The Best Welcome Back to School Activities for Grades 1-8

Welcome Back to School Ideas for Teachers

A new school year is upon us and you could use some great ideas for helping your students feel welcome back to school!

Great teachers know the value of making a great impression on the first day of school. If you slouch in the beginning of the school year, then you will be making up for it for the rest of the school year.

The following list of Welcome Back to School activities for teachers shares some amazing resources for ensuring that you students have a great first day of school.

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Welcome Back to School Message

“Backpack? Check. School clothes? Check. Pencils? Check. Bright, shiny attitude? Check. Yep, you’re ready for an awesome year!”

Are you looking for the perfect back to school message to share with your elementary school, middle school, or high school students?

Check out this super cute list of 42 motivational back to school messages for kids.

Idea: Choose your favorite Welcome Back to School Quote, print it out on a small sheet of paper, and glue it to the corner of every students’ desk!

Looking for free math worksheets? Click here to access our full PDF library.

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Welcome Back to School Bulletin Boards

Are you looking to create the perfect Welcome Back to School bulletin board to display in your classroom or in the hallways of your school?

Check out this list of 70 Back-to-School Bulletin Board Ideas from Creative Teachers to find the inspiration that you are looking for.

Looking for free math worksheets? Click here to access our full PDF library.

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Welcome Back to School Resources

Are you looking for the best Welcome Back to School Resources for teachers to help you give your students the best first day of school possible?

Check out this list of 12 Back to School Teaching Resources for The Best Year Ever and start planning your first lesson plan of the upcoming school year.

Looking for free math worksheets? Click here to access our full PDF library.

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Other Math Resources You Should Check Out:

• This New Warm-Up Activity is a Game Changer (and a Time Saver!)

• Check Out This Awesome Mean, Median, and Mode Activity!

• How to Teach Multiplication Using Area Models

• 10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids (with Answers)

Do you have any questions or anything to add? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math . You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

4th Grade Math Word Problems: Free Worksheets with Answers

Free Multi-Step 4th Grade Math Word Problems PDF

Are you looking for engaging multi-step 4th grade math word problems with answers to add to your upcoming lesson plans? The following collection of free 4th grade maths word problems worksheets cover topics including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, mixed operations, fractions, and decimals.

Students need to gain a strong understanding of place value in order to understand the relationship between digits and how these relationships apply to operations including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and more.

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Mixed Addition and Subtraction 4th Grade Math Word Problems (PDF Download)

Click the link below to download your free 4th grade mixed addition and subtraction PDF worksheet and answer key.

Looking for more free 4th grade math worksheets? Click here to access our full PDF library.

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Mixed Multiplication and Division 4th Grade Math Word Problems (PDF Download)

Click the link below to download your free 4th grade mixed multiplication and division PDF worksheet and answer key.

Looking for more free 4th grade math worksheets? Click here to access our full PDF library.

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Adding and Subtracting Fractions 4th Grade Math Word Problems (PDF Download)

Click the link below to download your free 4th grade adding and subtracting fractions PDF worksheet and answer key.

Looking for more free 4th grade math worksheets? Click here to access our full PDF library.

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Multiply Fractions 4th Grade Math Word Problems (PDF Download)

Click the link below to download your free 4th grade multiplying fractions PDF worksheet and answer key.

Looking for more free 4th grade math worksheets? Click here to access our full PDF library.

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Add and Subtract Decimals 4th Grade Math Word Problems (PDF Download)

Click the link below to download your free 4th grade adding and subtracting decimals PDF worksheet and answer key.

Looking for more free 4th grade math worksheets? Click here to access our full PDF library.

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Other 4th Grade Math Resources You Should Check Out:

• This New Warm-Up Activity is a Game Changer (and a Time Saver!)

• Check Out This Awesome Mean, Median, and Mode Activity!

• How to Teach Multiplication Using Area Models

• 10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids (with Answers)

Do you have any questions or anything to add? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math . You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

Easy Guide: Writing Numbers in Expanded Form with Decimals

Writing Numbers in Expanded Form (with Decimals)

When you write a number in expanded form (also known as expanded notation), you are expressing the number separated into its composite individual place values (and decimal values if necessary) in the form of an expression.

An easy way of thinking about writing numbers in expanded form is taking apart a number into its specific place values. The place value chart below is a good review of the value of each number slot.

Conversely, writing a number in standard form (or numeric form) is the opposite or reverse of writing a number in expanded form.

Click here to download this chart as an easy-to-print PDF file.

Writing a Number in Expanded Form Example

Example: Write 8,743 in expanded form

8,743 = 8,000 + 700 + 40 + 3

Note how the use of a place value chart can help you write numbers in expanded form.

Writing a Number in Expanded Form with Decimals Example

Example: Write 317.29 in expanded form.

317.29 = 300 + 10 + 7 + 0.2 + 0.09

This strategy applies to all problems that require you to read or write numbers in expanded form.

Check out the free video lesson below to learn more about how to write numbers in standard form with decimals and without.

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Share your ideas, questions, and comments below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math . You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

Free Guide: How to Use Minecraft Education Edition

Are you ready to learn how to use Minecraft: Education Edition with your kids at home or in your classroom?

This guide will help you get started using Minecraft Education Edition and will explain how to create an account, start a free trial, purchase the app in the app store (for Mac and PC computers and the iPad), and how to use Minecraft Edition to create meaningful learning experiences in all subject areas.

Why Teachers Are Using Minecraft: Education Edition

Minecraft is changing the way that our students are learning.

The world-building adventure game empowers students to make learning connections in a play environment that supports collaboration, ownership, autonomy, and agency. This game-based approach to teaching and learning embraces the way that today’s students learn new things and brings it into the classroom.

Because there are Minecraft–based learning experiences for every subject (more on that later), the applications are incredible and the sky is the limit when it comes to using Minecraft to improve learning outcomes, which is why it’s a powerful tool for teaching your students to love learning.

How Does Minecraft Help Students to Learn?

Today’s students need to develop skills that will allow them to succeed in a rapidly changing world. And it is widely believed that the jobs that today’s students will hold in the future do not even exist yet. Gamified learning tools, like Minecraft, equip students with:

 21st Century Skills

98% of teachers who use Minecraft in their classroom cited problem solving as the top skill their students learn from Minecraft. Teachers also reported improvements in creative thinking, reading and writing skills, and computational thinking. These skills are critical when it comes to helping our students to develop the necessary skills to succeed in technology-dependent society.

 Job Preparedness and STEM

 71% of teachers using digital games for learning reported improvement in computational thinking and numeracy skills, according to a study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. These skills are required for STEM careers including computer science and programming.

 Social-Emotional Development

Soft skills refer to the skills that a student develops through both social and emotional learning. Developing these skills is important because today’s students will need more than just technical skills to be successful in the future. According to the Minecraft 2030 report, teachers reported that Minecraft helped their students to improve problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills.

You can visit Minecraft’s Classroom Impact page to learn more about this research and access dozens of case studies of how educators from around the world are using Minecraft to engage students in all subjects.

How to Log Into Minecraft Education Edition

 You will need a Microsoft Office 365 Education account to login. Your school account may already be verified with Office 365. You can verify by submitting your email address here. If you don’t already have an account, you will be redirected to the sign-up page.

How to Download a Minecraft Education Edition Free Trial

Once you have an Office 365 account, you can download a free trial.

Click here to download your free trial for Windows and Mac OS.

Click here to download your free trial for iPad from the app store.

How to Purchase a Subscription to Minecraft Education Edition

 A free trial allows for a limited number of logins before you will be asked to purchase a yearly subscription.

 You can purchase a subscription by visiting the Microsoft Store for Education.

Tips for Getting Started

 Here are 3 tips for getting started with Minecraft Education Edition:

1.) Educator Resources

 You can ease your way into using Minecraft in your classroom by utilizing the free online educator resources shared on the Minecraft Education website. This online resource library includes tutorials on how to play, community features that connect you with other Minecraft educators, and training modules for beginners.

Image Source: education.minecraft.net

 2.) Minecraft Education Subject Kits

The easiest way to get started using Minecraft in your classroom is by using the subject kits for each subject. This library shares hundreds of lessons created by other educators for all subjects, including math, art and design, and history. Click here to access the full subject kit library for free.

Image Source: education.minecraft.net

 3.)  Learn From Your Students

You do not have to be a Minecraft expert or know more about it than your students do to successfully use it in your classroom. The more likely case is that your students will be doing most of the teaching (which is why Minecraft is such a great tool for developing collaboration and soft skills) and this is not a bad thing. By taking advantage of your students’ knowledge and passion for the game, you will learn the finer points very quickly.

Given the tremendous potential for using Minecraft in your classroom, it is certainly worth the effort of giving it a shot. If you feel intimidated, try downloading a free trial and experimenting with the game itself. You can also hop onto the Minecraft Education Community page to connect with other educators, ask questions, and learn more about how other educators in your subject field got started.

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How are YOU using Minecraft to teach your students? Share your ideas, questions, and comments below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math . You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids! (with Answers)

10 Super Fun Math Riddles and Puzzles for Kids Ages 10+ (Answers Included!)

A Post By: Anthony Persico

Some have been around for centuries, while are others are brand spanking new—but all have been selected as the most fun and engaging math riddles for those who love to challenge their problem-solving skills and have fun solving math puzzles. Enjoy!

The Educational Value of Math Riddles:

Fun and engaging math riddles and logic puzzles are an amazing way to get students to think critically, develop problem-solving skills, and think about mathematics in a creative way!

In fact, several recent studies have shown that students who work on math puzzles—with and without teacher supervision—improve their math problem-solving skills, learning abilities, and willingness to stick with challenging problems, according to Edutopia.

And if you are looking for a collection of super fun, challenging, and sometimes silly math riddles and brain teasers for kids, then it’s time to put your brain to the test!

Note that the following math riddles are best suited for kids ages and older and they are also fun for high school students and adults!

Are YOU ready?

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10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids:

Each of the following math riddles includes an image graphic and there is an answer key at the end!

But if you want more detailed explanations of how to answer every riddle, check out the Math Riddles Explained! video link below and be sure to give it a thumbs up!

Watch the Math Riddles Video:

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Free Worksheet Included!

There is also a link to download a Free Printable PDF Math Riddles Worksheet and Answer Key that shares all of these riddles at the end of this post!

All of the math riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers below are from the best-selling 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Kids Ages 10+! PDF workbook, which is now available!

10 Awesome Maths Riddles and Brain Teasers for Kids:

Math Riddle #1: Truth or Square?

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Truth or Square?

Would you like FREE math resources in your inbox every day? Click here to sign up for my free math education email newsletter (and get a free math eBook too!)

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Math Riddle #2: How Old Is Lucy?

Keep reading the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve How Old is Lucy?

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Click here to sign-up for our free weekly email newsletter!

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Math Riddle #3: Triple Threat

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Triple Threat!

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Are you looking for more super fun Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers to share with your kids?

The best-selling workbook 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers for Kids Ages 10+! is now available as a PDF download. You can get yours today by clicking here.

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Math Riddle #4: Matchstick Mayhem

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Matchstick Mayhem!

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Math Riddle #5: The In-Between

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve The In-Between!

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Math Riddle #6: Which Weighs More?

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Which Weighs More?

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Math Riddle #7: Big Spender!

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Big Spender!

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Math Riddle #8: Mystery Parking!

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Mystery Parking!

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Math Riddle #9: Cuppla’ Coins

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Cuppla’ Coins!

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Math Riddle #10: Pascal’s Triangle

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Pascal’s Triangle!

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Math Riddle #11: Bonus!

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve the Bonus Riddle!

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ANSWER KEY:

1. 14 Total Squares (detailed explanation)

2. Lucy is 37 (detailed explanation)

3. 1, 2, and 3 (detailed explanation)

4. 0+4=4 or 5+4=9 (detailed explanation)

5. A Decimal Point (detailed explanation)

6. Neither. They both weigh the same! (detailed explanation)

7. The hoodie costs $125, the shoes cost $25 (detailed explanation)

8. 87 (flip the image upside down) - (detailed explanation)

9. One is a quarter and one is a nickel (detailed explanation)

10. 6 (detailed explanation)

11. 1, 5, 10, 10, 5, 1 (detailed explanation)

Free PDF Worksheet:

Click here to get your Free Math Riddles PDF Worksheet and Answer Key!

And click here to sign up for our math education mailing list to start getting free K-12 math activities, puzzles, and lesson plans in your inbox every week!

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Are you looking for more super fun Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers to share with your kids?

My best-selling workbook 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers for Kids Ages 10+! is now available as a PDF download. You can get yours today by clicking here.

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Did I miss your favorite math riddle for kids? Share your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

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