KindergartenWorks: guided math - updates and thoughts        

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

guided math - updates and thoughts

Since beginning guided math this year in my classroom I have some reflections to share on how the process is going. Timing, value, prep and activities...

Let me start off by sharing that guided math is proving to stretch me - but in good ways! I love being able to really get to know my kinders and their skills like I usually know in language arts, but now in their mathematical and strategical thinking. It took four weeks to get up and running and while I was teaching math during those four weeks, we were also focusing heavily on procedures and how to manage all of the "stuff" (manipulatives, journals) too. Our first week being in a rotation style was rough, and the second week was better once I understood what my role looked like.


I began with only 20 mins. per group and felt pressed for time on a daily basis. The other kinder teacher in my building who is treading with me shared the same feelings. It can be done in guided reading, but why not in math? When I added 10 mins. to each group, all the world became magical and we found our groove! We also have about three minutes in between to transition. Now mind you this full hour is just our group time, we also have a mini-lesson right before we split for the day and we also wrap up with discussion. Add in some math during our calendar, and our total math time adds up to about an hour and half.

Why did I feel like I need more time? Some students really just get into thinking and problem solving and then it seemed like I was pulling them out of it due to time constraints and fitting in a wrap-up activity. Is a warm up or wrap up activity absolutely necessary? Could it be done without? That'll be your call, because I may be wrong. This is just what has worked for me in my classroom. I feel that we need a few minutes prior and after the main activity to incorporate other standards or else I can't fit them all in with enough repetition.

But, honestly, I feel good and without doubt that I am reaching the needs of all my kinders - not just the midline group (which our current adopted program reaches) and watching my high kids bored and feeling frustrated with my lower ones for not catching on so quick. That was been super rewarding to feel within the first two days, I was like, "YES!"

Are there any downsides? It is a lot of planning and prep and materials, but so far... I'm not backing down! Perhaps I'll learn a ton that will make rolling it out next year easier on me and the kiddos.



Along with having fun because I'm invigorated by the value I've found in this whole process, I'm am making materials to meet their needs. Here is a set of sorting mats that I just used in small groups recently. We first only used pattern block shapes and sorted by shape and talked about the concept of organizing. Then we moved into sorting other objects in pairs and choosing how we sort before trying it independently. I sing while they are working to help them learn to label how they are sorting and they are picking up on these labels quicker than I thought. Why didn't I ever use picture labels before for these categories? I've always just relied on the oral "size, color, shape" before. Um, hello!

{Sorting Mats and Graphing Mat}

Like I mentioned how excited I was about meeting the needs of all students, here is a picture from working with my highest group - we transferred our sorting to a graph to help us analyze our sorts. Those are the ones that can complete the sorts super quickly or take so long because they are measuring by size to the minute detail, or the ones who are sorting by mulptiple categories at once... They really enjoyed this extension and it gave them a sense of purpose to be able to organize and compare their sort. 


This activity helps us practice and master Common Core Standards:
  • K.MD.3.a - Classify objects into given categories such as size, shape, color, thickness.
  • K.MD.3.b - Count the number of objects (10 or less) in each category.
Hope this update can give any of you trying something new some encouragement, hope or let you know that I can relate! Kudos to each of you trying something new to better your teaching!


If you're trying some type of differentiation this year, won't you tell me how its going?

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- Leslie
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posted by Leslie @ Wednesday, September 21, 2011