Math Log

At the beginning of this school year, I was sitting in class with nine students who didn't pass our state test (CRCT) last year and none of the students were fluent with their multiplication facts... none!  To be in 4th grade and not know what 3x4 equals is pretty sad.  It got me really thinking.  How in the world was I going to get these students to study their math facts at home?  Sure I could tell them, but would they really do it?  Probably not!  That's when I got the fantastic idea to create a math log for my students.  When I taught 5th grade reading, my students were required to keep a reading log and turn it in at the end of the week for a grade.  That's what I decided to do for my math students.  I went to an online website {I used www.multiplication.com} and printed the flash cards on cardstock.  I printed them 2-sided so I could have the problem on one side and the answer on the other.  I printed and cut these out for each child.  I then put them in a plastic sandwich bag and placed a label on the bag with each child's name.  So, each child was able to take home a brand new set of flash cards!  It was cost effective and easy!  Here's what my math log looks like.

Students are required to study for at least 10 minutes each night.  The log is due on Fridays and I take it for a grade.  This is great because it really gives me an idea of what kids do their homework.  Most of the time, the students who don't do this homework are the ones who don't know their multiplication facts.  It was amazing this year at how well the students got with their facts.  I am sooo using this again next year and every year after!