3 Christmas Florida BEST Math Activities Grade 3
Do you want to review for the 3rd grade math FAST AND decorate a door or bulletin board for winter? Check out these 3 Christmas Florida BEST math activities reviewing 3rd grade real world word problems involving all 4 operations.
Is It Aligned to the New Florida BEST Math Standards?
Yes! All three Florida BEST winter math crafts align with the standard, MA.3.AR.1.2 which asks students to solve one- and two-step real-world problems involving any of four operations with whole numbers.
Sample Word Problem
Here is a two-step real world word problem sample from one of the Christmas Florida BEST math activities:
“Ana is helping the art teacher get ready for the Winter Holiday art show. There are a total of 95 student pieces. The art teacher asked Ana to put 6 student pieces on each of the 7 display walls in the room and then put the rest on the counter. How many pieces will she put on the counter?”
Three Layouts to Choose From
There are three layout options available.
- Stocking
- Tree
- Ornament
Students can solve one of the word problems or all of them.
Then students can cut out their activity and you can display it on a door, bulletin board, or window. Students can color the designs with crayons, color pencils or even watercolor.
Each design comes with a graphic organizer and blank version.
The graphic organizer is there to help with students’ comprehension of the problem. It asks students to answer the following three questions before they move on with solving the problem.
- I Know
- Looking For
- Need To
You can use the graphic organizer for all the problems or just the word problems with two steps.
Likewise, you can assign the graphic organizer to the whole class or just a group of students that you know will benefit from slowing down and thinking about the problems before they determine the operation needed to solve it.
I would use the graphic organizer in my small group with the students that need extra support with analyzing the information and the blank version for the rest of the class.
Tips For Using in Your Classroom
Use your favorite design to decorate your classroom for winter and update your bulletin board with cute standard based student work using the 3 Christmas Florida BEST math activities.
Then use the 2nd or 3rd design to make a winter packet for your students. Print 4 designs per page. Have the packets stapled together and students can complete during centers, as morning work, or with a sub the last week before break.
The designs change but the real-world problems follow a similar structure so students can build confidence as they work through the challenging two step word problems.
Another option would be to send home the word problems as a packet over winter break for students to earn extra credit points for their hard work.
Are There More?
Yes! Visit my TPT shop to get the Spring and Easter craft available for Florida BEST standard MA.3.AR.1.2.
If you are reviewing measurement word problems, then check out this bundle for another Spring and Easter craft option.
You can see all the 3rd grade Florida BEST seasonal resources HERE.
Why Use these Christmas Florida BEST math activities?
Test Prep-Word problems are typically a weak area for students when it comes to state testing. They feel pressured to rush through them and jump too quickly to the operation and skip the comprehension part of the process. This winter Florida BEST math craft helps students slow down and practice the perseverance needed to solve difficult two step real world problems.
Sub Plans-These word problems are simple to print out and include in your emergency sub plans for the quarter. They can be used at any time of the year as long as students have learned all four operations.
Engaging-Something about solving a problem on a cute flower that you know will be displayed helps motivate you to slow down and take ownership of your work. It gives students a strong desire to do their best work.
Low Prep-Print and go! Students cut out and color the activity. Is there anything easier?
Differentiated Instruction-Assign the graphic organizer to students that need extra support. Help them slow down and comprehend the problem. Let students that have mastery of MA.3.AR.1.2 explore their favorite ways to model the problem with more open space to draw diagrams or show their work. Assign students one flower word problem or 2 or all of them. Plenty of ways to make this activity work for your classroom.
My Favorite Items to Use with these Activities
- Bright Paper-I love using bright paper because it looks good and saves time if I don’t want the students to color the craft. The Astrobrights Color Paper is my favorite!
- Crayons-If I do want students to color the activity, I loves these twistable crayons. They are awesome for coloring and don’t break into tiny pieces.
Save For Later
Find More Florida BEST Math Resources
Free Grade 3 Florida BEST Math Lesson
