An Organized Plan for Math Activities

Do you need an organized plan for your Math activities?

There was a time when I just sent students to math centers after they completed the assigned math application for the day's lesson.  I spent so much time replacing center materials, but thought there had to be a better way!  I had other resources that I rarely used and then one day I read the book Math Work Stations by Debbie Miller.  It changed the way I thought about this time!  Now "centers" is just one activity in my daily Math Work Stations.  

I wanted an organized plan to ensure I worked with each student during the week, so I included a teacher rotation.  Fluency is an important focus at our school, so I wanted my kiddos to work in their fluency folders weekly as well.  Counting to 120 is a skill reported on our first report card, so I have a container of baggies with various seasonal erasers in them.  The number in the bags range from 50 to 150.  I bought my first assortment from Amazon, but then they started popping up in the dollar spot at Target.  Most of them come in groups of 60, so I usually pick up two bags.  These are my first 5 rotations to start the year.  I will eventually change out counting bags for iPads or Partner Games as they year goes on.  These stations require hardly any of my time, so instead, I get to spend it on planning my core content.  I still have centers, but I don't have to change them near as often (usually monthly or just when the unit changes). Yippie!!!  

Click on Weekly Math Rotations Chart if you would like your own copy, which is fully editable.  You can change the group names, the student names in each group and the name of the daily activities.  There is also a 4-day rotation chart included in the download.  Pick which is best for you.    

If you like this Weekly Math Rotation chart, please leave your review on TPT.  Thank you!

Math Rotations Help Manage Centers

For a long time I thought of work after kids were finished in Math, only as Centers.  I worked long hours switching out materials and keeping those centers up-to-date, only to stay frustrated that it took so much of my time.

One day, it dawned on me to try things a different way... Math Rotations!  With Math Rotations, I still use centers, but they are just a small part of the big picture, which reduces the prep time that usually goes with setting up centers for a classroom full of kids.

With my Math Rotations, I usually have  4 math stations or rotations, because I have 4 days to teach math.  We are assigned S.T.E.M. Lab on Tuesdays this year.

1. Math with Mrs. H.
2. Math by Myself
3. Computers
4. Centers

1. Math with Mrs. H. is a opportunity when I remediate or enrich a group of students based on earlier work or prior assessments.  There are times that I need to pull individuals to assess.  For these times, I will replace the words "Math with Mrs. H" with another activity like "Counting Bags".  Doing that, gives all students something to do, and I can just pull individuals as needed.  Above is  picture of my rotational chart prior to completing the assessments that determine student placement in Fluency Folders for Math by Myself.

2. Math by Myself is a opportunity where students work on their math fluency.  I assess kids independently to see which number (1 through 10), they are fluent at,  in other words... which number combinations they know with automaticity.  For each student, I design a math fluency folder with activities based solely around their target number (5 for example).    They have a small "toolbox" with manipulatives of that same number as well (5 two-color counters, 5 red squares, 5 yellow squares, 5 beans, etc).  At the start of the year, before I have their fluency folders created, or when they complete their fluency folder but I haven't re-assessed them yet, I will use this time to give them application material from lessons in class.

3. Computers - You probably already have this one down!  I am fortunate to have 4 student desktop/laptop computers and 3 iPads in my classroom.  If you do not, maybe you have enough for students to play as partners.  I sign them three math sites they will log onto:  Ten Marks, Sum Dog and X-tra Math.  On my iPads, there are other math apps as well.

4. Centers - Now, having kids only rotate through this once each week, centers are so much more manageable!  I feel successful leveling my centers and having it stocked with activities that address the specific skills we are currently working on in the classroom.  All I really need is one activity per level.  Depending on how you plan to level your groups, that could be just two or three activities. (low and high, or low, medium and high)  Once they complete their "required" activity, they are allowed to work on the other one.  I set up colored folders in the center tubs, which are color-coded to match the students' level.

5. Counting Bags - I mentioned this activity above.  If you have 5 full days of Math, and need a fifth rotation, this would be the one I would choose.  From Oriental Trading, I purchased an assortment of little fun-shaped erasers, which we do not use as erasers.  We call them counters.  We have soccer balls, footballs, balls of every sport, puppy dogs, ice cream cones, starbursts, fish of every color, smilie faces, owls, turtles, and more.  I sorted them and put the like shapes in a baggie.  During this rotation, a student chooses a bag of counters and finds a spot on the floor to spend time counting.  As time goes on, I have them begin to record their count on a small post-it note and then verify their count using a hundreds board.  Later in the year, I have them write their prediction first, then write their count, and finally verify.  Before introducing this activity,  I model how I want them to count, which is to make ten-frame arrangements using their counters.  I have found this dramatically improves their accuracy for a number of reasons, the least being that if they get interrupted or loose their place, they can count by tens more easily, to find the number where they left off.

Here is a link to pick up your free Math Rotations Classroom Management Chart for yourself.  There are text boxes provided so you can edit names and activities.  I've used a common font found on most computers, but you can change it to whatever you have that you like.


If this is something you found helpful, I would love to hear about it in the comments section below.

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Dr. Seuss Week

Well, today was Read Across America Day, the day to celebrate the birthday of that illustrator and author, Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr Seuss.

• On Monday, students brought their favorite Dr. Seuss book  to read during reading.  
• Tuesday was crazy sock day and we read Fox in Socks.  
• Of course today was Wacky Wednesday and all the children dressed in their wackiest of outfits.  
• Tomorrow, Thursday students are to wear green for the Grinch, or their favorite Dr. Seuss shirt.  
• On Friday, we're all wearing hats and reading The Cat in the Hat.  

I made a set of QR Codes with twenty books by Dr. Seuss. 

I used these along with our iPads and a tub of about 10 classroom Dr. Seuss books to rotate around the students during independent reading time all week.  The kids have had a blast!

This morning our principal dressed up as the Cat in the Hat and two of her sidekicks helped out as Thing 1 and Thing 2.  Here are a few pictures as they entertained the whole first grade.

 

In math, we have been working so hard to learn all the combinations of numbers one to ten, so I came up with this activity to give them a bit of fun as they practiced.  I called it the Name and Number Cat Hat.  I decided to do this during math rotations so I could work with just four or five in a small group.

I wrote each student's name on a white strip that served as the rim or base of the hat.  I gave them a large sheet of black construction paper and a stack of red and white 2 in. x 6 in.  rectangles.  I took a bag of snap cubes and instructed the children to count the letters in their name, and then pull out that same number of snap cubes from a bag I showed them.

To make the number combinations, we started with all of their cubes on one side of the black paper and none on the other.  Then they recorded a number sentence on a red rectangle to begin, like 0 + 6 = 6.  Next, the students moved only one block to the other side of the paper, picked up a white rectangle and recorded that number sentence, like 1 + 5 = 6.  This continued until all the cubes were on the other side of the paper and all the number combinations were recorded.

It was a great day!

Valentine's Day Math and Reading

MATH ROTATIONS

Right now my team of teachers and I are focusing our efforts on helping our students increase their fact fluency.  It is always a real eye-opener to see the actual results of the assessment our district uses to determine their fact fluency.  We call it the Hiding Assessment.  Once we determine the number at which the student hesitates more then three seconds or gives a wrong answer, we set up a series of activities to focus on that number.  Once the student becomes fluent at that number, they move up and work on the next number.  The goal is for our kindergarteners to be fluent to 5 before they come to us in first.  Our goal is for first graders to be fluent to 10 before moving on to second grade.  After my math mini-lesson and lesson application, my students participate in a math rotation which lasts about 20 minutes.  They rotate through four stations called: 

1. Computers 

2. Math by Myself

3. With Mrs. H. 

4. Centers   

The station "With Mrs. H." meets at my teachers table.   I meet with this group mainly to remediate or review earlier content.  

The station called "Math by Myself" is the station with activities designed specifically for the individual students. If a student is working on the number 6, everything in that folder helps them remember the various number combinations of the number 6.  

In the "Centers" station, I include new and past math concepts.  I also include fact fluency center activities.  I select the activities that go into the center stations, but the students can choose which ones they want to work on from the activities I put out.  I wanted a fact fluency center with a Valentine's Day theme, so I created Breaking Hearts Fact Fluency.  The students match the broken hearts by locating the sums and the number combinations that go together.   Students use the smaller pink hearts and white hearts along with the ten frame to help them determine the correct sum.  Afterwards, they provide answers on the recording sheet. 

Here is a preview of all of the number combinations, including the recording sheet.

Click to get your copy of Breaking Hearts Fact Fluency.

If you are teaching a bit older child, you will want to check out the FREE Valentine's Day multiplication fact game at my 3rd grade blog, 3rd Grade Grapevine.

SIGHT WORD PRACTICE

My sweeties love it when they come in first thing and find their morning work is one of my Color by Sight Word sheets.  I have pages created to go along with the seasons and holidays as they arrive.  I have three for the month of February, and each are with the Valentine's Day theme.

This is the cover of the packet you would see on TPT. The upcoming seasonal themes include:

• Winter/Snow
• Valentine'd Day
• St. Patrick's Day
• Lion/Lamb ("Spring comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.")
• Easter
• April Showers
• May Flowers

The sight words featured are a combination of Dolce and Fry words along with years of experiential knowledge of the words kids need to know how to read by the end of first grade.  

DISCOVERY EDUCATION

I am a huge fan of Discovery Education.  If you have not found that resource yet, bookmark it or save it to your favorites.  I can't tell you how many times I just pull up the site, type a topic in the search bar, and, WHA-LA!  ...several great resources to choose from that will fit whichever grade level I need.  All of the following videos can be found on Discovery Education and they are all about Valentine's Day.

Here is a video that tells the origins of Valentine's Day, and how the tradition of giving valentines all began.  

It's titled Holiday Facts and Fun:  Valentine's Day.  

Click on the image below to go there.  

You will need to set up a FREE account if you or your school do not already have one.

If we have rainy weather, I will often play a fun video on the smart board.  Clifford's Your Secret Valentine would be a fun choice.

If your school allows access to You Tube, here is the same Clifford Valentine's Day video.  You Tube used to be blocked in our district, but not any longer.  However it still it in many districts, so you may want to go through Discover Eduction. 

Click on the title, Breaking Hearts FREEBIE , to get your copy of the recording sheet below, just for visiting my blog.  Follow my blog and bookmark it so you don't miss updates and other FREEBIES offered here.  

I would love to hear from you...  When do you incorporate math centers, or do you have a similar math rotation as I do?  Do you use Discovery Education videos in your classroom, or do you have other video sites you like to use instead?    Just click on the "comment' button below.