I've rounded up some simple and affordable ideas for teachers and parents to use to encourage logical reasoning skills!  They're all quiet activities that are great for students to work on individually at a desk, or parents can throw them in the car, take to a restaurant or even on a plane for some tech-free entertainment.

​Here are my favorite screen-free activities (affiliate links included) to strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills:
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1) Puzzle Squares:  These were always first to go off the shelf!  Students love rearranging the squares to try to get them all to fit together.  They are harder than they look!  They stack up nicely and easily fit in a ziplock bag.  So easy to throw on a shelf or stick in a purse.

2) Izzi Cards: These little black and white cards are so fun!  You have to arrange them up so the colors match up and see if you can fit them all together.  The box comes with enough cards to divide up into multiple ziplock bags so several students can play at their desk at a time or use them all together to make a larger pattern.

3) 24 Game Cards:  Kids love this game!  If you have not played it, you need to give it a try.  You must use all 4 numbers on the card only once and can add, subtract, multiply, or divide to make 24.  Such a great way to help improve mental math skills.  You can play it individually or as a group and see who can come up with an answer the fastest.  I always kept a stack of cards available for my students that wanted to practice - they got pretty competitive!

4) The Triangle Game: Such a classic.  So simple, but kids love it!  I keep mine in a ziplock bag for easy transfer and storage.

​5) A Tangram Set:  I have a few different tangram sets that I put in ziplock bags.  Great for developing spatial awareness and problem solving skills!

6) KenKen and Sudoku Puzzles: Many of my students loved to do KenKen or Sudoku puzzles so I would tear some out of a book to have available or find some free ones online to print.  For those of you who haven't tried KenKen puzzles before, they're like sudoku puzzles but use basic math operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division).  

​7) Kanoodle: This puzzle kit has 12 different colored pieces that you must fit together to match the diagram.  It comes with a little book of 200 different puzzles that start pretty simple but work up to deceptively hard 3-D puzzles!  So great for improving critical thinking and problem-solving skills.  My first-grader can do the puzzles at the beginning, but the 3-D ones are hard even for me!  It comes with a little carrying case that's small and easily fits in my purse.  My daughter likes to do these on long car trips.

 
8) Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles: I used to have a whole stack of books with fun brain teasers and logic puzzles.  I would tear out a few pages and make copies to have available for students.  Sarah Carter has a whole slew of free printable ideas over at her blog, Math Equals Love, that you should check out if you need some ideas!  I would recommend laminating them so you can reuse them!

What about you?  Any activities you think I should add to the list? Let me know in the comments!

There's no question that cell phones can be a huge distraction for students.  It's an issue that's impossible to ignore.  Cell phone addiction is a real thing.  I've had students who would rather be expelled than be separated from their phones.  So what's a teacher to do?  Embrace technology and try to have students use them in productive ways? Or find ways to keep phones out of sight?  I've found that a combination of both strategies is helpful.  Smartphones can be an amazing learning tool, but they can also be extremely distracting.  We all know that there are students who will bring their phones to class even if they're banned.  So how can teachers use them to enhance learning and also make sure they're put away at the appropriate times?  Here are a few ideas:

Have you heard of this app?? Pocket Points is an amazing way to reward students for staying off their phones in your class.  Not an affiliate link, I just really like the app!  It's free for teachers and you can set up your own rewards (think extra credit, snack rewards, tardy passes, deadline exemptions, etc.)  You can set a goal for how long you want them to be off their phones and the app keeps track of their phone use.  Not only can students earn the rewards you set up, but they can also earn local and online deals.  They've got free Chic-fil-A sandwiches, discounts at Papa Johns, and more!  Using Pocket Points is an easy, non-punitive way to track phone use and reward students for using their phones at appropriate times. 

One easy and fairly low-tech way to use smartphones in a productive way is to use them to scan QR codes!  Use a free QR code generator like this one to create your own.  You can create QR codes that link to an answer key, an image, a website, and more!  All students need to do is download a free QR reader.  You can even create scavenger hunts using QR codes.  Check out my Algebra 1 Review Task Cards or my Multi-Step Equations Scavenger Hunt with QR codes to see some examples of how you could use QR codes in your math classroom.  

Desmos is so much more than an online graphing calculator!  They have tons of free online activities.  One of my favorite features is their card-sort activity.    Here's a free graphing linear equations activity you're welcome to use!  Make sure to check out my post on Desmos Card Sorts to learn how to create your own.

Did you know Google can grade quizzes for you?  You can create a Google Form, assign points and create an answer key.  It's simple to send to students through an email or link and you can even set it up to show students their grade and correct answers once they've completed it!  Check out my Google Quizzes post to learn how to make your own self-grading quizzes.  Or grab my free Midpoint Activity for Google Drive to see more details on how to edit, see scores, and assign to students.

Yes, cell phones can be a great learning tool.  But there are times when we just need them to be put away and make sure they don't come back out.  Anyone else have students who will write with one hand while secretly texting with the other?!  You might consider creating a storage system for cell phones.  If you search Pinterest for ideas, you'll find anything from simple pocket charts to expensive lockers with individual keys.  I've even seen teachers buy large camera cases to lock all the phones up together during class (Check your school's policy before implementing!). 

My current favorite simple solution is to give each student a manila folder with Velcro.  Students can keep the phones at their desk (cuts down on the separation anxiety), but it's very obvious if they try to get their phone out.  It's an affordable solution that doesn't involve taking phones from students, but makes it easy for teachers to ensure the phones are not being used.

What do you do in your classroom?  Do you ban cell phones all together, embrace them, or use a combination of strategies?  If you have solutions, I'd love to hear them!  Let me know in the comments below.

Is it really almost time to go back to school?  I have always had a love-hate relationship with this time of year.  I hate the thought of summer being almost over, but there is just something about the back-to-school aisle that makes me excited for a new year!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and can start the new school year refreshed and excited!  Do you know of more Algebra 1 freebies I should be aware of?  Let me know in the comments!

- Sarah

All the cards are moveable, so students drag the equations and graphs around to match them up.  When they pair them up, they'll show up like this:

They keep moving the cards around until they get all the cards matched up.  

But the best part (in my opinion) is the teacher view while they're working!  I am kicking myself for taking so long to discover this.  Teachers can see student progress as they're working!  It will highlight correct matches in green and incorrect matches in red.  Such an easy way to see which students need help as they're working!

You can even hit the "Anonymize" button if you want to display this up front for the whole class to see.  Desmos also lets you see an overview of which cards students are getting wrong so it's easy for you to address some common misconceptions students are having.

It's so easy to share the activity with students when you're ready for them to try it.  You hit the "Create Class Code" button (you'll want to create separate codes for each class period).

After you create the code, you'll get a screen like the one below that you can display for students or share the link with them in Google Classroom, Moodle, etc.  They can create their own Desmos accounts if you want or they can do the activity without signing in (it just has them type in their name before they start).  

Just an FYI, you can use the code you see above to test it out but the results will show up in my Desmos account, not yours.  You'll want to grab the link below and make a copy of the activity in your own Desmos account so you can see your student results.

Click the button below to try the activity for yourself! 

4) Scroll down to the bottom and click on the green "Show me free stuff!" button.  You can type in a specific topic in the search bar or refine the results by subject and grade level.

5) Click on the deck of cards that you would like to use and click on the Add to Library green button.  Don't forget you can preview the first 4 cards of any deck - make sure to click on full-size preview to see how they work.  Check out my free Order of Operations deck to see an example.

6)  Next, click on Classes.  You can now enter your name and picture (if you want).

You may notice here that the membership information says you only have 5 students.  Don't worry!  You can always use the FastPlay option for free!  I'll go into detail later on in the post, but there's a way for students to use the cards without needing to log in.  The free plan includes unlimited FastPlay for as many students as you need, but it doesn't record their scores.  If you want to be able to see reports for students or create your own decks, you can upgrade your membership plan (and currently at $15 a year for 50 students, that's not a bad deal if you ask me).

7)​ ​Create a classroom.  Click on the blue "New Classroom" button at the bottom.  It will automatically create a name based on what you entered in your profile.  You can click on it and change it to Mrs. Smith's class, 1st period, Algebra 1, or whatever you would like to call the class.  You can also change the username and password for your class.   

8) Add students to your classroom.

Option A: Add the students yourself.  This is probably the best option if you have young students or only a few students.  You can do this by clicking on "Add 1 Student" if you want to enter one at a time, or on "Add Many Students" if you want to add several at once.  If you choose the second option, you just enter the names separated by commas and create a default password.  Students can change this password when they log in (don't worry, you can reset it for those that forget their password!).
Option B:  Let students create their own accounts!  I would recommend this option if you have older students. It's especially nice if you have a lot of students and don't want to type in all their names!  You just share the classroom username and password with your students (write it on the board, post it in your Google classroom, etc.).   Students go to Boom Learning just like you did, but they go to where it says Students and choose "Create Student" to make their own account.

​After they've entered the classroom username and password, they type in their name and create their own password.

9)​ Assign decks to students.  So easy to do!  Go to your library and find a deck that you want students to complete.  ​If you click on the blue "Action" button by the deck, it will give you several options to choose from.  (My Rounding Decimals deck is also free if you're interested.)

I always make the first question ask for the student name and the second question ask for their email address.  This makes it easy to identify the responses later.

If you want to have Google grade the form automatically, you need to change the settings to make it a quiz.  To do this, click on Settings (the gear icon).

Next, click on Quizzes.  Then slide the button over to the ON position where it says "Make this a quiz."

Next, decide when you want students to see their scores and if you'd like them to be able to see the missed questions, correct answers, or the point values for each question.  Click on the question marks for more details on each option.

Google needs to know the correct answers in order to grade the form you created.  Go back to the questions you created in your form.  First, decide if you want the question to be required.  I usually make most questions required so students don't skip one on accident.  Then click on the blue Answer Key link to set the correct answer to your question.

Once you've clicked on Answer Key, you can add the correct answer(s), change the number of points if you want, and can even add feedback for students if you'd like.  Click on the Mark all other answers incorrect box if applicable.  Here's what it looks like for a short answer question:

When your quiz is ready to go, click on the SEND button at the top right of the page.  You can enter student email addresses, get a link to share with students, or grab an embed code.  I usually send it to myself first and take it as a student would to make sure everything is set up how I want!

After your students have taken the assessment, click on RESPONSES to see their scores.  You can create a spreadsheet with their scores or click on the 3 dots to download the scores.  If you click on the 3 dots, you'll also see more options like email notifications or turning the quiz off if you no longer want to accept responses.

Don't have time to make your own Google quizzes?  I've got a whole bunch of Google Drive Activities you may be interested in.  They're all set up to be graded automatically.  They're easy to edit if you want, and then just hit SEND!  If you're looking to save some money, make sure to check out my Algebra 1 Google Drive Activities Bundle.

Never tried Boom Cards?  Your students will LOVE them!  In a nutshell, Boom Cards are digital, self-checking, interactive activities.  Students are shown one question at a time and get instant feedback on their answers!  Check out the short video below to see a few examples, then keep reading to see my top 7 reasons to love them.

Interested in using Boom Cards, but need help getting started? Check out my Complete Guide to Getting Started with Boom Cards to learn how to set up your classroom, create student accounts, and assign decks of cards.   

​Want to learn how to create your own decks?  You'll want to sign up for my Boom Cards Bootcamp! It includes 18 short video tutorials, 100+ images you can use to create your own decks of Boom Cards, and more!