Task cards are a versatile tool that can be used in many different ways to engage upper elementary students in learning. Here are 5 ideas to get you started:
1. Pair task cards with a game like Scrabble or Bananagrams to make learning more fun.
Task cards can be used with any game that requires players to make words. Just print out the task cards and laminate them for durability. Then, cut out the individual tasks and put them in a bag or box. When it’s your turn to play, draw a task card and use the letters on your board to complete the task. If students need to use numbers for their answers just have them use number tiles instead of letter tiles.
2. Upper Elementary Task Cards Chains
Have students work on one card at a time, but once they finish they must pass the card on to the next student who then works on it, and so on, until all students have worked on all cards.
To make things more challenging, put the task cards in order from easiest to hardest. The first student works on the first card and then passes it to the next student who works on the second card. This continues until all students have worked on all cards.
3. Quiz games
Divide students into teams and have them compete. The first team to answer a certain number of questions correctly wins.
Or, play Quiz Show by having students stand in front of the class and compete against each other. The student who gets the most questions right in a minute wins a point for their team.
Use task cards to review for tests by playing one of these games or making up your own.
4. Set up a scavenger hunt using upper elementary task cards as clues.
Use task cards to create a scavenger hunt around the classroom or school. Get creative on places you can hide cards, like inside cabinet doors or on the underside of a table. Let students explore around the room finding all the task cards. Hint: make sure your task cards are numbered and the students have a numbered recording sheet to write down their answers. That way they will be able to see which card numbers they still need to find.
5. Let students create their own task cards as a way of practicing new concepts.
Once students have learned a new concept, have them create their own task cards to help solidify their understanding. They can then use the task cards they created to teach the concepts to other students.
Creating task cards is also a great way for students to show what they know. It allows them to be creative and come up with their own ways of explaining things.
Try Upper Elementary Task Cards for Yourself.
These are just a few ideas to get you started using task cards in your upper elementary classroom. With a little creativity, you can come up with even more ways to use them. Here is a free set of Thanksgiving-themed Language arts task cards you can use to try out one of these fun ideas!
Task cards are a great way to review information with upper elementary students. By using them in games, you can make learning more fun and engaging for your students. Do you have any other ideas for how to use task cards? Share them in the comments below!
P.S. Upper Elementary task cards are a great way to add some movement into the room for kinesthetic learners.