3rd Grade Math Morning Work

About this Resource

This resource is a unique way to get your students warmed up in the morning. The math is aligned to 3rd and 4th grade Common Core Standards and a great way to review critical Math standards throughout the year.

Each month contains 4-5 (except for August) weeks of Math morning work, which will have a theme around the season, national holidays, or events associated with that particular month. The morning work is focused on Math with a sprinkle of Science, a pinch of grammar, and a dash of Daily/Weekly Updates to keep your students engaged and open doors for conversations. At the beginning of the year, the math will be mostly 2nd and 3rd grade review and increase in difficulty throughout the year. The morning work is intended to be a review to keep students engaged, build confidence, and ensure they can complete with independence.

Each week follows the same routine. The focus for each day was created based on fundamental needs I noticed in my own classroom:

• Multiplication & Division
• Number Sense
• Fractions (including Fractions & Decimals).

While these are not the only areas addressed, they are the main focus. Each week follows the same routine and structure:

• Multiplication Monday- Multiplication & Division problems, including problems that scaffold these concepts

• Base Ten Tuesday- All about the Base of our Number System. These problems are centered around our number system and place value.

• Wordless Wednesday- No Word Problems! Students have 3 problems without words.

• Throwback Thursday- Review Day! Other days may offer a review problem, but Thursdays have problems that may come from 2nd grade or the beginning of the year. Thursdays also include problems from other standards such as Measurement, Data, and Geometry.

• Fraction Fun Friday- Nothing says Fun Friday like Fractions! There is always a need to review fractions. By keeping it short, sweet and including a fun personal question, this may help build your students’ confidence in fractions while also keeping it fresh.

By following this same structure each week, students know what to expect while they are also building their confidence in these essential math areas. There are several other benefits from this morning work routine:

• Routine!- Students know exactly what to do when they come in the classroom. Also, we ALWAYS need a few extra minutes due to meetings or other housekeeping duties. Students spend their mornings working on essential math skills and not just “busy work.”

• Short & Sweet- There are only a few problems so the morning work takes about 10 minutes. This also lets you know if students are struggling with a certain skill.

• Fewer Copies- You only need one sheet of paper for the whole week (front and back).

• A Weekly Grade- Establishing this as a weekly grade holds students accountable for their morning work. They get started right away in the morning. You might also go over the problems each morning and allow students to fix their work before turning it in. This is also beneficial because it keeps the students engaged as you go over it, ESPECIALLY if they had difficulty with it. This was also beneficial for students because if the paid attention and “added on to their thinking,” they can earn a good grade that will be added weekly. For students that already struggle, this builds confidence and motivation.

-Jessica

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