March is here which means that March Madness is about to kick off. Or should we say “jump” off? Each month, I try to engage my students with a fun end of unit review of all they have learned in either Reading/ELA or math. This month our math unit has been Place Value, and we are excited about our March Madness activities!
Overview
This classroom transformation was created around our place value standards. There are five different centers/tasks for students to complete. My class was split into two teams. We kept score by awarding points based on the task, and I used my son’s over the door basketball goal for extra points (discussed below).
Decorations
This was the easiest transformation or end of unit celebration that I have done with my students. I just decorated the door and ordered a ref uniform from Amazon.
Tasks
Students were divided into two teams, but then the teams were divided into two groups (4 groups total). This way there was always one open station for groups to rotate to. Some tasks took longer than others, but I also had a “game clock” set so that students had to rotate after a given time. This kept everyone moving.
- “Hang Time” Key Vocabulary Headband Game
- “Swish” with Scoreboard Greater Than, Less Than or Equal To
- “The Big Dance” Word Problem Roam the Room Task
- “Slam Dunk” Place Value Sort with Goals and Balls
- “Half Court Press” True or False Sort with Tens and Ones
Points
This can be done in many different ways. I chose to bring in an over the door basketball goal. Students will earn points for completed stations (each station gets different points depending on its level of difficulty). I also awarded “free throws, lay ups, and slam dunks” based on behavior, teamwork, and cleanliness. This kept the game interesting between the two teams and the four groups.
Concession Stand
To also allow students to spend their school PBIS bucks, we set up a “concession stand”. Each teacher provided two boxes of juice boxes and a snack for kids to buy. We used popcorn, rice krispy treats, chips, candy, etc. The kids had fun spending their bucks and the extra snack time.
