KindergartenWorks: math on the fly

Finding ways to meet my students' needs has been a big push in self growth for me this year. With a new batch of kinders coming I know that yet again, I'll be faced to do it all over. It has been very rewarding and the value far outweighed any of the planning and work that went into it.

{some guided math independent practice materials}

In teaching using a guided math format, I have found that even more than in my reading groups, the need to change something on the fly is a necessary skill for me. I'm not admitting to having perfect lesson plans, or always the best ideas, because I have been greatly stretched by meeting the needs of my kinders. Their skills dictate how I introduce, scaffold and practice. Their background knowledge and independence direct how much or how little I say when working with groups. Taking my cues from them has been my guide as I create lesson plans.

Having said that, what do I do when a group flat out has something mastered or whips through it like no body's business? Yep. This happened quite a bit to me this year when meeting with my two highest math groups. I'm working on earning my self-given degree in 'math on the fly' in these types of situations. It seemed that the concept we were going to practice either needs no more repetition, or needs extension to give it a greater sense of purpose so that the practice leads to the result of something other than just practice. (You may want to reread that again. I had to.)

Here's an example. We are using dice to practice subtraction and to keep the set of numbers fresh... you never know what you're going to roll. We were working on using the right strategy for subtraction here (number line, ten frame, touch dots, mental math) and simply, they all needed to repetition to build some fluency and to see patterns. The tool we are using is a ten frame, but without manipulatives.

This group has the challenge of placing imaginary items on and taking them off as they work, building mental images. The background on this group? These guys were beginning to use these patterns when adding and subtracting two digit numbers. I had made some adjustments to make it slightly more difficult for my highest math group, but the challenge wasn't cutting it. Enter plain paper and pencils.

We talked about organizing the information we were getting and they began creating their own graphs. They could now give a sense of purpose to which differences/answers kept showing back up and recording them. So while I do a lot of planning to make a math lesson what the group needs, sometimes adding a sense of purpose is all that a groups needs in order to make it flat out successful.

More Guided Math

Guided Math Before and After

Setting Up a Guided Math Space

Planning for Guided Math

Rotating Guided Math Groups

More Guided Math Zones

Now I can move forward with a few new back up plans in my arsenal of ways to tweak plans when in the moment or, on the fly, for next year.
If you like what I do here on KindergartenWorks, then be sure to subscribe today. I look forward to sharing ideas with you weekly.
- Leslie