Are you an upper elementary teacher wondering how to set up guided math stations or how to organize math centers? Keep reading to learn about organization for math workshop in the upper elementary classroom.
This article is the 7th in my “Ultimate Guide to Guided Math” series. To start at the beginning, check out the first post. Check it out by clicking the image below:
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How to Set Up Guided Math
Guided math stations can be organized in many different ways.
Some teachers like to use a “Math Menu” with a choice based approach. This method provides students with a “must do” and “may do” list of activities for the week that they work through at their own pace. Math menu is great because it offers a lot of freedom for students who finish required activities early.
Other teachers like to set up guided math stations using an acronym to help students remember which activities they are assigned each day of math workshop. I have personally used both of these strategies to set up guided math.
When I taught fifth grade math, I used a variety of methods of organizing math rotations. My favorite was when I used the M.A.T.H. acronym to organize my math stations. I enjoyed this method because it really hits each aspect of the structure I wanted to follow, allowing my students independent time, partner time, small group time (with me), plus a dedicated time to practice math facts.
I found that my 5th graders struggled hard with multiplication fact fluency, which then made higher level multiplication, division, and working with fractions very frustrating for them. They would spend so much time trying to calculate 6 x 8, that after they finally found that the answer is 48 they had lost their place in solving 476 x 83!
M = Math Fact Practice
This math station is perfect for students to practice independently, or with a partner those tricky multiplication facts! I have used computer programs like Xtra Math and IXL for this station, as well as engaging fact fluency games. You can try a sample of my upper elementary math multiplication fact games by completing the form below:
A = At Your Seat
Seat work is reserved as independent practice for students to dive deeper into the math skill that you are working on for the week.
This practice can be in the form of a simple worksheet, page from your district provided curriculum, an independent activity that you have downloaded, or even digital math games that reinforce the target skill.
If you check out a sample of my 5th grade math centers, you can see how I have set up my independent practice to print with the guided math stations activity booklet (all on one page!).
T = Teacher Time
The heart and soul of guided math is during this rotation activity. When students are at your teacher table is where the true math magic happens!
Believe it or not, upper elementary students LOVE to work directly with their teacher. This is a prominent aspect of their school day routine that they really do look forward to and enjoy doing.
Dedicating time in your math schedule to invite students to work directly with you is beneficial to them because of the additional support they receive with the skill you are teaching, confidence building, and emotional connection with a trusted adult.
It is beneficial to you as the teacher because you are able to closely observe and monitor your students’ learning, take observation notes, and keep detailed records of skills that you may need to reteach, provide targeted intervention for, or provide enrichment activities for.
Guided Math Lesson
Your small group time should revolve around
a guided math lesson. You will want to
introduce/review related math vocabulary
and then review the skill with a couple of
examples, and then lead students into the
lesson activity.
Hands On Activity
The guided math lesson should involve some type of hands on activity where
students are engaged with practicing the math skill. You can choose to allow them to
work together or independently, but it is important that you are available to guide
them by answering questions, redirecting them when you see misconceptions, and
simply observing and making notes.
Grab a sample of my guided math lesson plans by completing the form below:
H = Hands On Activities
The favorite part of guided math stations for the students will be the hands on math centers.
Many learners are most successful when they can dive into the skill and participate in some type of hands on activity. This type of learning is great in a guided math classroom when the teacher is leading a small group lesson and/or during math stations.
You can try a sample of my upper elementary math centers by completing the form below:
Making Math Workshop Work
A HUGE part of math workshop is classroom management and having very clear procedures in place for your students from the very BEGINNING!
Your math workshop schedule will work for you if you take the time to explicitly teach the procedures and review them throughout the year as you see necessary. A few ideas for classroom management to get you started:
3 Before Me
This procedure is a way to make sure that your students are learning to problem solve on their own without your help for every. little. thing.
When I was in the classroom, I taught my students that anytime I was with a small group of students, and they were working independently or at centers, then they were supposed to follow 3 before me procedures.
This process can take on many forms, but in my classroom it meant that they were to ask 3 other students near them (quietly) their question, and then if they didn’t get the answer they needed, then they could sign up on my board to be called over when I got a break in my small group instruction.
This limited the amount of interruptions that I would have caused by students running over to my table every time they had a question PLUS it reinforced problem solving and independence on their part.
Limit Group Sizes
Another way to monitor behavior and productivity during math workshop is to limit the size of the groups that you allow your students to work with.
I would suggest no larger than 4 students working together with math center activities, and 2 students working together with math fact games. Smaller groups limit the amount of possible distractions and off task behavior, meaning more practice for your students and more focused instruction at your small group table.
Classroom Management Slides
Math workshop activities need to be visually organized and there is no better way that I have found to accomplish this than using digital classroom management slides.
Once you have your slides set up with the math rotations that you are running in your classroom, all you need to edit are the student groups each time they are changed.
Using visual instructions is helpful for keeping your students on track and you can even insert a rotation timer into the slides!
Need a way to organize your math rotation schedule?
Center rotation slides help keep your students, and yourself, organized and on track during small groups!
Check out these editable classroom management slides by clicking the image:
How Do You Organize Math Centers?
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Organization of math center materials is key to your sanity and productivity during math workshop. All math activity printables and small group materials should have a specific location for storage AND for student use.
I always love 3 ring binders for storing printables, and these plastic tubs are great for keeping all math center materials together. When I was in the classroom I had about 15 billion of these plastic storage drawers to keep my hands on activities organized.
Whatever you choose for storage, just be sure that you teach your students how to clean up the materials at the end of math workshop, and have a clear routine for switching out your manipulatives and games from week to week.
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I hope you have enjoyed this article about how to set up guided math stations. Join me in the next part of the series for a look at real world application in the math classroom.
