Math Stations Demystified

#2getherwearebetter

I was so excited when Angie (Lucky Little Learners) and Ashley (Schroeder Shenanigans) revealed that the topic was math! I just LOVE math and I've been meaning to get this post up for quite some time. Today, I'm sharing all about math work stations.

 Two years ago I had a desire to implement math stations. I had a hard time finding resources that explained running the groups, rotations, etc. Luckily, I was able to find a professional development and figured out a rotation system. The hard part in second grade was finding time in my schedule for math stations. Somehow it's been more manageable in first grade. 

This book is full of ideas!!

I usually have 20 students (16 this year), so I have 5 groups of 4 students The games students play are typically individual or partner games, so it helps to have even numbers. Every math group has a captain. I select new captains randomly throughout the year. The captain's job is to get their group's math bin and put it back in its place at clean up time. The student’s name is in blue font in case teacher anyone forgets.

I decided to keep the time to 10-15 minutes. This helps to minimize behavioral issues. I find that the more time students have, the more likely they are to be off task (at least in my class). Students go to one math work station each day. By the end of the week, they should have done all 5 (as long as our schedule wasn't interrupted).

I recently attended a Cognitively Guided Instruction PD (you can read about that HERE) and have modified my centers to include more counting activities. I definitely plan on adding more rigorous activities as time goes on.

I'm sure you've seen these before! Ashley Hughes posted these Hundred charts a while back. They're free too! I printed and laminated them, then provided a blank 120 charts for students to check their answers. Click {HERE} to find the Hundred Chart Printables.

I've been using calendar cards that were provided by my teammate. It was a great way to review numbers to 30. This station has already been retired in my room. 

This student is playing Puzzle Pics on MathPlayground.com (a FREE website). They get so giddy when they see these puppies. It's so sweet. I supply my students with cubes, so that they may model their responses.

Do you have any math work stations that your kiddos LOVE? Please share. I'm always open to new ideas. ^_^