Math Wheel Questions Answered to Help You Get Started

You know I love using math wheels as a tool in my classroom. And. . . I’ve gotten great feedback from lots of you about them too. But occasionally, I’ll get a question about the math wheels. If you’ve got math wheel questions you’re in luck because today we’re tackling some of the most frequently asked questions about math wheels.

If you have been a longtime fan or have just recently discovered math wheels, you know (or will know) how they are a necessary tool in the teacher toolbox! No matter if you’re a pro at using these tools with your students or just starting, the answers to these questions are filled with some tips to help you make the most of Math Wheels in your classroom. Let’s dive in!

Are Premade Math Wheels Editable?

The short answer is no – but please don’t stop reading there because you do have an editable option included when you purchase a math wheel. The premade math wheels are designed with the space and examples needed for your students to take doodle notes on the wheel topic.

But I get it – it is nice to be able to change things up to meet the needs of our students. That is why each math wheel includes an editable wheel that you can make your own. You might choose to copy what was on the original wheel but add more examples, or your students might need a fill-in-the-blank style definition written in. Whatever your students need, you can do that on the editable wheel.

The editable wheel is edited in PowerPoint, but you could also upload that to Google Slides. From there you will just use text boxes to add the information you’d like to have on your wheel. It’s all about personalizing the learning experience to meet the unique needs of your classroom. And while I can’t create a truly personalized wheel for you, I do provide you with the tools to do that.

What About Students Who Work Slowly? Will the Coloring Slow Them Down?

I know there could be worries or questions about the coloring part of the math wheels. I have some suggestions to support our slower-working students with the coloring aspect. This way, we can ensure that all our students have the opportunity to fully benefit from the use of color to help them retain what is on the math wheel.

1. Hold off on coloring until after notes and practice

My first suggestion is to wait on the coloring until after you’ve wrapped up your notes and practice problems. That way, slower-working students can really focus on understanding the material without feeling rushed. Once they’ve nailed down the concepts, they can dive into coloring their math wheels at their own pace.

2. Provide extended time

Another trick is to carve out some extra time specifically for coloring activities. I sometimes set aside a bit more time at the end of the lesson or during independent work periods just for coloring. This way, students can take their time and really enjoy the process without worrying about keeping up with the clock.

3. Splashes of colors

The whole wheel does not need to be colored. Teaching students how to use color in a way that highlights the most important information is a great starting place. When I first introduce my students to math wheels, I make sure to model how to bring attention to important details of our notes. This could be highlighting an arrow pointing out an important step of the process or drawing a small doodle to help us remember a part of the math concept.

I also show them how they can color code vocabulary words and examples so they can see the visual connection. I found this helps my students to shift their focus to the content, rather than stressing about coloring in each spot.

4. Peer support

Encourage some buddy system action! Pairing slower-working students with peers who work at a faster pace can be super helpful. Their peers can offer guidance and encouragement and maybe even lend a hand with the coloring process.

I hope that by using one or more of these tips you will be able to help students to get the benefits of using color without it taking the entire class period.

Are Students Able to Type Their Notes On to the Wheel Sections?

Yes! For students to be able to type their notes you will need to upload the math wheel so that they can have digital access. This might include Google Classroom or another Online Learning Platform. You can also use Google to send them a link so that each student can make their own copy of the wheel.

Once students have access to the wheel, there are multiple ways they can add their notes depending on the software available to your students. If students have a note-taking app that allows them to take notes directly on a pdf or image that would be a great place to start. If you share the wheel using Google Slides or PowerPoint, students can add a text box in order to type their notes on the wheel.

Tip: If you choose to share via PowerPoint or Google Slides I recommend adding the wheel as the background of the slide. This keeps the wheel from being a clickable item that can be moved around making it easier for students to take notes.

If none of the options above work for you, I recommend talking to your school or district IT Department. They should be able to help you find a method that will allow your students to digitally take notes with the resources available to them.

What are the Dimensions of the Math Wheels? Will They Fit a Composition Book?

The dimensions of the math wheels are almost exactly 11 inches by 8.5 inches in landscape orientation. Although a composition book is slightly smaller than this, there are some easy ways to make this work.

Before printing, use your printer settings to adjust the size of the math wheel. If you print at 100% it will be full size. However, if you change that to 80-85% it will decrease the size allowing it to fit perfectly inside the composition notebook. You can go a little larger than that if you are using spiral notebooks. Either way, the math wheels will make an excellent addition to your math notebooks.

Alternatively, you could print the math wheel full size and then fold the math wheels in half. Glue the backside of one half of the math wheel to the notebook page. Then, your students can flip up the math wheel and then fold it back down when finished using the math wheel. This would also leave some additional space for notes or adding the topic of the wheel on the page.

How Can I Use Math Wheels as Anchor Charts or Posters?

I am a visual learner, and the longer I teach math, the more I believe that many of my students will benefit from visual aids as well. One way to utilize math wheels in your classroom is by printing the math wheel as a poster. Then you can complete the math wheel with your students. This helps them to see exactly what you are writing down. It also serves as a tool throughout the unit or during times of review for students to easily refer to. I dive deeper into how to make math wheels into larger sizes and how to use them in my post Using Math Anchor Charts and Bulletin Boards to Empower Students.

What is the Difference Between 6th Grade Bundle 1 & 2 and the 6th Grade Math Wheels Bundle? Is it the Same for the 4th Grade and 5th Grade Bundles?

The 6th Grade Math Wheels Bundle is your one-stop shop for all of the math wheels that cover 6th grade math standards. To give you choices, I also created two smaller bundles, each with half of the math wheels as the big bundle.

5th Grade Math Bundles

So far, 4th and 5th grade levels are also set up the same way. Two smaller bundles that each include half of the grade level math wheels and one large bundle with all of them.

4th Grade Math Bundles

Why Won’t the Background Show Up When I Am Printing?

When the background of your math wheel won’t print it is usually a software issue. First, make sure you are opening the math wheel pdf file in the Adobe Reader program, not on a PDF reader app. If you are opening the file on your computer then make sure that you are using the most recent version of Adobe Reader. You can download the most recent version of Adobe Reader here.

If you are having problems with an editable math wheel not printing correctly, make sure to save the editable file as a PDF first. You can find this option under Export in PowerPoint and Download in Google Slides. Once you have saved the edited file as a PDF try printing. By saving your file as a PDF, you ensure that all the elements, including the background, text boxes, and vocabulary words, are preserved exactly as they should be.

Math Wheel Questions Answered

In the ever-evolving world of education, having the right tools and resources at your fingertips can make all the difference. I hope this FAQ journey has shed some light on your math wheel questions or provided you with a few new tips and ideas.

Save these Math Wheel Questions for Later

Remember to save this post to your favorite math Pinterest board for easy access to answers to your math wheel questions.