Athletes stretch, jog, and put their bodies through meticulous routines to make sure they're ready to compete at the highest level.
Why shouldn't mathematicians do the same with our minds? (Also, because what teacher doesn't like competing with their kids?)
Here's what I think. For a task, activity, or game to be worth our valuable time, I want to be able to answer "yes" to these questions:
Is it fun?
Is it easy?
Does it make you think? (Bonus points if it makes you think about math.)
Does it build community?
Why these questions? Because this is how I want my students to see my class, and this is how I want my students to see math. If we begin with a moment of something fun, easy, and thought-provoking, where everyone gets involved, then we don't have to search for those moments later. Let's raise the level of discourse by lowering the stakes.
Here's what else I think. These aren't just for your classroom. They're for your friends, your group chats (my most active iMessage thread is eight teachers, and it's just called "Wordle"), your PLC meetings, and anywhere else you get together with your people.
"Never should math teachers gather and not do math." —Annie Forest
The purpose of this page is to consolidate all the warm-up and task resources I use (or may use in the future) in my own classroom, in hopes that they might be useful to someone else. If you see a broken link, a typo, or (especially) if you'd like something added, send me a message at kbharlow@gmail.com. Enjoy!
—Kyle
