Kindergarten Guided Math Centers

It is my first year teaching kindergarten.  I wanted to have a way to teach math at the student's level and with the tools/manipulatives they personally needed.  This made me think of guided reading and how well that works that maybe I could make guided math work.

I decided I was going to use my math curriculum Math Expressions with the small groups and the other students would do their centers while we are doing this.  I was doing math tubs and guided math following our math journals, but I found the calendar journals to take to much time.  I teach calendar and then I make that one of the centers they need to rotate to.

Here is what a math lesson looks like:
1. Students come in the room, and get out their math binders.
2. Students erase the page protector holding their Calendar Journals (by: Erin Eberhart) **I use a page protector so they can use dry erase markers and reuse the paper every day.**

3. Students put materials down and we cover the calendar, days of school, tally marks, 120 chart, and place value chart.

4. Students open to the newest Math Journal page from Primary Possiblilites.  I read the directions, they complete the activity and leave at their spot.

5. Students then turn to the board for "job assignments"  I got their "job charts" from Reagan Tunstall's blog: Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits.  I printed one for each student and laminated it so they could write on them with a dry erase marker each day.

•  I declare the group that I am giving jobs to (right now I have 5 students total so this is two groups of two and one friend on his own, but if I have a larger class, I would have them be in groups noted by a shape or color and tell that shape or color which one we are working on)
• For example: Group RP here are your job assignments today. 1. Teacher Table, 2. Math Tub #6, 3. Math Journal. Group SG 1. Math Journal, 2. Teacher Table, 3. Math Tub #4 J 1. Math Tub #6, 2. Math Journal, 3. Teacher Table.
• Ready, Go!

6. Once they go to their assignment they work through their assigned area/tub.  To show evidence of

learning, they take a picture with their pre-made (laminated) name cards.

7. When I am done working with my first group, I state, "it is clean up time, I need you to move to number 2 on your job list."

8. When all the centers are done, they leave all their binders out and go to their specials.  While students are in specials, I read their Math Journal page and note understanding of that common core standard.  I then read their Calendar journal and draw a fun picture in dry erase to let them know I saw it and I note their progress.

If you have more math time, you can do more than one center, maybe two tubs and a technology or one tub, and one math technology.  Students are doing GREAT with this process. As I said, rather than initials, students can be put into groups and giving that group a name.

I hope this was helpful and please comment or email me (contact information at right) and I can help you out! Good Luck!!

New Year, New Grade, New Material, New Kids, New Hours, OH MY!

I realized today that I have not blogged since the back to school sale.  I contribute this to my title of this post.  Since the back to school sale, the school year has started, I have both 4k and Kindergarten to teach and though I know my 4K curriculum, I am learning kindergarten as I go.  Also, we got our math curriculum the second week of school and I am still waiting on my teacher's edition so that has been somewhat stressful.  I have 5 of my students from my 4k class last year in my 5k class so that is nice, but I have 19 new faces in my 4k room, and finally, I have committed myself to working less hours this year to spend more time with my family.  Thought that is a long list of excuses, I am not ready to put a blog up.

In Kindergarten, we have started using Math Expressions: Common Core.  I like the series this far and do feel it is developmentally appropriate for the kindergartners.  I have one little guy who is struggling with the concepts of numbers so we are using touch counting with him.  He took it on Thursday night home and is already showing GREAT improvement on Friday!  I am so excited!

Though we are using Math Expressions, I do run it like centers and have some extras I add in.

For a Friday fun project we made a class book, Ten Black Dots.  First we read, Ten Black Dots and then I made a book for them to make. I was amazed at some of their illustrations!  My book is available FOR FREE on my TeachersPayTeachers store.  Click HERE.

I also made some numbers cards to have students practice counting, correlating the numbers to the dots (in 10 frame locations) and can also be flash cards if printed more than 1 to a page.  This is also Free and can be found HERE.


We do not have a Social Studies Curriculum, so I spoke with our first grade teacher about what they would want the kids coming in knowing.  They said basically they want them to know the groups they belong to and how they are a part of something larger.  This reminded me of some activities I have seen where they start with a small circle and get larger as the group does.  Our principal also said that this is the time the holidays are covered (we are in a Catholic school so celebrating the holidays is common place).  This also goes toward my circle concept--how the holidays came to our country and trickle down to affect them.

I then am going to have them create their own text book through out the year.  Each section has a title page, and it is labeled with the circle in the correct side.  Through out the entire year, when we do something that fits into one of those sections we discuss what section it belongs to and then put it in there. It is available on my Teacher pay Teachers page, HERE. 

Happy planning in Kindergarten!  I hope to be back soon!