Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing break!  I wish I did, but I always seem to be much busier on breaks then when I am at school! 

One of my goals over break was to try to fit in more math centers per week than just the 30 min once a week.  I just felt that I worked so hard to get the five centers ready and to use them only once a week was stressing me out.  To hopefully solve this problem I broke down my schedule and was able to manage three 20min sessions a week.  I am keeping my Thursday- no prep day and with my grade level changing how we do Words Their Way, my schedule is a bit more flexible.  I also like the 20 minutes because they can almost stay at the same center each time and I will not have to prep as much.  I am going to have 6 centers.  This way they will do three a week at most and I will only have to prep 10 centers a month at most since #4 is guided discovery .  Less if we only get to centers twice a week.  Here is the breakdown:

1.  First center ( Number 1) is going to be with me where I work on problem solving  and fact strategies with them.  My students are just not where I would like them to be at this point of the school year.  I will be working on strategies and organization with all the students, not just my low students.  This way I can enrich the activities for my more advanced students.

2.  Number 2- Teaching station- This station will be where they will be at the front board and will teach a partner how to solve number sentences using efficient strategies.  They will teach one and then the partner will teach them.  I can even extend this to problem solving as well so I like the flexibility.
We have been working on a strategy per week with math facts since I have been back from maternity leave.  So far we have +1, -1, +0, -0, doubles, and are still trying to work on +10 and -10.  We still will work on +2, -2, and doubles plus one in the near future.  I usually do not work on +2 or -2 whole group until almost everyone knows how to count by 2's. 

3.  Number 3- Timing Myself- This station will have stopwatches and the students will time themselves reading numbers, counting, skip counting, filling in the missing number (use marker to fill in the numbers and then have a partner check their work while they check their partner's work), or circle the greater number.  They could even time themselves solving math facts.  I know these are AIMS material, but I don't feel I am teaching to the test since these skills are obviously important so they should be taught, right?

4.  Number 4-  Guided Discovery- using pattern blocks, cubes, tiles to experiment with.

5.  Number 5- Math games

6.  Number 6- Math games again.

I will keep you updated on how things are working- fingers crossed!


I would like to discuss a bit more about math fact instruction and what I am trying this year now.  Last year I tried mostly addition and did not get into subtraction very well.  This year I am grouping both addition and subtraction strategies together.  If we are working on +1 then I am also working on -1.  It is working very well and I am seeing more success.  I am also challenging my students more to skip count backwards as well as forwards.  I have seen amazing results with activities such as target numbers in Unit 9.  Very few are using the 100's chart to fill in the boxes. 

I always start with +1 becasue so far they have all known how to count to at least 20 at the beginning of the school year.  We work on the discussion and then practice all whole group.  From there we work on the speed where they will volunteer to solve 5 problems as fast as they can.  Even the struggling students can do it pretty well once they see it 10 times before them.  I also let everyone volunteer that wants to even if it is every student in the class.  I also practice these strategies in the hallways waiting for PE, Music, or Art and during transition times. 

Well that is all for now.  I will try to post more this weekend with more activities for you to use.

Tina