Math Stations: Logistics

You may recall last year when I walked you through my math block in a mini-series. Well, this year I have math set up much differently than before. I use a station rotation system (like Guided Math) to deliver my instruction. Part 1: Logistics.



Math is split into two blocks this year (instead of one big chunk of time), we have added a supplemental program called Excel Math to our daily activities, and I have a TOTALLY different bunch of kids. Different bunch of kids = Different bunch of problems. :/

This year, I have math from 11:05-12:20 and 1:05-2:10. The second part of math includes of a restroom break, Excel Math, and calendar time, and also includes a computer class once a week. So, basically, all of the great instruction/important stuff needs to occur in the first block.

During this time, we do math videos, ten-frame games, or hundreds chart activities usually taken from this book:

I pull some of our ten-frame activities from this unit:

And here are some of our favorite videos to use as a warm-up:

 This is the beginning part of our core lesson, directed to all students. This lesson is meant to get the students ready to focus on the day's skill that will be taught. This can include a story, game, video, hands-on exploration, or simply just a discussion.

After the focus lesson, we begin rotations/math stations. I then continue the core lesson with small groups of students, which is much more effective than delivering the lesson whole group.

Our stations are:

 

Ahem. Excuse the mess of the buckets...... ;)

If you love the labels, grab them below for FREE!

After the focus lesson, we are ready to use this handy-dandy rotation board: 

If you can't tell, this is displayed on my Promethean board using ActivInspire. This is the EASIEST rotation board I have EVER had: 

• The students' names are at the top inside the shapes, which are my five groups (it usually doesn't say "name", hahaha. I did that to protect my students' privacy!). I have divided them into 5 similar-ability groups. I do this so that I am able to target specific needs of my students. I can meet the low ones where they are at and challenge my high ones as appropriate. Don't have a cow--the groups are fluid, so a student may move groups several times throughout the year based on his/her needs. ;)

• The numbers going down the sides represent the round number. Each group (shape) looks below the group's shape to see their rotation order. I tried to make it super easy for students to understand. :)

• The stars in each group represent the person who will be using the iPad during Math with Technology. The rest of that group will use the classroom computers. The only thing I have to change daily is the little star--I move it to the next person so everyone will have a chance to use the iPad during the week.

Rotations are like so:

As you can see, each block is 10 or 15 minutes long. The timing may be shorter/longer depending on how long/short my "Math with Teacher" group is. I typically am able to get through all stations in one day. If time becomes an issue, I combine my last two teacher groups into one and deliver the lesson to both at once (9 students is still better than the whole group!).

Our math block concludes with calendar time, followed by another fun and favorite math video to close us out (usually an up-on-your-feet video).

Stay tuned for the next post, which will explain/show the station activities and, of course, include more freebies! :)

Listen to Reading

For all of you Daily 5ers out there:

How do you manage Listen to Reading?

I have 4 iPods and 1 iPad that we use for LtR. Last year's group managed it well on their own and I had to interfere very little. They were able to share the 5 devices among everyone without conflict. THIS YEAR'S GROUP--we have tears. And tears. And tears. And tears. And tantrums. Lord, have mercy, my bunch this year is very emotional. :/

SO, this is what I came up with to manage who gets access to the iPods and iPad each day to avoid the tears and tantrums about them.

#1: We do Daily 5 in 2 separate groups.

I split my class in half by ability; during round 1, group 1 works with me for phonics/spelling while group 2 does Daily 5. After 15 minutes, we switch groups. Round 2 is the same except we work on reading in small group instead of phonics/spelling.

#2: You may not have a second turn at LtR until everyone in the group has used the devices once (or at least has had the opportunity to use the devices).

This is our LtR management board:

The colored magnets near the bottom of the board have the kids' names on them, placed in their respective group. Right below the title, "Listen to Reading," you see a sign that looks like this:

This is where the students sign up to use a device. To sign up, they just move their magnet to cover one of the devices on the sign, like so:

Ideally, the magnets for each group would all be the same color. I will do that next year. This year, it was a last-minute idea so the magnets aren't the same because I had to use what I had! Initially, I actually had everyone in one big group so color wasn't a big deal until I decided to split them into 2. Oh, well. It still works. The kids do a great job of paying attention to who is in what group (mostly because they are ALWAYS all up in each other's business) so it works for us. No confusion thus far.

After Daily 5 is over, we simply move the magnets into the pail that sits between the groups of magnets. (If we do run into confusion with colors as described in the previous paragraph, I will just use two different pails to house the used magnets.) 

After majority of the magnets in a group are in the pail, we put them back on the board to sign up again. I say majority because if less than 5 students' magnets are left on the board, then there will be extra free spots for others to sign up.

If a student chooses not to do LtR at all, then he/she moves his/her name into the bucket at the beginning of round 1 so we know that he/she is choosing not to participate. This avoids the problem of waiting for someone to take a turn when he/she does not even want a turn.

So far, this has worked VERY well. The kids even take ownership and move the magnets in and out of the bucket for me! No tears over that yet. :)

#3: You must follow the rules in order to continue to use the devices.

Period. Dot. This will not be a problem to a lot of them at all, so I feel that revoking the privilege is fine for those who are deserving. As a reminder of the rules we came up with together, this mini poster is taped to the management board and to the area where the LtR books and devices are kept:

Click on the above picture if you would like a copy of this mini poster!

LtR is easily a popular choice during Daily 5, so this management system has really helped us keep potential problems under control.

What do you think? How do you manage your devices?

 

Accelerated Reader Prizes in My Room

We took our VERY FIRST AR (Accelerated Reader) tests last week in my classroom! Last year we didn't start until second semester and this year we were able to start in the fifth week of school--go me!!! :)

Since we are started now, I figured I should probably get my reward system for AR figured out! I spent the weekend scanning websites and soliciting ideas from some of you out there and I think I have a plan!

This will get us started--once they go beyond 10 points, I will be ready with an additional incentive chart. I don't anticipate that happening for a few weeks though! :)

I made the "Sparkling Reader" and "Glowing Reader" tags mentioned on the chart and I am happy to share them with you now!

So you get to see a live glowing shot because I accidentally activated these!!!

5 glow sticks in a pack at Walmart for $1!

  I bought the glitter pencils from Walmart for $1--12 in each pack.

And for one last incentive, I am using an idea left by an Instagrammie:

These fabulous and inexpensive beads will be worn by a student each time he/she earns 1 AR point. They will get to wear it all day and then return it at the end of the day. Sweet and simple. (I think this may end up being their favorite incentive!)

If you would like to snag a FREE copy of the aforementioned tags, visit one of my shops by clicking below:

What kind of incentives do you offer for AR?

Please share below!

Hope you had a great Monday!!! :)

Throwback Thursday

Before this week's Throwback Thursday post, I wanted to remind you about Sweet & Simple Saturday!

Don't forget to come on over and grab your freebie! :)

And now...

This linky party is meant to highlight some of your previous blog posts. Here is a throwback for you for classroom management from August 2, 2011 (WOW, that was long ago!)!

*****************ORIGINAL POST*****************

Like any teacher, I LOVE when my students make smart choices. I believe in rewarding students at random so they do not always expect a reward for doing something they probably should be doing anyway. I have always given out random rewards (like pencils, pens, treats, special privileges, etc.). I decided to make it a little more formal and create a "SMART Choice" bucket.

(With frogs, of course!) The container is not very big at all (you probably can't tell from the picture); it's only about 7 inches tall.

Right now I only have what is left over from the treasure box I used for the Summer Technology Camp I taught in back in June. I plan on hitting up The Dollar Tree, Target, and Wal-Mart to restock with items such as pencils, erasers, pens, stickers, and small toys in order to keep it simple.

I am going to implement Beth Newingham's classroom economy system for my homeroom class, so the SMART Choice bucket will be a little added bonus. My other 2 classes will only use the SMART Choice bucket.

*****************END ORIGINAL POST*****************

I have updated the labels freebie so it now includes 22 labels!!

Enjoy!!!