Using Task Cards in Middle School

If you go to TeacherspayTeachers.com there are task cards everywhere.  But what are the best ways to use them in your classroom?

Test Prep

Task cards are great for test prep.  You can assign the students to work individually or in pairs on a set of cards.  They give them repeated practice on math concepts. You can either have the students do all the work and then give them the answers at the end.  Or, you can have the students actively use the answer key to check their answers as they go so that they can immediately correct errors.

Task cards require fairly minimal teacher involvement, making it an easy way for you to occupy your class while you work with individual students who are still struggling.

Stations

Stations are a great tool to use for interactive lessons in middle school.  Math stations require different types of activities to give the kids a variety and keep them engaged.  Task cards are great for using them for one of the stations. This gives the kids opportunities for repeated practice.  They can work in pairs, groups, or individually.

Differentiating

Task cards are great because they can be differentiated.  You can assign certain students certain numbers. Or you can assign different groups to different numbers.  This allows you to control what types of problems each group is solving.

Not Just For Math

Task cards do not have to be only for math.  They can be used in any class, or for social stories.  If you have a lunch bunch, you can have cards that present different situations and then the children can work towards finding a solution.

In ELA you can have task cards that work towards practicing a certain skill.  Whether it be inferring, comprehension, foreshadowing, figurative language, or many other things.  The students can work towards building or understanding a skill in any subject.

 

Also, Check-Out:

Benefits of Using Word Walls in Your Middle School Classroom

When Co-Teaching Gets Tough