Out with Answer Keys - In with QR Codes!

Try QR Codes with this Task Card Freebie!

You know what QR codes are ... those black and white patterned squares you scan with your smartphone to be taken to a webpage with more information about, well, anything! They've been popping up everywhere, from restaurant menus to PTA flyers. QR stands for "Quick Response" because scanning the code takes you to a new location instantly.

But did you know that QR codes are super useful in the classroom, too? QR codes can send the student to a webpage, a Dropbox file, a Google Maps location, or even a word or number in plain text format. This opens up all kinds of possibilities, but the one I want to address  is how QR codes can solve the answer key problem.

What's the answer key problem? Imagine this scenario. Your students are playing a math game in centers or cooperative learning teams, and they have to consult an answer key on every move to see if they solved the problem correctly. While looking at a whole page of answers to find the one they need, they end up seeing answers to other problems, too. Even if you put the answers on the backs of the task cards, it's easy for kids to peek at the answer (accidentally or on purpose) when they select a game card.

What if you were able to put the answers on the backs of the task cards using a secret code, a code that could only be deciphered AFTER the problem was solved? Guess what? QR codes can do just that!

How To Scan a QR Code
You can make your own codes, but before I walk you through that process, let me show you how they work. Students solve the problem on the front of each task card, and then scan the QR code on the back of the card with a device like an iPad, tablet, or phone. When they do, they will automatically be taken to the written answer that YOU programmed in when you created the code!

Susanna from Whimsy Workshop Teaching used my free Telling Time Task cards (shown above) with her second graders, and she asked one of her students to demonstrate how to scan the QR code on the back of the task card. Just watch as Ashley explains in less than 30 seconds what to do! It's adorable, and informative, too!

Ashley doesn't tell you which app she used, but there are many free QR Code Reader apps for every device. Here's a link to a free QR Code Reader for an iPhone. Just download the app on your mobile device and touch it to open it. Hold the camera lens over the QR code, scan it, and the answer pops up! How cool is that?

Creating Your Own QR Codes
You can create your own codes using a free QR code generator like QRStuff.com, print out the codes, and glue them to the backs of your cards.

Don't let this talk of "coding"scare you. I'm not talking about computer coding or anything technical. Just go to QRStuff.com and select the "Plain Text" option in the sidebar on the right. Type the answer into the box at the top and choose a color if you want something other than black. Your new QR code will be generated automatically, and you can copy and paste it to another document.

Test Out QR Codes with this Freebie!

If you don't want to create your own QR codes for task cards, many task card products and games now include QR codes. I created this set of Telling Time Task Cards and QR Code Answers that I'm offering for free because I want you to be able to try out QR codes without spending a cent! You can download both of them from my TpT store.


Where to Find More Task Cards with QR Codes
If you would like to find more task cards with QR codes, you can visit the Task Card section of my TpT store. I also created a Pinterest board just for Task Cards. Just click the image below to find it on Pinterest, and follow it to be sure you see new resources as they are added.

QR codes not only solve the answer key problem, but they add a little fun and excitement to your task card lessons. Whether students use them alone, in partner activities, or in cooperative learning groups, QR codes will motivate your students to do their best work. Everyone wants the answer that pops up on their device to be THEIR solution to the problem!

Stop the Clock - An Adventure in Teaching Time!

SmartBoards + Dry Erase Boards = Engagement!

I recently had an opportunity to work with real kids again! I served as a math tutor for 3 days and worked with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students on time and measurement. I had never taught 3rd grade before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. When I found out that these students had not had any introduction to telling time that year, I figured it might become quite an adventure!

Luckily I discovered a set of student clocks in the classroom, and they were a huge help with making my lessons both hands-on and interactive. I also discovered a simple yet exciting interactive free game Stop the Clock that the children LOVED playing on the Smartboard!

The game involves matching digital clocks with analog clock faces, but the exciting part is that the game is timed. Students tap the "Stop the Clock" icon at the bottom of the board when they finish matching the clock faces. Their playing time is displayed if they are correct, and if they are not correct, they receive a prompt to try again. Since I was teaching a small group, each student had a chance to try to beat the best time.

Where to Find the Free Stop the Clock Game
One thing I love about Stop the Clock is that there are several variations of increasing difficulty, from telling time to the half hour to telling time to the minute. Click here to find all of the levels listed at the bottom of my Time and Measurement page on Teaching Resources. If you haven't played the game, I suggest doing so before you read on because playing the game will help you to understand my variation described below.

Boosting Engagement with Dry Erase Boards
When played in the traditional way, Stop the Clock is fun. However, it concerned me that most of the kids were watching while one student was at the board. I ended up adapting the game so that they could ALL be engaged each time a new set of clocks was displayed.

How I Modified Stop The Clock

1. I gave every student his or her own dry erase board and a marker. 
2. I started the Stop the Clock game on the Smartboard. As soon it started, I picked up the Smartboard pen. If you've ever used a Smartboard, you know that picking up the pen will freeze the board. 
3. While the clocks were frozen and the time was no longer counting down, I used the pen to to write a number from 1 to 5 next to each analog clock (see above.)
4. I asked students to number their individual dry erase boards from 1 to 5 and record the digital time for each clock next to its corresponding number (see illustration). Stopping the clock during the game took away the pressure of having to beat the clock, and it gave all students a chance to become engaged in the practice session. 
5. When everyone finished writing the times on their dry erase boards, I chose one student to come to the Smartboard . 
6. As soon as the student touched the Smartboard, it "unfroze," and the time started counting up again. The student quickly dragged the drag the digital times to match the analog clock faces and touched the Stop the Clock symbol to stop the clock and see his or her time.  
7. Finally, all of the students checked the answers they had written and compared them with the answers on the Smartboard. As I reviewed the dry erase boards, I could immediately tell who needed additional help.

Math Games for Telling Time and Elapsed Time

My only regret for the week was that we were not able to use my two math games, Racing Through Elapsed Time and Monster Math Mix-up Telling Time. The games include clock task cards and word problems with elapsed time. They're lots of fun and a great way to practice telling time and elapsed time. But I only had two 50-minute class periods to teach the students how to tell time, and these children were ones who had been struggling in their regular classrooms.

I opted to spend more time building a firm foundation with learning how to read an analog clock instead of moving on to something that would have confused them. Hopefully their teachers will work on this skill later in the year. These two games make great math centers to review the skills throughout the year.

What was my biggest ah-ha moment about teaching time?
It seems silly, but I remember the moment when I realized why my students were having trouble telling time to the nearest 5 minutes. In order to do that, you need to know your 5 times tables! If the minute hand is pointing to the 8, you need to know that 5 x 8 is 40 without having to count on your fingers. I expected that students at the end of 3rd grade would know their 5's fluently - my mistake! So we stopped and did some times table drills just on the 5's and they did much better. It's just one more example of how lack of fluency with times tables can negatively impact other areas in math - and why I wrote Mastering Math Facts! I know 3rd grade teachers are probably giggling about my ah-ha moment because they've been through this experience time and again, but I just had to share! :-)

So I survived my adventures teaching 3rd graders how to tell time! What are your best tips for teaching kids to tell time? Visit my Time and Measurement page on Teaching Resources for more freebies on this topic!