Math Talks and Warm Ups

Hey! Happy June! If you are following me on Instagram @myfabulousclass you know I just shared how I use Math Talks and Warm Ups to help my students build fluency in number sence, Addition, and Subtraction. What are Math Talks and Warm-Ups, you ask? It’s a 5 minute chat that you build into your daily math routine. You can use materials you already have, such ten frames, dot cards, number sentences, and more. If you want, I put everything you need all together in my Math Talks and Warm Ups for Building Fluency. I have it ON SALE for a limited time.

I created these Math Warm Ups for Fluency to be used in whole group or in small group. I pick one or two cards to flash through each day. I started out the year by focusing on number sense. I flash a card and ask how many do you see? Later in the year, I focus on addition and subtraction fluency.

Dominos, Ten Frames, and Dot cards are great for building number sense. Hold the card up for a few seconds and ask students how many they see. Start by holding it up for a few seconds. The kids know NOT to shout the answer. I tell kids to wait for the clap to say their answer. This allows all the kids the wait time they need. As the year progresses, I will have students write their answer on their dry erase boards. For fun, I will use number stars (I will show this below) or Bullwinkle (kids hold their hands by their head and show the answer with their fingers).

When I am ready to start talking about addition and subtraction, I like to use these fold over cards. I ask kids how many they see. Then, I ask how many more to make ten (there is also a set for 5). The blank boxes are covered so they can’t count them. Then, I flip the card open and have kids count to check their answer.

These blank and black dot cards are perfect for talking about decomposing a number. How many blank ones do you see? How many block ones are there? How many are there all together. As a fun away to have kids answer, I use these number stars. Kids hold the star with correct answer facing up. This can work for small group and for whole group. The stars are FREE in my Math Tool Kit.

We continue to work on addition with these hidden dot and ten frame cards. How many do you see? How many more to make 5 or 10? Again, great for decomposing numbers. The answer is covered so you can flip it up to give students extra support or to check their answers.

Once your kids have mastered the dots and ten frames, you can move on these Hidden Number cards. How many more to make_____? Kids can say, show, or write the answer. These cards also make a great self checking center.

Finally, I have these FREE Math Tool Kits for you. These have the stars I showed you above. Plus, there is a ten frame, number line, number bond, and number sentence frame.

You can flash a ten frame, domino, or dot card, and have students build it in the ten frame or the number bond. When they are ready, you can have them write the number sentence in on of the number sentence frames. You can have teach them to use a number line to solve how many more to make____. It’s so helpful to have all of these materials prepped and ready to go whenever you may need them.

At the beginning of the year I out these Math Tool Bags together. I out all of the printables in a bag, with a variety of manipulatives. Whether I am teaching whole group, small group, or intervention, it comes in handy to have the kids grab their bag and know that it is all together.

I hope this post gave you a better understanding of how incorporate Math Talks and Warm-ups. Let me know if you have any questions.