That’s the question I would dread the most during math class…

“Mrs. Smith, what do I do when I’m done?”

In the early days I didn’t have any clue what to do with students when they were finished with their work.  During Readers Workshop, they could read. What could they do when they were done with their work in math? Fact fluency games were a great option, but I wanted fact fluency instruction and game time for all students. What could I do with these early finishers that would be engaging?

Enter deep math tasks.  There are so many out there that it can be overwhelming to try to find them. But my favorite math tasks I find for free at Youcubed.org.  Here is just one example called Nine Colors that can work for just about any age.  It can be a station in your math centers, or it can be a challenge that is open for those who finish early.

This is what we call a “low floor high ceiling task”. This means that anyone can attempt it, but it’s challenging and rigorous for any student.

You can find this one and much more at Youcubed.org!