Guided Math and Math Centers in Kindergarten

Worksheets are a hot button topic in the world of education and i'm going to say it loud and clear before you read any further... I do not believe that worksheets teach. Can we use them to assess? Absolutely. Should we rely heavily on them? Absolutely not. So, i'm throwing it out there before you continue. We are in no way, shape, or form a worksheet driven classroom.

What do we use? We have Go Math at my school and it is great, but it is one of many tools that I use to help my students build a strong foundation in math. Engage NY has some fantastic resources for guided math that I peek at, and I also create lessons on my own based on my students needs. Whatever I use, I am all about hands on math. So what does my math block look like?


The mini lesson is exactly what it sounds like... mini. In this portion of our math block I cover what everyone needs to know.  When we spend long periods of time teaching math concepts we are reaching just one group of children and the rest are left behind or bored. Here are some examples of things we cover in a mini lesson:

• A math read aloud 
• Number formation 
• An interactive whiteboard activity that everyone needs to know (introducing vocabulary, brief introduction of a new concept)
• Introduce new vocabulary: for example, when we began comparing numbers we did the "alligator greater" song and talked about the symbol
• Group game- race to 10 with our giant ten frame, "find your match" with numbers represented different ways
• Rekenrek math chat (ex: showing a 5 group + 1 more is 6)
• Talking numbers-- have students solve a problem on whiteboards and talk about how they did it.

Whatever the topic, it is short and sweet. Our mini lesson is the pathway into what we will work on at the teacher table.

Guided Math

How many kids and how long? This probably the most frequently asked question. I am blessed with a small kindergarten class this year and have three math rotations. I meet with each group every day. I have 3-5 students in each group and we meet for 15 minutes. Last year my groups were much larger (I had a class of 24) and I had 5-6 in each group with four 15 minute rotations (I pulled time from elsewhere in my schedule to make it work.) 

These magnetic ten frames came from Oriental Trading. You can grab them by clicking the picture!

Those magnetic ten frames in the picture? They are a-w-e-s-o-m-e and we use them all the time! Check out Oriental Trading's Learn 365 website to grab other awesome learning manipulatives! 

What is guided math? Guided math is the heart of math instruction. It is intentionally planned and targeted instruction to meet the needs of each child in your group. Differentiation can be a scary word and when we are talking about breaking kids into small groups. Teachers can get overwhelmed with the idea of planning but sometimes differentiation can simply be how you scaffold students, your delivery, or even the manipulatives you use. What i'm getting at is that often times each one of my guided groups is learning the same concept just in different ways.

For example-- the group in the picture above solved the problem "Mason had 5 cupcakes and his friend gave him two more, how many does Mason have now?" Using our ten frames was much more concrete. Below, my friend is solving the same problem but drawing it on her own.

Guided math is one of my favorite times of the day because I truly get a full picture of each of my friends and I can meet them at their level. This is something that is nearly impossible impossible to do if you are teaching a whole group lesson for the majority of your math block.

Guided math should be hands on. You guys. Sometimes people think that kids should be working on workbook pages when they come to see you, or even learning a new math center. This is not what happens at the guided math table. True guided math is hands on-- our smallest friends need concrete experiences to build a strong math foundation. Giving a worksheet about a number is not the same as having a child build it with manipulatives and then explain their thinking. 

Here my friends built two numbers that we rolled and showed that they knew the two numbers are equal using hand signals.

Using Rekenreks to break numbers into smaller parts

Practicing making a counting path to count scattered groups of objects

These hands on experiences are everything when it comes to truly building number sense. Every new topic we introduce includes lots and lots of hands on activities during guided math-- once we have the concrete down, kids can move on to a combination of using manipulatives and things like pictorial examples. Catherine over at the Brown Bag Teacher has an incredible article about planning using the CSA continuum (concrete, semi-concrete, abstract). 

Comparing Numbers using snap cubes and our math balances

Something I really want to hit hard on is that during guided math instruction, it is REALLY important that the kids explain their thinking to you. It's not just build it, say the number, done. I want to know HOW and WHY they build the number the way that they did. During the comparing example above, we compared two numbers that were rolled using our balance and snap cubes. Each child explained their thought process-- this is really an important piece of the puzzle when we are getting to know our students math abilities better. It is also amazing to hear all the different ways they thought through math problems!

Math Centers

What is everyone else doing while groups meet at teacher table? Math centers! We have a total of three rotations this year because (as mentioned) I have a small class this year. Last year we had four.

Let's talk center tubs! The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE center tubs and it is by far their most favorite place to visit. At any given time I have between 5-8 center tubs to choose from. I do not assign tubs-- I am not a micromanager and the kids can choose whatever tub they want as long as it is not one they have visited repeatedly. They can also sit wherever they want in the room as long as they are not under a table or up against a door. 

We are currently working on numbers 1-10. This is a game called "roll and build" where my friends roll a 10-sided dice, find the number on their mat, and build it using snap cubes. The beauty of this center, just like most of the others, is that I can change these mats based on different concepts we learn. This way, changing out centers is not a big, dramatic event. For example, this game used to be only numbers 1-5. When we add they will roll two dice and build a number. Subtraction? Same idea. 

Here is our math balance again. We worked with our balance a lot at the teacher table so when the kids were ready, I included it as a center. This is something else that we will use for MANY different concepts (especially addition and balancing equations) so when we trade it out, we are not reinventing the wheel. 

One of the absolute all time favorite centers in our room is with our robot mouse, Jack. Because we are working on subitizing and number recognition 1-10, students roll the dice, and code Jack to find the number. This has been such an AWESOME way to combine STEM into our regular math block and it is the most engaging thing ever. We will be using this for every single concept we cover this year.

Hopscotch is a great activity for kinesthetic learners. When they toss the bean bag on a number, they hop to it and then write that number and represent it in a ten frame. When we move on to addition, they will complete a number bond to show how to break that number apart. Hopscotch is fantastic for getting kids moving AND doing math!

Math Through Technology

Technology is another rotation. Last year I used ABCYA and other free websites. I bookmarked the games I wanted my friends to play. This year I am using Boom Learning which is AMAZING because I get data about each one of my friends and I assign them games. Boom learning is interactive and self-checking-- I love that the kids are able to correct the answer and figure out why the one they originally selected was wrong. In addition to our robot mouse, it is one of the best things that has changed from last year to this year. 

To intentionally plan guided math instruction, it is SO important that we have data on kids. Boom Learning is such a simple way to do this. For each game I assign to my friends, I get data back that helps me group kids and plan. 

Data from my end! 

The kids get points on their end too and that is a huge incentive for them. They work so hard to earn all of their gems and I have seen them all go back into games to redo them in order to get all of their points.

This is what the kids see! They love earning points.

What the kids see from your classroom page

One of the best things about Boom is that the login is so easy. I bookmarked my classroom page on google chrome and the kids go right to it. They can find their usernames and I made their passwords super easy so that they can type them in on their own. This login system allows the kids to work completely independently-- so important because you are working with a small group at teacher table and cannot afford to go over to the computers to log kids in. It took me about 5 minutes to show a group of kindergarteners how to sign in. It is the perfect technology activity.


Here is an example of a Boom activity in action. Students drag and drop the correct number of animals into the barn.

 

If you want to try out Boom Cards in your classroom, you can head HERE to grab some. 

Some More Information

Management of centers- Let me let you in on something-- kids adore center time. They love that they get to choose their activity and they take pride and ownership. We make a big deal about how everything we do has to be done to help us get better at math. We spent basically all of September introducing centers and expectations so that they'd run smoothly. This doesn't mean you have to wait till next year to start. You can start tomorrow, next week, next month... just make sure you take the time to set clear cut expectations and practice them. You don't have to start pulling groups until all of your kids are ready to work independently. 

Math is not a worksheet; we need to create hands on experiences for kids and intentionally plan to meet their needs. I promise you that you will see amazing outcomes. So, take the plunge. No excuses. Tough class? Spend extra time teaching them routines and practices. Kids can't work independently? Yes they can, they'll surprise you. Cumbersome curriculum? Use it as a tool-- you are not a slave to it. Group of academically needy kids? Centers and guided math are perfect for them. You can do it, the kids can do it, and everyone will be better because of it.