Task Box Countdown: Task Box # 5 - Math Calculator

Halfway through my Top Task Box Countdown, let's recap the first four posts.

• Task Box #1: Academic Sensory Bags
• Task Box #2 - The Bubble Gum Machine Fun
• Task Box # 3 - What Goes Up? and What Goes Down? 
• Task Box # 4 - Shape Sorting

Now bringing you, Task Box #5 - The Math Calculator. 

One of my students last year had been doing work boxes for quite some time.  He was getting bored with the same old skills and boxes.  But he still did not have the concept of completing work independently in a timely manner.  He needed a little motivation. A task that would catch his eye and keep his interest.  He loved technology so I thought I would give him a shot at using a calculator.  It worked!! The student loved the "magic" of a calculator.  

I cut index cards in half, and wrote simple addition formulas on the top with 2 potential answers on the bottom. 

The student was not good at writing and needed to work on strengthening his fine motor skills so I added a fine motor element for an added challenge.  During independent work, he would use the calculator to add the two numbers together. Then, he would mark the answer with a clothespin and put it in the "All Done Can". 

Although this did not support the student in learning simple addition calculations, it did work on two other needed skills: fine motor strengthening and independently working to complete a task.  It also was successful in keeping the student interested, motivated, and exposed him to math concepts.