Unwrapping the Holidays - Holiday Themed Math

The holidays are a wonderfully crazy time of year. It's also the time of year when we have finally hit our stride in the classroom. The student know the expectations and are up for a challenge. It is not a time of year when we want to slow down. If anything we need to pick up the pace. At the same time. we want to enjoy this special time of year. 

One of my favorite activities to do with my students in math class is the Holiday Math Tree. It's a simple Christmas tree with eight ornaments on it. You can use it for almost any math topic you teach in December. 

This year I will use it to assess my students understanding of adding and subtracting decimals. The students will pick a decimal from the hat and write it in the star. The example below shows 1.2. The students are then required to fill in the ornaments by creating 4 addition and 4 subtraction problems that equal the amount in their star. The students put their name on the trunk of the tree. 

You could also use it to show off their knowledge of fractions. Have the students put a fraction in the star and then have them fill the ornaments with equivalent fractions or addition/subtraction problems that equal the fraction in the star.

 Then have the students color and cut out their trees. It makes for a festive display.

Would you like a copy of my Holiday Math Tree? You can get it here for free!

If you download it, I would love if you would leave a comment below and let me know how you plan to use the Holiday Math Tree in your classroom.

Now check out all the other amazing ideas from the bloggers below.

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