Free Constructed Response Math Tasks (Winter-Themed)

Solving constructed response math tasks can be tricky for students. To help my students, we practiced this all year with different skills we are learning. The post shares more information about constructed response math questions and a few free 4th & 5th grade tasks with a winter theme that you can use to sneak in some extra practice with a relevant seasonal theme.

What Are Constructed Response Math Tasks?

Constructed response math asks are open-ended math questions that require students to write their answers in complete sentences and often explain or prove them as well. These tasks often involve multiple steps or parts and may require students to show models used to find an answer or prove an answer.

They are very similar to word problems (and often identical) except the student work required for most constructed response questions is typically more (i.e. explaining your answer, proving your answer, etc.).

Because the cognitive demand for constructed tasks is higher than multiple choice or computational tasks, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Use constructed response tasks AFTER a student has achieved a certain level of mastery with the math skill.
2. Teach students how to organize and label their math work when solving constructed response tasks.
3. Using these tasks will truly show you if a student has reached a high level of mastery with a skill, making them great for formal assessments.
4. Regularly offer practice with constructed responses math tasks, including lots of modeling.

Want more tips? Check out these posts.

About the Winter Math Constructed Response Freebies

Now, let’s get to the free math tasks that you can print and use immediately (or assign digitally).

The math skills included are (one task per skill):

• dividing with unit fractions
• multiplying fractions by whole numbers
• comparing and ordering decimals
• writing numerical expressions

Each math task contains a rigorous task (often multi-step) and plenty of room for the students to show all of their work. Each task also includes specific spaces for students to show their work, their answers, and any other relevant information. This is a great scaffold to ensure students provide all of the necessary parts and in an organized way.

Each math task also includes winter-themed graphics that match the context of the task. Pro Tip: Hang the completed math tasks on a bulletin board or out in the hallway for a seasonal and grade-level appropriate display of work.

Digital versions of the math tasks are also included. The digital version includes the same content as the printable version but has been redesigned to work in Google Slides. It is ready to assign through Google Classroom. Need help assigning Google Slides activities? Click here!

Answer keys are included in the PDF but can be used to check your students’ digital work as well!

Using the Free Constructed Response Math Tasks

The constructed response math tasks are one page with one problem per page (making them less intimidating for students).

Here are some ideas for using the free math tasks:

• Use them to assess your students on a skill (while providing that much-needed practice with constructed responses).
• Place them in a math station or center for the week.
• Use them in small group instruction to remediate (5th or 6th grade teachers) or enrich (4th grade teachers)
• Use them for early finishers during the winter months. You could even place them page projectors to save copies. Or assig the digital versions.

Grab the Free Winter Math Tasks Here!

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Want MORE Constructed Response Math Questions and Tasks?

If you want more constructed response math practice, check out these grade-level bundles. They are non-seasonal, so you can use them all year as you teach your math skills.