Math on the desk!

I let my students write on the desks! Yes, I do. They love it. It's big, lots of room to work out math problems and I can see everyone's thinking.  This particular day we were counting coins. This student was using a key (I wrote the touch math signs on his desk on the right side, dotting for counting by fives) and he was working with the key to get the answers. As you can see I gave them a large amount of coins to count. Borrowing and regrouping is great to do on the desks as well.

 The students in the back have their hands over their work to signal me that they are ready to show. It's a great little tip to let them write on the desk. I have never had a student not do his work when I do this. They love it and I can see quickly who needs help. I also have whiteboards (paddles as seen on this desk) but nothing beats writing right on the desk! At the end I spray Mr. Clean right on the desk and the student wipes off the writing. Comes right off and the room smells fantastic!