Math on their desks!

I'm finally back! I admire the bloggers out there that are posting every day! This is hard work and I can't seem to keep up. :) 

Today I'm doing a short blog about writing on desks! What a way to get your students motivated.

I found this idea floating around on Pinterest a long time back and I was too nervous to try it. I was afraid that my principal would walk in, see my students drawing on their desks and I'd get in trouble. I was also terrified that we would be drawing all over desks and it wouldn't come off and I'd get in trouble! Basically, I was scared of getting in trouble. 

However, I'm somewhat of a rebel and I have days where I want to liven up a difficult lesson. I started this last year and I loved the students reaction when I simply started writing on their desks. Thier eyes got so wide and they looked at me as if I was nuts (which I kind of am...)! So began the writing on our desks. 

Last week, my students were struggling with bar models/word problems and they were shutting down. They weren't enjoying it and their regular whiteboards that we use in class were just too small. In comes the writing on the desks. 

I started by telling them that we were going to continue our lesson on bar modeling. Groans could be heard down the hallway. Then I tell them to put their whiteboards away and clear their desks off because we are writing on our desks! 

Cheers! They were elated! 

That day was the best bar modeling and problem solving that I got out of them the entire unit. They wanted to draw on their desks, so they were working hard the entire time! 

Now that I've introduced it to this class, I use it as a bargaining chip. When they need a little motivation or I know a lesson/topic is going to be difficult, I will let them draw on their desks. It is an easy, fast motivation tool. 

Clean up: the fear I had all along. Easy! 

Clorox wet wipes! 

We have students donate those at the beginning of the year to our classroom. Not only does the dry erase marker come off easily, it makes our classroom smell fresh and we sanitize our desks! Goodbye, germs! 

So next time you need a little pep in your otherwise drab lesson, grab those dry erase markers, clean off those desks and get writing! 

-Small Town Miss Browne