The Best Ideas for 5-Minute Reading Responses

I love being able to conference with my students during their independent reading time, but, as you know limited time makes it impossible to meet with each student every day.  Here are a few ideas ways for your students to respond to their reading that will allow you to peek into their thinking and comprehension when time is short.

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.

Reading Status Updates

Many students are either on social media, or know all about social media and status updates. Put that to good use with a reading status update.  I like to have my students post on their Class Dojo, but you could use SeeSaw, Google Classroom, or even have them go old school with paper and pencil versions posted on the board.

Have students give a quick 2-3 sentence update on what they read that day.  You might want to give them prompts to get them started such as:

• What are you thinking about our wondering about your book right now?
• What predictions can you make?
• How has your character changed?
• How does the setting effect your story?

3-2-1

This activity has students give responses using the 3-2-1 format.  Have them list:

For Fiction:

• 3 things that happened in the story.
• 2 new words they learned or 2 quotes they found interesting.
• 1 thing they are wondering about.

For Non Fiction:

• 3 words that were new or interesting to me.
• 2 facts I learned.
• 1 thing I am curious about or want to learn more about.

Somebody Wanted, But, So, Then

This strategy is a great way to help your students summarize what they read.

The somebody answers - Who is the main character?  

The wanted answers - What does the main character want?

The but answers - What is the problem?

The so answers - How did the main character solve the problem?

The then answers - What was the resolution, or how did the story end?

You can grab a free graphic organizer for the Somebody Wanted But So Then strategy here.

Dear Diary,

Have students imagine that they are one of the characters in the story they are reading.  Then, have them choose an event in the story that involves that character.  Have them write a diary or journal entry about the event from their point of view. Remind them to write in first person and include their emotions, actions, and opinions about what happened.

This Reminds Me Of...

Have students make connections to what they are reading.  Give them the following prompts:

When I read this part: (students will write a part from the text).

I was reminded of: (students will make a connection to their own experiences or another book they have read).

Quote Collector

Have students keep track of quotes they find as they read.  You might offer prompts such as:

• Quotes that tell opinions or feelings
• Quotes that give facts or information
• Quotes that make me wonder about things

Post-It Note Responses

Have students keep a stack of post-it notes close by as they read.  When they have a question, or find an interesting part, they should respond on the post-it.  When you conference with them, you can have them share their post-it notes with you.

Read and Respond Menus

Giving students a choice in their reading response is a great way to add motivation, and helps when they are all at different spots in their books (some are just starting a new book while others are smack in the middle), or if they are reading different genres.

That's why I created Read and Respond forms for my students. Each set contains 5 different forms (3 fiction and 2 non fiction) that can be completed with any book.  Each form has 8 - 13 different prompts for your students to choose from.

You could use one format each month, rotate each week, or pick and choose based on your instructional focus and student needs.

I have also included editable versions so that you can change questions as needed.

I currently have these available for:  

* Second Grade Read and Respond   

* Third Grade Read and Respond    

* Fourth Grade Read and Respond 

* Fifth Grade Read and Respond

   What is your favorite way to have your students respond to their reading?                

 

How To Ease Math Facts Timed Test Anxiety

If you have been a reader of my blog for any length of time, then you know that I use timed math facts tests in my classroom using my Kicking it Math Fluency program. 

I often receive questions from teachers using the program asking about the timing aspect.  They either ask, 

"How many problems should a student complete in one minute?" 

or 

"How do I help students who have anxiety about timed tests?

The answer to the first question is: It depends on the student, but most students can answer 60 math facts problems in under 3 minutes.

This blog post answers the second question, with a story about how I handled it in my classroom, and several tips for how to ease math facts timed test anxiety.

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  

Every year since I have started using the program (almost 10 years now), my students have LOVED it and get mad at me if I ever forget to do it.  And, not only do they love doing it, but they actually know all of their math facts which helps so much when we start doing more math concepts such as reducing fractions or finding equivalent fractions.

Well, a few years ago at Meet the Teacher night almost EVERY single parent came up to me and introduced their child with the line,

 "He/she has great anxiety about taking timed math facts tests, you don't use them do you?"

I almost wondered if a hidden camera was in the classroom as some sort of joke.  

But, there wasn't a hidden camera, so I knew the parents' concerns were valid and I needed to be responsive to my students' needs.  

I came up with a plan to reduce their anxiety. 

I passed out the Kicking It Math Fact folders like I usually do, and explained how to put the sheet protector in the folder so they they could be re-used.  Then I passed out level A of addition.  Even though I usually start with the multiplication version with my 4th graders, I thought that starting a step down would be less stressful and anxiety provoking.

Then I told my students to hold their fingers up in the air.  I told them they were just going to "write the answers" on their forms using their fingers.

One of the students protested, "But, then you won't be able to see if we got them right?"

"This is for you to practice your math facts, so I don't need to know if you are right or wrong, I just want you to practice."

Another student raised their hand, "How much time do we have?"

"As much time as you need. When you finish, bring your folders up to me."

The students began taking the test with their fingers as writing tools. One by one they finished up and turned them into me.  The whole process took about 3 minutes.

The next day, one of the students asked, "Can we write our answers today?"

My response, "Anyone who wants to write their answers using a dry erase marker can."

Every student in the classroom pulled out a marker.  They again, completed the forms and turned them in.  Again, the process took about 3 minutes.  Since they had written their answers, I graded them and replaced them with Set B.  They had all passed.

When I passed out the sets the next day, they were so excited to see they had moved on a level.  

"Are you going to time us today?" One of them asked.

"I will set a timer for anyone who wants to use it.  If you finish after the timer, don't worry, just finish your set like yesterday and turn it in."

I set the timer for 3 minutes since that was about how long it took the past two days for every student to finish. Again, the whole class finished in time, and again, the whole class passed.

From that day forward, we continued using Kicking It Math as I always have, and they were just as excited about earning their belts as my past students had been.

Here are some more tips for helping your students to overcome timed test anxiety.

Tips for Tackling Timed Tests and Math Anxiety

1. Don't Use a Timer.

You don't need to use a timer to use math facts fluency tests.  The process shouldn't take more than 5 minutes as long as you are using 60 questions or less.  If students are taking longer, you may need to help with practicing the facts, or making sure they are actually on task.

2. Reduce the Amount of Facts.

If your students are not successful with the amount of facts you are asking, reduce the number of facts you are asking them to solve.  You can do this by drawing a line halfway through a standard timed test.

My Kicking It Math Facts resource includes a version with less questions asked that doesn't look much different from the standard ones.

3. Use Math Games to Practice.

I love using math games to help my students practice their math facts.  The games sometimes have a timed element, but the focus is on playing the game, so they don't have as much anxiety attached to it.

Here are some games you can use to practice math facts:

Math Facts Dice Game  

Math Facts Who Am I?

Math Facts Erase  

Math Facts Doughnuts Relay

Math Facts Game Capture

4. Practice the test verbally first.

I have my students practice their math facts verbally right before we take the math facts test.  I have practice belts and flashcards included in the Kicking It Math resource, but you could also just have students verbally answer whichever timed test you are using. This will give them additional time to practice and gain confidence before they take the test.

5. Provide Extra Practice

I keep track of my students' progress and try to keep them all at a similar pace.  If I notice that there is too big of a gap between my highest and lowest student (more than 3-5 levels), I provide extra practice to my lowest students to help them catch up.  This might include extra math fact practice in small groups or even additional opportunities to take the tests.

6. Don't Use Them As a Grade

I want my students to know their math facts fluently, so that they can save their working memory for learning the more challenging concepts in math.  I don't need to take a grade to do this.  I use math fact fluency tests as a way to help them practice and strengthen their memory muscles.

Since they are not graded, the pressure is reduced.

7. Help Students Develop a Positive Mindset About Math

My own math anxiety didn't come from timed tests (I'm one of those weird kids who loved them), but instead as a reaction to a particular math teacher.

I had an Algebra teacher who would tell me that I needed to practice my waitressing skills or that I wouldn't even get into a community college whenever I got a problem wrong. It was this constant berating when I made a mistake that made me hate math.

Years later, I had a Calculus teacher who saw mistakes as part of learning, and explained how mistakes grew dendrites in our brains.  He built off what we could do rather than what we couldn't.

We as teachers really can effect whether our students have math anxiety.  To reduce math anxiety, help your students build a positive attitude about math.  

By helping your students to overcome their math anxiety and fear of timed tests, you are not only helping them with their math, but you are changing their perception of themselves as learners!

What other things do you do to help your students overcome math anxiety?

School Supply Color By Number Worksheets

One of my students' favorite activities year after year has been color by number worksheets! I wanted to make a set that could work for not only back to school, but pretty much year round, so that I could use them whenever I needed (hello sub tub!).  These school supply math facts color by number worksheets fit the bill!

I love that they want to practice their addition and multiplication facts while coloring these school supply themed worksheets!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. 

I currently have addition and multiplication versions of these resources.  If you have a request for additional skills, leave a comment below!

Each math facts set comes with (8) school supply themed color by number pages and answer keys.

And... I would be absolutely remiss if I did not share my favorite crayons ever! They color so vibrantly and no more broken crayons!

Pull out the crayons or markers and let your students have fun while learning their math facts with these school supply themed math fact printables!

The Product Game - Multiplication Facts Game

Have you ever had your students play the product game?  It is a fun partner game for helping students to practice their multiplication facts! It is one of my students' favorites and we have played it both in person, and on-line.

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.

If you have ever visited my blog before, then you know I am a big proponent of using games to help students practice their math facts! The Product Game is another one of our favorites!

Not only do students practice their multiplication facts, but, it's a great way to talk about factor pairs and prime and composite numbers.  As students play, they begin making observations about what numbers are on the game board, and patterns that they can find.  So, not only are they practicing their multiplication tables, but they are also developing game strategies!

Materials Needed:

• Printed copies of the Product Game Board (I print several of these out on card stock and laminate for durability.)

• Paper clips or other game markers (1 per student)

•  Game markers in two different colors or varieties.

How to Play the Product Game:

1. Player one puts their paper clip on any number on the factor list.  They don't mark a square on the product grid because only one factor had been marked and it takes two factors to make a product.

2. Player two puts their paper clip on any number on the factor list (this can also be the same factor chosen by player one). They then use one of their game markers to cover the product that results from these two factors.

3. Player one now moves either one of the paper clips to another number and then covers the new product with their own game marker.

4. Each player, then takes turn moving one paper clip and marking a product.  If the product is already marked, the player does not get a mark for that turn.  The winner is the first player to mark four squares in a row.

Variations/Differentiation

We have been able to play this game on-line with me uploading a game board on-line.  You might notice that I changed the products and factors in this game board to differentiate for my students' needs. I also just LOVE the look on her face!

I also found this on-line version where students can play against the computer or a second player.  This would be perfect for a computer or Ipad station or for students to practice their multiplication facts at home.

You can even change this to a sum game  for practicing addition facts by changing the numbers on the board.

I love to keep this activity in rotation throughout the year (my kids even beg to play during indoor recess).  I sometimes change the game markers to make it a bit more festive during the holidays.

You can make it a Christmas game by using mini-erasers from Target.  

A few heart gems from the Dollar Store makes it the perfect Valentine's Day math center!

Have you ever played the Product Game with your students?