Last year my classroom received one of the greatest technology tools out there – Chromebooks for all students! I was so excited to have this technology in my classroom. However, I didn’t realize that my school would use this as a reason to limit our copies in an effort to push us paperless. As much as I love have always loved technology, I have also always relied on using copies of so many things. Luckily, we have Google Classroom as a part of our Chromebooks for Education program. So my goal this year has been to turn many of my resources into Google App versions that I can assign directly to my students in Google Classroom. The first resource I started with – Addition Tiling Puzzles.
What are Tiling Puzzles?
Tiling puzzles are a resource I have used in my classroom for as long as I can remember. They are puzzles that consist of a group of equations with missing number “holes”. In order to solve the puzzle, students put the number tiles into the holes. There are 10 tiles, each one representing a digit from 0 – 9 and each tile can only be used once. Students have to practice addition facts in order to solve the puzzle. Also, the “hole” is not always the sum, so they are also working on strategies for missing addends.
Why use Addition Tiling Puzzles with Older Students?
Some of my fellow 3rd grade teachers have asked why I start my students out with basic addition fact tiling puzzles, when our first unit is the basics of multiplication. Since each tile can only be used once, students are not just working on addition facts when they work on this puzzle. They are also on problem solving skills. Technically students can make some equations true using multiple variations of the number tiles. However, students have to make ALL of the equations true, which only happens with one possible answer for each equation. This means that students often have to rework the same equation multiple times. This sort of mental flexibility is exactly what we need in math, especially at higher levels. However, it is hard to start kiddos out with challenging facts and expect all kiddos to get the mental flexibility too. So, I start my 3rd graders out with basic addition fact tiling puzzles because we can work on mental flexibility without the challenge of harder math facts. Then I can move them up in levels. And let’s be honest, some of our 3rd graders still need to practice addition facts.
How do I assign Addition Tiling Puzzles Using Google Classroom?
My NEW addition tiling puzzle can be downloaded from Teachers Pay Teachers in a Google Drive Folder. You get your own copy in your own Google Drive. Then you can assign this to your students, using the “Make a copy for each student” option. Once you do this, your kiddos will each have their own puzzle. The number tiles in the puzzle can be dragged around, but the puzzle itself cannot be moved. This is especially important so you don’t have to worry about kiddos accidentally erasing the puzzle. After students are done, you have an answer key to check the answer. And the best part – it’s all completely paperless, saving trees (and money in your copy account!)
This Addition Tiling Puzzle for Google Classroom is available for FREE in my Teachers Pay Teacher store. If you and your kiddos don’t have access to Google Classroom, I still have this printable Addition Tiling Puzzle available in for free at my Teachers Pay Teachers store as well.
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