Have you tried Versatiles in your classroom?

I know - an oldie, but a goodie!

I first used Versatiles probably 12 years ago in my first fourth grade classroom. (You heard that right, my first fourth grade classroom. I have had 3 fourth grade classrooms over the years and literally moved my classroom more times than I can count.)

Versatiles are numbered plastic tiles that fit into plastic cases that lock. They come with workbooks or question cards. In the photo below, my daughter is using them for beginning reader practice. She places the plastic case on top of the questions (top of the page) and answers (bottom of the page). We line up the tiles in number order on the carpet (Also good practice for 1:1 correspondence, counting, and identifying numbers, for our littlest ones). As she answers each question and finds the correct answer, she puts the corresponding tile on the correct answer. When she finishes the page, she locks the plastic case, flips it over, and checks the answer key on the bottom of the page. If she's right, there is a pretty design on the reverse side. If she's wrong, she will notice that he picture does not match the answer key and need to fix something.

I love that Versatiles are self-checking, easy to use, and easy to implement at any age. In my third and fourth grade classrooms, I had a station with Versatiles and question cards relating to whatever we were currently working on. Nowadays, living the instructional coach life, I am using them with my two-year old and loving it. :)