How to Make Plastic Plate Puzzles for Middle School

How to: Challenge Puzzles from Plastic Plates

1/11/2016

How to Make Spinning Plastic Plate Puzzles for Middle School

How to put together spinning layered puzzles from clear plastic plates - Great for critical thinking!

Make a few different sets for topics in your own classroom. Watch the video for instructions on making a template and choosing categories.

by Brigid - Math Giraffe

Other Videos You May Enjoy:

11 Comments

jeana

1/23/2016 10:19:13 am

I am interested in the order of operations resources on your ebook and resoruce page. The link goes to the integer color by number page in an endless loop. Is there sometihing I have missed?

Math Giraffe link

1/23/2016 12:57:03 pm

So sorry about that, Jeana. I have fixed the link. The free download is available here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Order-of-Operations-Task-Cards-Footloose-Activity-372015
in Ellie's TPT store, Middle School Math Moments.
Enjoy!
Thanks so much!
-Brigid

Chris

4/26/2016 08:07:44 am

Where could I find the instructions for the acid/bases set? I would like to use this with my students.

Math Giraffe link

4/27/2016 10:07:34 am

Hi Chris, I don't have specific directions for any other than math. It's just an example of how teachers can think of ways to create these for any subject. Thanks so much for your interest!
- Brigid

Connie

6/11/2016 06:05:02 am

I have watched the video on how to make the challenge puzzles, but how do you start so you create a puzzle with only one correct answer in the end. Which plate do you start with? What preplanning should be done? I really want to incorporate these into my lessons, but unsure how to get started. Thanks for your help.

Math Giraffe link

6/11/2016 02:38:36 pm

It takes some playing with. I had to really think through how to make sure the greatest numbers paired up with the next layer, and then choose carefully where I placed each number around the last layer. It was a critical thinking exercise even for me! Also, it depends on the topic and type of information you include. For the specific topics that I made sets for, you can copy the exact set from the photo in my blog post. For other ones, it's actually ok to have more than one possible answer. It's just more challenging for the kids if you can make it with only one correct lineup. Thanks so much, Connie! I am glad you liked the idea. Enjoy! :)
- Brigid

Sheryl

11/30/2016 06:20:37 pm

How do I get the directions for making the rotation plates?

Math Giraffe link

12/1/2016 12:41:15 pm

Hi Sheryl,
For those ones, I just printed a coordinate plane and taped it to the back of the bottom plate. You can then have students use a dry-erase marker to do all the work on the top plate and spin it. I also marked at 90 degree intervals so they could easily see how far they turned it. Photos of that are here: http://www.mathgiraffe.com/blog/plastic-plate-activities-for-math-class
Thanks!
-Brigid

Jennifer Eckers

9/4/2018 12:00:07 pm

what size plates did you buy?

Math Giraffe link

9/4/2018 03:37:25 pm

Hi Jennifer,
Large! It is much easier to fit everything, especially if you are writing words instead of just numbers. :) I hope your classes enjoy it! Have a great school year,
-Brigid

James Morrow link

7/22/2021 01:14:24 am

Very much appreciated. Thank you for this excellent article. Keep posting!

How to: Challenge Puzzles from Plastic Plates

Other Videos You May Enjoy:

Leave a Reply.

Follow Us on Bloglovin'

Authors:

Archives