Guided Math, Part 1

So... I've had A LOT of people ask me about my guided math model I use in my classroom along with the components of it {i.e. stations, calendar, etc.}.  There's SO MUCH for me to share that for the sake of time and my sanity, I'm going to have to present it to you in parts.  So, here's Part 1.  We'll call this 'The Setup' of my classroom.  I really wish it wasn't summer vacation so I could take you on a video tour of my classroom.  Maybe I'll edit this post once I get back in my room with a video component.  Until then.... I'll just have to give details and a few pictures.

Please Note: just because I teach 4th grade doesn't mean a 1st or 2nd grade teacher can't use these ideas.  I think it will work great with any grade.  I have been in a first grade classroom where the students were amazing and very independent during reading centers while the teacher was conducting guided reading.... IT CAN BE DONE! :)

The Setup

Before I begin, please know that my room is very large.  I have one of the largest rooms in the school {Lucky Me!}.  However, this model can be done in a small classroom, but you have to be SUPER careful where you set things up.  Even though my room is large, I make sure to have the least disruptive environment WHILE giving the students a chance to talk and share.

For Guided Math, I have four areas of my classroom I use on a daily basis.

o Whole Group Area- this is where my mini-lessons take place.  In this area I have a whiteboard on the wall, a SMARTboard, a small carpet area, and a wheasel {I love my wheasel}!  During Mini-lessons, we only spend about 15 minutes here everyday.  This area is located at the font of my classroom.  Also, I want to add that I do not have student desks.  I have two trapezoid tables put together to form a hexagon.  I have five of these.  At first, I was reluctant to have tables, but I love the way it encourages collaboration with my students.

oSmall Group Area- this is where I conduct my guided math to my students.  In this area I have a kidney-shaped table, whiteboards, dry-erase markers, paper, pencils, and a shelf that stores any extra materials I will need for the day like manipulatives.  I had an issue with having enough space to put as many chairs as I needed.  I have big kids so the chairs are adult size.  To solve this problem, I added a few stools to fit where chairs would not.

oCalendar Area- I use my math calendar that I created as one of my rotations during guided math.  I like to use it because it is a spiral review of concepts taught all year long.  Students complete one calendar per week.  I made an area on my whiteboard for each section of my math calendar {I have two whiteboards in my room.  This whiteboard is different from the one I use for mini-lessons}.  I used blue painters tape to separate the sections.  However, this year I'm going to use the cute zebra print duct tape :)  Here's a picture of the board the students work from.

oStation Area- This area is probably the kids' favorite place to go.  They love stations!  Although I have all my stations located in one place, it's really not that bad considering only 6-7 students are there at a time {more on that later}.  If you have a lot of kids going to stations at the same time, I would recommend having two or three different areas around the room to house the stations.  This way, one area of the classroom will not always be congested.  I've posted this picture before, but this is what my station area looks like.  Nothing fancy.

My stations are on the bookcase in the tubs.  The baskets on top of the bookcase are where my students turn in their work.  The magazine holders above the bookcase is where I store all stations not being used at the time.

Here's a rough draft of my room layout.  I'm really looking forward to using my new Flip camera once I get back to school and get everything put back together.  I just made this real quick in Word to give you an idea of how my room is setup.  

It's important to know that...

oCalendar work is independent.  There is no talking.

oSmall Group is student-led with little teacher direction.

oStations are usually completed at the front of the room on the floor or at collaborative groups with a partner.  Students are allowed to whisper.  

oStudents know that stations are NOT to be completed near the small group table. 

oWhole group instruction is led by the teacher AND guided by the students.

Okay, so this is my... 

Guided Math Part 1

I hope it wasn't too much information.  Here's what's coming up for part 2:

How Do I Group & What's My Schedule?

I'm leaving for vacation Saturday morning.  I MAY BE {this is a BIG may be} able to post it tomorrow.  We'll see!

Please leave me feedback {as comments} on whether or not this was useful.  I hope this has answered some questions that some of you were asking.  I know there are many other questions.  I'll get to those, I promise :)

Have a fantastic evening!