Guided math is one of the best upper elementary math instructional strategies for reaching students on a deeper level. With a solid plan, this structured instructional strategy can help teachers achieve this reach. Planning for upper elementary guided math is an essential component of the math block.
This article is the third 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 Do You Plan for Upper Elementary Guided Math?
The most important part of creating a plan for guided math in your upper elementary classroom is developing a pacing guide around a YEAR AT A GLANCE document of some sort. This may be a schedule of instruction provided by your district, or you and your team may have created a standards based schedule to follow.
Whatever type of year at a glance you are using, be sure to double check that every standard that you are expected to teach is included, and that you have built in time for SPIRAL REVIEW, intervention, and end of year review.
Guided Math Schedule in the Upper Elementary Classroom
As teachers, we have an innate skill of creating schedules. However, sometimes we struggle to build schedules that allow for cohesion throughout an entire school year.
As mentioned in the previous section, following a year at a glance document allows the teacher to see a big picture of all skills that need to be taught throughout the entire school year. With this information in hand, he or she can develop individual units of instruction based on common skill themes.
These units of instruction will be formed using a unit SCOPE & SEQUENCE. The scope and sequence plan is a detailed pacing guide that breaks down a daily schedule that occurs over a course of 2-6 weeks, depending upon the skills included in the unit.
Finally, using the scope and sequence pacing guide, a weekly schedule can be laid out that creates uniformity and consistent expectations withing the math classroom. Below is an example of a guided math weekly schedule that provides the students and the teacher with a predictable set of instructional activities, practice, and assessments.
How to Get Organized for Guided Math Instruction
Organization for guided math instruction is imperative for a successful upper elementary math workshop routine. Again, the most important element in planning for upper elementary guided math, is to begin with the big picture and make a schedule for your students that allows time to give them a solid foundation of instruction for every math skill required, and time for review and intervention.
In part 7 of this series, we will discuss specific ways that you can get physically organized for guided math. But mental organization (getting your thoughts and plans onto paper) is the most important feature of planning guided math when you are first getting started. This involves creating (or using a provided) year at a glance, each unit scope & sequence, and then building your weekly schedule. Feel free to use the weekly schedule I linked for you above exactly as it is, or modify it to fit your students’ needs.
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Join me in the next part of the series to discuss how to launch guided math in your upper elementary classroom.
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