Think Links™ Tips
Make Transparencies of Masters
Make transparencies of the Think Links™ masters for use with an overhead projector and use intact with the whole class as a preparatory activity to using Think Links™.
Use Masters as Key
As an elementary school math class works through a set of Think Links™, follow along with the appropriate Think Links™ masters to prompt students if necessary to make certain they stay “linked.”
Designate a “Beginning” Card
To facilitate the start-up of a Think Links™ math activity, as in an activity center, designate one of the cards as the beginning card with some sort of mark.
Creative Drama
Use Think Links™ as a basis for an across-the-curriculum imagination, movement, and improvisation math lesson. Have elementary school children mime the “who” parts. Goals are skill building, problem solving, and personal and social development.
Skip Counting
To practice skip counting, as in teaching the multiplication facts for three, have every third, sixth, ninth, ... child to read a card stand up. Have them remember their position and cite it in order after all the cards have been read. By having every first, third, fifth, ... or second, fourth, sixth, ... child stand up, odds and evens can be emphasized.
Compete Against Time
Time the class every time it works through a particular set of Think Links™ and graph the progress.
Minutes
10 .
9 .
8 .
7 .
6 .
5 .
4 .
3 .
2 .
1 .
_____1_____2_____3_____4_____5
Round
Variations:
• Have Yellow Birds (one half of the class) compete against time with Blue Birds (the other half of the class) and graph the results.
• Have individuals or small groups compete against time with themselves or other individuals or groups and graph the results.
