Tame the Holiday Chaos: How to Engage Students with Word Problems Before Christmas Break

Can you actually successfully teach word problems before Christmas break? There is so much excitement that just keeping control can be a teacher challenge. How do you keep students truly engaged and challenged when they are so excited?

You can USE their excitement. Really!

• Make everything a challenge.
• Keep on giving them new learning.
• Make it FUN.
• Furthermore, center your lessons around snow (even if you don’t have any). Frosty, the Whos, Rudolf, and other fun Christmas characters will help hold the attention of all those bundles of energy.

You will actually build on their Christmas excitement for total teaching success!

Using these teaching strategies, I created these no-prep Christmas word problems for third grade. There are also sets for fourth and second grades in my store. Links are at the end of this post. If you have early finishers or gifted students who need more extensions, check out this post for tips and ideas!

These word problems are rigorous.

 

They are fun.

 

The Christmas word problems are differentiated.

 

Previously taught skills are reviewed.

 

And… we love these Christmas word problems!

Each Christmas word problem has the format for a Visual Representation, Equation, and Words. These steps were created for the purpose of sense-making instead of using tricks and keywords. Students must understand what the problem is asking by completing the graphic organizer. Students are successful when they take time to think and write about their solutions.

The “Convince Me” section is a great Math Talk starter and encourages students to use math vocabulary and proofs.

 

Our kids loooved solving these word problems in pairs. Giving them a candy cane also helped! 😉

 

To make things easier for you, there are posters of Essential Questions and a poster that lists some of the Common Core skills that students will be using to solve each problem.

 

An answer key is also included to help keep your time free during these extra-busy hectic days!

Having this print and go pack of word problems on-hand and ready-to-go will ease the stress of this busy time of year! It is a super resource for fun, yet meaningful Christmas themed problems that will use your students’ excitement in a positive way.

It will keep them engaged, challenged, and learning right up until that last day before Christmas break.

There is always so much math to learn, that taking a “time-out” is just not possible. Use their excitement by giving them challenges that will be fun and keep them engaged and learning. You CAN actually teach before Christmas Break.

 

To receive your free set of 6 word problems appropriate for 2nd, 3rd, and fourth grades, just fill out the form below. You’ll love the graphic organizer that gets kids really thinking about the question being asked! 

 

 

.

You can check out the full packs below. There are 20 problems in each level.

.

For all the details about this third grade Christmas word problem pack, click here.

Click here to find out about the fourth grade pack.

To find out about the second grade problem pack, click here .

And as always . . .