guided math - before and after

Creating a guided math schedule that works for you and your daily schedule is important! If you're willing to meet groups of students where they are and give them practice that helps them progress - you're gonna love it. Why? The intrinsic reward as a teacher seeing students succeed is tremendous.

How can someone start? Here are my top tips and ideas on how to put it into practice... as soon as you're willing to start.

What's the first step?
1. Decide to do it. Anyone can complain about lack of time and scheduling. The reality is that if we want to find a way to do something, we will. Make the decision to try it and allow your mind to begin to try and visualize what it might look like in your classroom. If you know why you want to make the change, you're well on your way to making it a success!


What's next?

2. Create a schedule that will work for your time allowance and student needs. You want this to become the main focus of your math time instead of added to your day. None of us have an extra ___ mins or hours in the school day, so it does have to replace something. With some creative thinking I've found that it effectively replaced all of my whole group math time and worksheet practice (we use Saxon in our district). And it allowed me to even add more math time into our day without taking away from anything else we do since it is all so valuable.

Consider how you can s-q-u-e-e-z-e value out of whatever time you determine you can commit.

Questions to Consider:

1. How long can your guided math time be? {Actual, physical time...}
2. How long would you ideally like to meet with a group of 5-6 students to cover a warm up, main activity and wrap up?
3. What kind of transition method(s) would you apply? Would you do a rotation in a day?
4. What would other students be doing to be learning independently allowing you time to work with your group?
5. Will you be able to meet your standards and student needs if you adopt this new style? Will you need to add anything, or can it be integrated into this time somehow?

I know that my answers won't fit your classroom, but perhaps some of the way I came to my decisions will help you determine yours {under the green banners}. I'll also link to my answers now that I am on the other side of the fence {under the red banners}.

How long can your guided math time be?

Previously my math lesson and worksheet time worked out to be about 40 minutes. If I can use 40 minutes, that won't be long enough with transitions to meet two groups in a day. Yet, if I can figure out an additional 20, then I think an hour would make it possible. What can I tweak a few minutes or get better at to gain 20 mins., four times a week? An hour should be enough time... I think.

How long would you ideally like to meet with a group of 5-6 students to cover a warm up, main activity and wrap up?

I know that it wouldn't be beneficial to meet every group, every day with the current time I have allotted. Groups would be ridiculously short with very little time to dig deeper and explore. However, I could meet half of the class each day and schedule in sharing time so that I can check in with everyone, every day. Plus, if I have some accountability from the other half of the class it'll be super close to this goal.

allow enough time to explore and dig deeper

> Read about changes in timing

> Read about a lesson plan flow that works

What kind of transition method(s) would you apply? Would you do a rotation in a day?

I should keep the same transition method of turning on the clean up song and use an icon chart just like during literacy centers. Why change something that is working and they know how to use independently? The only thing will be bigger groupings of students so I'll need to spread them out around the classroom to keep voice levels lower and help keep them on task. I could do two rotations to meet with half of the class each day of guided math.

math zone rotation

> Read about our expectations, schedule and rotation

What would other students be doing to be learning independently allowing you time to work with your group?

This one requires some planning and begs more questions. How can I break them up so that they are spread out across the room and on task? How can I give them enough practice with everything we need to cover if they are only meeting me twice a week?

I don't want to make myself a "zone" or center, but I can't think of a way to make that happen as I have only come up with 3 independent zones. I feel good about them showing their thinking in math journals, this will greatly replace their worksheets and then some! I am excited about them practicing math using technology... I hope that really reaches some that are not as high and can extend those that are getting it. I know that giving games and activities that are practicing the same concepts we do in a group will be the right thing for independent practice.

utilizing the recording zone for students to show thinking

> Read about our technology zone

> Read about our recording zone directions, sample and benefits

> Read about our practice zone full of standards based games, activities and how it allows me to differentiate

> Read about the teacher zone, questioning and what they teach me

Will you be able to meet your standards and student needs if you adopt this new style? Will you need to add anything, or can it be integrated into this time somehow?

To be honest, I don't know. I figure that decreasing the time I spend with all students could have an impact, but how self-aggrandizing is that to think that I am the secret to their learning? If I structure things correctly, they should be able to practice, make mistakes and learn without me. Plus, the time they have with me will be more valuable since it is hitting exactly what they need versus having to do what everyone else is doing regardless of their skill level.

meeting a group's needs

Truth be told, that I have found that I generally want to add in a mini-lesson some days before or after our math time as a way to make the management of it all smoother or to hit something that doesn't need the intensity of being hashed out in the teacher zone. I find ways to fit it in and learned that I can still create some whole group math time that is more fruitful using our calendar binders as a way to unify what we are all learning and working towards. The planning and flexibility make it happen.

I know this list won't be the end all be all, and I'm still learning how to improve all the time. But I hope it helps as you plan to move towards differentiated instruction. Our classroom motto is, "The more we practice... the better we get."

More On Math

> Read about calendar binders

> Read about planning/aligning to Common Core

> Read about creating a planning binder

> Read about adapting in the moment

Based on what I've learned, tried and continue to see in my kinders... Now that I'm here, there's no turning back! 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

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