Extension Activities for Unit 2 and Unit Targets

It is often challenging to find ways to enrich our students who have already shown mastery of skills in each unit.  It is tempting to teach them skills beyond the grade level, but we should really work to build more depth of understanding of the grade level skills.  This can be done in many ways, but my examples for you for Unit 2 of EM are problem-solving based.

Nrich math has many problems to challenge all of your students.  These I have pulled to align with Unit 2. They may take your students multiple days to complete--and that is fine!  They may still be trying to solve or explain this problem in Unit 4.  That is fine, too.  It is okay for them to struggle a little.  If you think these aren't enough of a challenge for your kiddos, explore the site a little--maybe you'll find something that will work better in your classroom.

Unit 2--Grade 1: 2,4,6,8: Students explore making number sentences
                              4 Dom: A number puzzle involving dominoes
                              One Big Triangle:  a puzzle for looking at sums of 10
                               Flower Petal Puzzles:  puzzles with sums of 10
                               

Unit 2--Grade 2: Ladybirds in the Garden:  Finding sums with specific addends
                               Tug of War:  A battle of addition and subtraction
                               Would you rather:  Halloween themed problem where students choose and 
                                justify
                               Big Magic:  Magic Square Puzzle
                               Nine Squares Puzzle:  Addition puzzle which requires perseverance

Unit 2--Grade 3:  Let us Divide: Different division story problems  
                                 True Scale Multiplication Table: Table that uses area arrays to show facts. 
                                Baking Cookies: Depth of Knowledge problem from Open Middle involving arrays.
                                The Kite:  multiplication word problem


Unit 2--Grade 4:  Inside Seven Squares : Finding area challenge
                                Why 24?: A problem that looks deeper at divisibility and prime numbers
                                Would you rather?:  Which income property is the better deal?
                                 Multiplication Table Sums:  A deeper dive into the multiplication table

Unit 2--Grade 5:  Thousands & Millions: Questions that make children look closer at a 
                                 million.
                                 Would you rather:  Children choose their choice of shopping sprees
                                 Genius Blocks:  Puzzles for addition of particular sums
                                 Pyramid Puzzle:  Logic Puzzle
                                 What is a Happy Number?:  Computation Puzzle

Finally, as we work to make our targets clear to our students, someone suggested a page of targets for each unit might help to keep our kiddos focused.  Each grade level's document has the target standards for each unit.  You may already have something like this that you use to focus your students, but, if not, feel free to use this in whichever way you find best.  I made them with 2 copies on a page to save a few trees.  :)

Grade 3  Standards per unit

Grade 4  Standards per unit

Grade 5  Standards per unit


If you have special enrichment activities for this unit that you would like to share with your colleagues, please do!  If you have a friend who might benefit from this post, please share it with them.  If you have something special you are looking for, please reach out to me, and I'll see what I can do!