creating a guided math binder

Last summer, I was waiting to use the materials I created to see if they would fly or not in a real classroom before I shared them with you. I put in a lot of thought into planning my guided math and that planning carried us a long way this year. I've made some adjustments as time has gone on, but the bones and structure of what I designed has lasted!

I've put together the strategies we've used into posters for you as well as the math lesson plan templates into a guided math pack.

Guided Math Pack

It also has the bookmarks, some journal prompts, the math zone icons I use and more materials to help you get started on your journey to doing guided math in your classroom. 

Each teacher morphs the look of it to fit her needs and the needs of her kinders, which is the beauty of having these materials to get your foundation in place, which most likely won't change too much, as mine didn't.

This year, math has a dedicated space of its own. I still have my table lowered to the ground, but it now sites in front of a bookshelf which is perfect for keeping math materials. See the binder all by itself? 

That's the piece that holds it all together for me. I have a binder for my guided math lesson plans. It has four tabs - one for each math group with their plans behind each tab. I created three kinds of lesson plan templates, but let me show you which one works best for me.

At the front, before all of the tabs, I keep the planned scope for the quarter's nine weeks as a planning guide. Scribbles, scrawled handwriting, it's all part of my process. I can barely read my own notes sometimes... It shows me what standard and activity we can use and how to differentiate for groups. You can also see that I have a teeny version of the weekly rotation taped into my binder for planning reference.

Personal Planning Sample {template not included}

Behind each binder tab, I have a new set of weekly lesson plans for my groups. I plan/print one week at a time onto the single page layout with lots of space to scrawl notes. The top has a place for me to write down vocabulary, our main lesson format, which strategy we're focusing on (which Mathematical Practice standard) and any wrap up or assessment piece.

Each lesson plan page has room for me to jot notes and document what we do and what I notice with my kinders. I use a very similar type of page for my guided reading plans. I figure if I need RTI documentation, bring it on! (See I noted about sending item home as part of it.) The entire bottom portion allows me to stay on top of what my kinders are doing, thinking, learning. The blacked out portions are the names of the students in this group. I have a master copy for each group, so I don't have to re-write the names every week. 

And the side portions? Well, that's where I write down anything for me. Sometimes its a note on other students and how they are performing when not with me in the teacher zone, or I jot down where to take this group next time. Sometimes, I may have the tendency to forgot to pull an item before the lesson, so I boldy remind myself to get it right then and there.

More Guided Math

Guided Math Before and After
Setting Up a Guided Math Space
Planning for Guided Math

More on Guided Math Zones

Teacher Zone
Practice Zone
Technology Zone
Recording Zone

Do you use a guided math binder? What does yours look like?

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- Leslie

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