Differentiated Math Practice For Thanksgiving Leaves One Thankful

Thanksgiving day is quickly approaching, a time for discussing the history of the holiday and the meaning of thankfulness. It also means many kids and teachers eagerly anticipate a fall break. It’s always good to have a few extra materials that blend learning into seasonal events. One good example is this differentiated math practice Thanksgiving color-by-number activity.

Differentiated Math Practice

The package comes with differentiated math practice through varying levels of math skills. The math skills range from Pre-K to eighth grade, meaning everything from color words and single digit addition to fraction and decimal work is included. With that much variety, there’s bound to be a matching skill sheet for every child in your classroom.

After 17 years of teaching 6th grade, I know I can give different sheets to students needing them. I can provide an addition sheet to those IEP students who are still struggling with their first-grade skills. Then I can sit with them and use manipulatives to determine each problem’s sum. Once they have the totals, I can leave them to their own devices to color the pieces.

Most of my students get a sheet on least common multiples, the skill we’ve been working on in class. The teacher will spend most of the class time helping these students decode the problems, remember their steps for LCM, and determine their answers.

And the gifted kids who already have LCM down may get a sheet on multiplying and dividing fractions. They have the basics and need the challenge that fractions can supply.

The Pay Off

Altogether, all the kids in my classroom have their math needs met, but they are all working on the same picture. The best part about all these exercises is that they look the same at a cursory glance. The kids tend not to notice they’re all working on different skills. Or at least they don’t give it a second thought. Even better, regardless of the skill being practiced, all the sheets work out to the exact same answer key. This makes it super quick and easy to grade. It’s the best of both worlds. Therefore, this Thanksgiving differentiated math practice packet allows you to assist all the students and not kill yourself grading on the back end.

So not only does everyone get to cover Thanksgiving in multiple ways, they all get to be thankful. The students are grateful they get to complete math problems uniquely, coloring a picture as they solve problems. And you can be thankful for the entire break by not grading papers. Thus it leaves plenty of time to enjoy friends and family.

I’ve got three great ideas if you’re looking for a Thanksgiving activity more on the social studies/language arts spectrum. 

I wish you a wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating Thanksgiving.