let me show you what that looks like in my high school classroom:
Pre-Reading Stations give students background information they need before we start a text, like before we begin Shakespeare.

With my Introducing Shakespeare Stations, each station focuses on one part of that information, and when they finish, students have the same information that I used to deliver in a lecture/ hand-out - but in a far more interesting format.

Process Stations require students to go through one step of a process at each station. At the end of the rotation, they will have an outline created for an essay, an essay revised or edited, a poem analyzed, the theme of a text figured out, etc.

Skills-Based Stations require students to work on certain skills and provide time for them to zero in on one skill at a time. For example, by the end of the class, they may have practiced skills for things like descriptive or narrative writing, learned when and how to use transitions, or practiced close reading and note-taking skills.

Chat Stations provide students with topics for discussion, with a different one at each rotation. These could be ideas that they will encounter in a text or real life, and are great for building confidence in students as they get to practice speaking skills in a much smaller group.

2. Break the big task into smaller chunks

Once you decide the purpose and end result of your station activity, you need to decide how you will break it down into small, focused tasks for your kids, ones that will take an equal amount of time.

Sample chat stations:

If you are doing chat stations, you will have one topic per station. For example, when I do Macbeth, we begin with chat stations that have the students reflecting on and discussing topics like peer pressure, guilt, ambition, etc. Each topic is a different station that gets them engaged in the ideas they will encounter in the text (You can grab this free activity here ).

With Animal Farm, I did stand up chat stations. At one they discussed whether true democracy is ever possible. At another, they discussed the characteristics of a good leader. There were five in all and each one zeroed in on a different idea from the novella.

The chunks of an essay:

If you want the students to complete a finished product like an outline or draft, you need to choose activities where the order that they complete the tasks doesn't matter.

For example, when I do pre-writing stations for an essay, I make sure that the students already have a thesis before we start. Then, they can brainstorm ideas for an intro, work on developing one point, or think about research they might need at any point in the rotation.

With revision stations, each one focuses on a different step in the process: students look at idea development at one station, word choice at another, use of research at another, and so on. If you want them to analyze a poem, they might look at structure at station one, use of figurative language at station two, diction at station three, etc.

Scaffolding skills:

For stations that focus on skill building, each station will require the students to work on one skill at a time. These are especially effective because students are able to zero in on one task without getting overwhelmed.

So, if you want your students to work on descriptive writing, one station may have them working on writing imagery, another will ask them to experiment with metaphor, while the next has them play around with personification.

If you want students to learn how to figure out the theme of a story, stations are perfect for showing them the steps of the process they should follow to do so.

For Poetry Analysis , you could have a station where students look at the sound elements of a poem, another that asks them to look for metaphors, and another where they look at imagery. You could also provide a station where students simply respond to the ideas in the poem without any analysis.

Then, when they have moved through each station - taking the time to focus on one element of analysis at a time - they can meet in groups to look at what they have to discern the overall message in the poem.

There are so many ways you can do this, you just need to take some time before you begin to make sure that you divide the tasks up in a logical way. And you know what? If it's not exactly perfect the first time, that's ok!

3. Setting up the learning stations:

So if you want to know how to use learning stations in a high school classroom, you need to start with organization. First of all, you will need to copy the handouts/directions that are required and assemble anything else your students will need:

Each station will need a task card or a sheet of directions that tell students what needs to happen during that rotation.

You may also provide a task sheet where students will do their work. However, if they are not passing the work in (assessment ideas are coming), they can do the work in their notebooks - or on a draft they are writing or a text they are annotating.

If students are required to get information at the station, you may need to photocopy some handouts (or provide a number of computers). If I want them to take notes, I leave four - five copies at the station, so each kid who sits there can use one of the copies to take notes.

When I do revision stations, I provide students with highlighters, post-its, and colored pencils so they can make their revisions visible. So, at each station, I leave a few of each or tell the kids to take their own as they rotate around.

Second, you'll need to set up your desks to create the stations. My classroom has the desks set up in groups of four - five students so we just use what we have.

Before the students arrive, I place the required handouts/tools in the middle of each grouping, and tell them to leave their books, etc. off the desks so there is room for everyone to do their work. If your desks are in rows, you'll just need to move them into groups to create a station.

If you want, you can create title cards or numbers to identify each station. Just take a piece of 8 x 11 paper (card stock works really well for this), fold it over vertically, and write the title or number of the station on it. Then, set it up in the middle of the station.

4. Grouping & timing of the tasks:

There are several ways to approach this. My favorite is to allow students to choose their own groups, especially if the station requires them to work together - they are just more comfortable that way. You can, of course, create the groups so you can separate people who don't work well together.

Grouping can also be used to differentiate, so students who need more time can be given fewer tasks at each station. Basically, you need to think about the needs of your class and set up the groups accordingly. If you are concerned about keep them on task, make sure you read this post where I give you lots of strategies for doing just that.

As far as timing goes, you can set a timer and have students move as a group once the time is up. When I do this, if I notice that the tasks are taking too long, I'll add more time for each rotation. (If it's taking longer because the kids aren't working, I don't. Then they realize that if they don't focus, they don't finish).

You can also choose to have students just move along individually as they finish each task. This works well when the kids are used to using stations and know the procedure.

5. Assessment of station work:

I rarely assess the work the students do at their stations. This is because they are most often skills/process based tasks and they are working on things that you will eventually assess anyway.

For example, when we do revision stations, I will see the work they did on their drafts because they pass them in to me. If I didn't do that, the hope is that I'll "see" the work in the good copy. When they do poetry analysis stations, students are learning how to analyze a poem. This is usually for skill building/confidence before they actually write an analysis, or you could have them use the stations as prewriting before they write an analysis t pass in.

Sometimes, though, you have a class that needs to be held accountable for their work. When I do, I'll take in task sheets to give them a completion grade. I just assess that the work is done; however, there's no reason why you couldn't grade them for correct answers too.

Your role during the activity:

The key to successful stations in a high school classroom is in the teacher's hands. You need to do the organization up front so they are ready to go when the students enter your room. But it's also very important that you are circulating as the students work, so you can help them and keep them on task.

Once students get used to the procedure, they'll be asking to do stations again and again - but there will be some growing pains the first time you do it. Don't be discouraged if it's not completely smooth the first time, because you and the students have to get used to a new way of running the class.

I hope I've helped you get a clearer idea of how to use learning stations in a high school classroom. It may seem scary at first, but I think if you try, you'll start using them as a regular activity with your students. Please leave any questions that you have in the comments! And, if you'd like some ready to go stations, check out the links below - or get them all in my Mega Bundle.

Examples of learning stations that are ready to use in your classroom:

Essay Revision Stations
Essay Planning Stations
Responding to Text Stations
Novel Study Stations
Poetry Analysis Stations
Independent Reading Stations
Figurative Language Stations
Research Skills Stations
Grammar Stations
Introducing Shakespeare Stations
Writing Workshop Stations
Descriptive Writing Stations
Narrative Writing Stations

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How to Use Learning Stations in a High School Classroom

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Learning stations or centers are perfect for the high school classroom. On this post, find out how to use this highly effective strategy.

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Speed dating is a student-centered lesson that accomplishes every teacher's dream: It engages every single student at the exact same time. I know this is a rare feat, especially in the secondary setting, but I am not exaggerating. Speed dating is the real deal. It tricks students into learning and will make your teacher heart warm and fuzzy inside. The best part is that this lesson model is so versatile that you can find a creative way to use it for just about anything!

WHAT IS SPEED DATING?

Speed dating is actually pretty simple, but that's what makes it so powerful! While it looks different depending on the lesson, it's a discussion strategy in which students have mini "speed" discussions with peers. Each round, students rotate to a different peer and discuss a different topic on their discussion "dates." It's engaging because it's student-centered, kinesthetic, interactive, and attention-span friendly.

When you facilitate a speed dating lesson, you will witness shy or reluctant students coming alive, struggling students gaining confidence, and "too cool for school" students having fun! In other words, you'll be able to walk around the room and watch the magic happen (and maybe even join a date or two). Here are 6 ways to implement speed dating in your ELA classroom, just in time for Valentine's Day:

1. SPEED DEBATING

Speed dating involves quick rounds of impromptu debates to practice persuasion & rhetorical appeals/devices. I facilitate this lesson to help my students practice their rhetorical skills during our unit on persuasion. To do this, I use a variety of topics, ranging from silly to serious, so that the debates spark some friendly controversy. Speed debating is great way to incorporate a lot of practice to familiarize students with the strategies and structure of debate.

For more information on speed debating, check out my original blog post HERE or my print-ready lesson HERE.

2. SPEED DISCUSSION

Just like speed debating, this strategy involves mini discussions over essential questions. This helps students critically think, hear different perspectives, and articulate their ideas in a low-risk setting. It's a great way for ALL voices to be heard. I like to use speed discussion during thematic units, as a way to facilitate synthesis of different texts. This strategy is also a great way to expose students to different ideas and perspectives during the pre-writing phase of the writing process.

To create your own speed discussion lesson, you can check out my editable template HERE. For a fun twist on typical icebreakers, you can find my get-to-know-you version of speed discussion HERE.

3. LITERARY ANALYSIS SPEED DATING

Literary analysis speed dating is a form of speed discussion in which students analyze a work of literature. This provides scaffolding and lots of repeated practice of essential ELA skills. If your whole-class discussions are flopping, then this is the perfect way to mix things up and increase engagement. To facilitate a literary analysis speed dating lesson, just find some open-ended questions. You can probably find some on your existing reading guides or worksheets. If not, simply use the standards to craft analysis questions about the author's choices, themes, character development, and more.

You can check out my editable literary analysis speed dating resource for any text HERE.

4. CHARACTER SPEED DATING

There are two different options for character speed dating, but both pair well with any work of literature:

Option 1: This option involves students getting into character! Students will engage in a discussion while playing the roles of different characters with cues, questions, etc. Students can guess who is who at the end of each date. This helps students better understand character interactions and development.

Option 2: Before reading a novel, students can "speed date" the characters through excerpts, dialogue, or other elements & make inferences. This is an engaging and meaningful pre-reading activity that acquaints students with the characters and text!

5. SPEED PRESENTATIONS

Like the name suggests, this means mini-presentations in a one-on-one setting, an engaging and efficient alternative to whole-class presentations. This approach allows students to present in a low-risk way. Students can connect, discuss, and learn from each other during these presentations.

I like to facilitate speed presentations in journalism when students research a current or historical journalist and create a digital poster. During the presentations, I encourage students to "sell" their journalists to their peers like it's a competition. Then, at the end, we vote on the best journalists, and those are the ones that I put on the final test. Students are incredibly engaged in what would otherwise be routine (and maybe even boring) presentations just because it's something different.

This type of speed dating works well for any research project, but it's also a perfect option for sharing writing or independent reading (think speed book talks).

6. PEER FEEDBACK SPEED DATING

This type of speed dating is a method of peer review that breaks down the daunting task of peer editing into small, manageable chunks. Each rotation, students are paired up with a different peer and section of the essay, so that students are not reading through full drafts from their peers, but rather, small components of different essays. For example, the first round is the hook, the second is the thesis, the third is the first topic sentence, etc.

This approach allows students to focus and provide meaningful feedback for their peers. This scaffolded, structured method is much less intimidating, and it helps break up the monotony of peer editing. This speed dating lesson teaches students to think like writers and guides them through the revision process. The best part: You'll have less commenting to do on their drafts!

You can find my editable peer feedback speed dating resource HERE.

I hope these ideas helped you brainstorm a way to implement speed dating in your classroom! If you love the idea of speed dating and want even more engaging strategies, then check out this blog post: 20 Strategies to Try in 2020!

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6 Ways to Use Speed Dating in Your Classroom - Write on With Miss G

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How to implement speed dating in your classroom. Engaging speed dating lesson ideas like speed debating, speed discussion, speed peer feedback, and more.

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A gallery walk activity gets students moving as they explore a range of documents, images, or student work displayed around the classroom.

English & Language Arts

History

Social Studies

Using the strategies from Facing History is almost like an awakening.

- Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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A gallery walk activity gets students moving as they explore a range of documents, images, or student work displayed around the classroom.