Shut the Door and Teach: 2023

Saturday

Building Student Engagement with Math Coloring Pages

Have you reached that point in the year where your students are not engaged? Are they bickering with each other during math learning centers? Small group work is so important to practice social and emotional skills, as well as to give you time to differentiate your instruction to meet learners where they are. But sometimes I find that even when I give my fourth graders tools daily in their SEL tool belt, they reach a point where they need a break from each other, even for just one class period. That's when I break out the coloring pages.

Now I know what you're thinking. Fourth graders are smart enough to look at the bigger picture, skip the math content and color the sky blue, the skin whatever neutral shade is listed in the code, and then maybe do the math to find out if the shirt is yellow or red. Typical "color by code" coloring pages aren't usually rigorous enough for upper elementary, and that's why I developed Math Quilt Coloring Pages.

Differentiated Math Coloring Pages

These math coloring pages are perfect for upper elementary students because students can't just guess the colors of the polygons. Most pages have triangles or squares, and each set of pages have patterns that aren't immediately obvious. That being said, each set of pages is differentiated so there is at least one page with fewer problems on the page for learners who benefit from less visual noise. Having a variety of pages also cuts down on kids peeking at their peer's papers who work faster than they do. And the end result makes a beautiful display for your hallway.