{"id":157,"date":"2013-03-27T11:50:36","date_gmt":"2013-03-27T18:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/?p=157"},"modified":"2021-11-10T15:40:06","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T23:40:06","slug":"math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/","title":{"rendered":"Math Puzzles and Immediate Feedback"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"riddle-me-worksheets_blog_screen1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Problem<\/i>.<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0 <\/b>During my first year of teaching, I had very few additional math resources to use to supplement the basic curriculum the school provided.\u00a0 Usually, after my mini-lesson and small group instruction, I would assign practice problems from the textbook or from a worksheet I found online for homework\/independent practice.\u00a0 The textbook problems and worksheets had adequate practice problems, but it was not terribly uncommon for a student to complete a homework assignment completely incorrectly and have no idea.\u00a0 Well-meaning students would turn in 2 pages worth of work, making the same error over and over again, never having any feedback to let them know their work was incorrect.\u00a0 Once I noticed this pattern, I did my best to prevent these problems through visual checks for understanding, checking answers to guided practice problems, and aiding those students who were clearly struggling.\u00a0 Still, sometimes students would perform adequately in class, but when they went home to complete their homework assignments, they would make errors without realizing it.
\n
\nThe Solution.<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong> <\/i><\/b>ClassCrown\u2019s Riddle-Me-Worksheets are aimed at preventing this problem.\u00a0 Each worksheet has a riddle at the top of the page. (See example below)<\/p>\n

\"Math<\/a><\/p>\n

Students must complete the math problems to decode the answer to the riddle.\u00a0 The best part is that as students are working, they must find their answers among those listed in the legend to solve the riddle.\u00a0 If students cannot find their answers among those in the legend, they receive immediate feedback that they have done something incorrectly.\u00a0 (See example below)<\/p>\n

\"Using<\/a><\/p>\n

Advantages.<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong> <\/i><\/b>Once I began using puzzle worksheets in my classroom, I saw many advantageous things begin to occur:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Students were more engaged.<\/strong>\u00a0 My students began to look forward to beginning their math homework.\u00a0 Some of them enjoyed finding the answers to the riddles and found them entertaining, but I think what they liked even more was that they began to feel confident in their own abilities since they knew immediately whether they were doing their work correctly.<\/li>\n
  2. Students were more likely to complete their work.<\/strong>\u00a0 Almost immediately, the percentage of my students who completed their homework without hassle or having to miss recess for incompletion was reduced.\u00a0 Again, I think this was because students knew they were doing the work correctly and were engaged and motivated to get it finished.<\/li>\n
  3. If a student had a misunderstanding, I had feedback almost immediately and could remediate quickly.<\/strong>\u00a0 I typically had my students begin the puzzles as independent practice.\u00a0 If they found that they could not find their answers in the legend, they knew immediately that they had a misunderstanding.\u00a0 I would encourage them to try to figure out what they were doing wrong on their own by looking at their notes or by asking a neighbor, but if that failed, I encouraged them to join a small group of struggling students.\u00a0 In the small group work, I would have my students do their work on a whiteboard and show me their work one at a time.\u00a0 If a student did two problems in a row correctly, I would send him back to his seat for independent practice and focus my efforts on those who still needed assistance.\u00a0 It was usually a matter of minutes before all of my students had the ability to practice the skill independently, all the while receiving feedback that their confidence was well-placed.\u00a0 No one wondered if she really \u201cgot it\u201d or not, myself included.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A suggestion vital for success.\u00a0 <\/i><\/strong>It is absolutely vital that students be held accountable for doing their own work.\u00a0 Just as it would be inappropriate for students to copy a friend\u2019s homework and turn it in, it would be inappropriate and, indeed, fraudulent, for them to copy the answer to the riddle and think that this deserves credit for work completion.\u00a0 As such, I always required my students to complete the work for each problem on a separate piece of paper, even if they had figured out the answer to the riddle before completing the problems.\u00a0 Students were still responsible for completing every problem to a high standard to prove mastery.\u00a0 I suggest that you also require your students to complete their work in an organized fashion on a separate piece of paper, staple it to their completed worksheet, and turn it in order to receive any credit.\u00a0 Turning in anything less than this should result in a zero.\u00a0 If you do not hold students to these standards, then the puzzles can become a detriment rather than a great benefit since once students find the answer to the riddle either by guessing or by asking a friend, they will no longer have any incentive to complete the work.<\/p>\n

    Affordability and Quality.<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong> <\/i><\/b>Each math packet in the Classcrown\u2019s Riddle-Me-Worksheet Series comes with at least 15 pages of skill practice, but many come with additional pages.\u00a0 They start at only $5.99 and are filled with fun riddles and graphics.\u00a0 Give them a try \u2013 you and your students will not be disappointed!\u00a0 Check them out here<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Problem.\u00a0 During my first year of teaching, I had very few additional math resources to use to supplement the basic curriculum the school provided.\u00a0 Usually, after my mini-lesson and small group instruction, I would assign practice problems from the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMath Puzzles and Immediate Feedback – ClassCrown - Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Checkout this blog post about using math worksheets with riddles and how it helps students learn key math concepts faster by giving them immediate feedback.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Math Puzzles and Immediate Feedback – ClassCrown - Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Checkout this blog post about using math worksheets with riddles and how it helps students learn key math concepts faster by giving them immediate feedback.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ClassCrown - Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-03-27T18:50:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-10T23:40:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/riddle-me-worksheets_blog_screen1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mrs. L\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mrs. L\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/\",\"name\":\"Math Puzzles and Immediate Feedback – ClassCrown - Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-03-27T18:50:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-10T23:40:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/33d20ca31096ff63155d16586745a528\"},\"description\":\"Checkout this blog post about using math worksheets with riddles and how it helps students learn key math concepts faster by giving them immediate feedback.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Math Puzzles and Immediate Feedback\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"ClassCrown - Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/33d20ca31096ff63155d16586745a528\",\"name\":\"Mrs. L\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/09af5fdef537796f47a53fd7651bbfe2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/09af5fdef537796f47a53fd7651bbfe2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mrs. L\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.classcrown.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/author\/mrs-s\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Math Puzzles and Immediate Feedback – ClassCrown - Blog","description":"Checkout this blog post about using math worksheets with riddles and how it helps students learn key math concepts faster by giving them immediate feedback.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Math Puzzles and Immediate Feedback – ClassCrown - Blog","og_description":"Checkout this blog post about using math worksheets with riddles and how it helps students learn key math concepts faster by giving them immediate feedback.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/","og_site_name":"ClassCrown - Blog","article_published_time":"2013-03-27T18:50:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-11-10T23:40:06+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/riddle-me-worksheets_blog_screen1.jpg"}],"author":"Mrs. L","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mrs. L","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/","url":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/","name":"Math Puzzles and Immediate Feedback – ClassCrown - Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-03-27T18:50:36+00:00","dateModified":"2021-11-10T23:40:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/33d20ca31096ff63155d16586745a528"},"description":"Checkout this blog post about using math worksheets with riddles and how it helps students learn key math concepts faster by giving them immediate feedback.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/math-puzzles-and-immediate-feedback\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Math Puzzles and Immediate Feedback"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/","name":"ClassCrown - Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/33d20ca31096ff63155d16586745a528","name":"Mrs. L","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/09af5fdef537796f47a53fd7651bbfe2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/09af5fdef537796f47a53fd7651bbfe2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mrs. L"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.classcrown.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/author\/mrs-s\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":518,"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions\/518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.classcrown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}