{MCC4.OA.4} Math Centers

Hey, Ya'll!  If you have been following me for a while, then you know just how much I love incorporating math centers into my math classroom.  In fact, I use math centers three days a week in addition to my calendar board and small group.  I have posted many things about how I use guided math in my classroom.  All of those posts can be found under the guided math tab at the top of my blog.

This year, Georgia transitioned over to Common Core.  I have been working like crazy to get CC math centers in my classroom.  I wanted to have at least one center for each
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New Common Core Math Centers Series

**UPDATE** I have decided to make this first set free so you can evaluate the quality of my work.  If you like it, follow me on TpT to be updated of new sets!  Click any of the pictures below to upload this set for free!

Hi everyone!  I am feeling much better compared to my last post, but I am still under the weather which stinks because today is my birthday and I woke up feeling HOR.RI.BLE!  I started feeling a little better as the day went by, especially after my bath soak while my three year-old was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Thank God for the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse... Come inside it's fun inside!  How many of you know that tune??  I think I know every word as well as the hotdog dance!  lol  I just love my sweet Hunter Blaine.  He and his little brother, Hudson, are the light of my world.  Anyways, during my kids' naps snoozes, I managed to get started on something that I am really excited about.  I began thinking a few days ago... what if there were math centers designed for every single math standard I teach.. and for cheap!  I wanted to create something that would be useful and well organized for myself and others.  I have posted before about how I organize my stations by standard, and I wanted my actual stations to be organized by standard.  Some standards are more difficult to teach than others, and some have more resources than others.  For example, there are a TON of things on place value, multiplication, and common standards like that.  But, what about the weird standards that fit here and there?  So, I have come up with a Common Core Math Centers Series that I began working on today.  I have started with the first standard, MCC4.OA.1, and I have created two math centers that directly align with that specific standard.  This will continue until each MCC4 standard has at least two math centers.  I am so excited about this because it is something that I will use in my own classroom.  I had already started making some, but they were here and there and not in any particular order.  The great thing is that they are all blackline masters which means no colored ink.  All you have to do is print them on bright paper, laminate, cut, and VIOLA!  I actually went to Office Max today to buy three packs of Astrobright paper (they were on sale, buy 2 get 1 free.)  I can't wait to get to work on Monday to begin printing and laminating.  I just love making these... they are so fun.  So... I have a preview of what they are and they are in my TpT store for $2.00.  The first set is for standard MCC4.OA.1: multiplicative comparisons.  There are two math centers in this set.  Take a peak!  You can click on any picture to be taken to my store.

I can't wait to share more of these with you!  

Teacher Workday: Workstation Revamp

Well, last Friday we had a teacher workday.  It was actually our first one this year since school started, and I am soooo happy we had a chance to work in our room since I needed the time really bad.  I had a few goals in mind for the day.

1) Make a few stations I have found on TpT for free.  It seems I am always running around the week of my new workshop rotation to 'find' good stations for my students to work with during rotations.  Usually I end up creating something over the weekend or Monday afternoon, printing it, laminating it, cutting it out, and putting it all together.  Well, on Friday I was able to create SIX new stations.

Here's one that will soon be in my dollar section on TpT.  I am going to {eventually} upload the ones I make for my students and sell them for just a dollar!  I wish I could find some that I could use and not make for $1.00.  If anyone out there has any great ones for around a $1.00 that I could use with OA 4th grade math standards...  let me know.  I like for them to take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.

Okay, so where do I store my stations when I'm not using them?  It use to be a hot mess that looked something like this.... {sorry about the small blurry picture}.

Like I said before, it was a MESS!  Notice I have some that don't have anything and some that are over flowing.  I had folders everywhere, nothing organized, and half the stuff didn't have everything I needed in them.  Actually, most of the folders are missing EVERYTHING because I would just take the station once the students were done and throw it somewhere up there to get it out of the way.  This leads to my 2nd goal of my teacher workday.

2) Organize my station storage area.  Since I teach by standard, I wanted to store my stations by standard.  Here's what I came up with.

First, I store all the materials needed to create my stations in one bin behind my small group table which is where I usually lay it all out and get to business.

Here's what's in the bin.  Markers for writing, post-it flags {we'll get to that in a minute}, labels, and plastic pocket folders without prongs.  I use plastic folders because the students always seem to rip the paper ones and destroy them.  If you want to be SUPER organized then you could have a certain folder color for each strand of standards.  I got these from Target when they were on clearance for .15 each.  They had a heaping load of purple so that's what I have.  I like the look of them all being the same color.  And... if you wanted to go even further, you could have the folder color match the bin color where they are stored {you will see that in a minute!}

Every station folder has a nice little label in the top right corner with the station title {this is what I put on their station checklist} and the CC standard the station correlates with.

Once a station is complete and ready to be filed away for later use, I take the post-it flag and apply it to the label then I place it in the bin that correlates with the standard.  I use the flag so I can see at a glance what stations I have not used this school year.  I love this idea because I use to be really confused about which stations I have used and which ones I still needed to use.  Once I take the station from the bin to be used, I take the flag off {you can then use it for a new one or trash it}.  When it is used by the students and returned to the bin, it goes in without a flag which means it has been used once before.

These are my new standard labels I created and printed to organize my stations.  I will eventually {hopefully} have two bins for each standard.  Right now, I have more NBT stations than the others because these are the standards we have been teaching since school started.  I simply taped the paper cut-outs to the bins {hence the glare}.

Here's what they look like so far.  BTW- I didn't include it in this picture, but I have a TON of stations on the shelf above this one that still need to be reorganized and redone.  Can I have another workday, please?  Also, I didn't have a large variety of colors or I would have each standard bin a different color... In the words of my three-year old, Oh shucks! {he gets that from Goofy!}

And... when I am busy through the week and have stations that need to be checked and put back together neatly before going back in the bin, I place them in this basket.  I am hoping to get in a healthy habit of checking ALL stations after they are used and before they go back in the bin.  Hopefully this will help my station area STAY nice and neat through the school year.  As you can see, I already have a few a need to work on!

Do you have any tricks you use to help keep your stations organized?

Math Work Stations: Spring 2012

I know I have posted about my math work stations before, but my classroom is forever evolving.  I change things so often that everything rarely stays the same year after year.

Here's the Spring 2012 version!!

{Hi there!}  Laura Candler @ Corkboard Connections is hosting an awesome linky party about math work stations.  I wanted to share some of my ideas about my work stations.  First of all, I have an awesome poster that I made.  I meant to take pictures of it, but I don't have any!!  ARGHHH!  Anywho, it's basically a poster that I created in Word and enlarged on our poster machine.  If I find it, I will link it here so you can see.  It basically has 4 rows and 4 columns.  Each row represents each group and each column represents each rotation.  I have 4 because I have a label for each one. I really only have 3 groups.  I have it laminated so I can write the groups in since I change my groups every week according to our assessments we take on Fridays.  Now to the fun part.... where I have pictures!

This is a picture of where my stations are stored.  The magazine holders on the very top of the picture are actually labeled with concepts like number sense, geometry, measurement, computations, 99 & 100 charts, etc...  This is where I store my stations I am not using.  The baskets on top of the brown bookcase are baskets where my students turn in work, one for each subject I teach.  The larger baskets on the shelves are where my stations are stored.  Each basket has a laminated label {station 1, etc} that is attached to the basket with two zip ties.  All of these items were purchased from www.reallygoodstuff.com

If students need additional materials to complete the station, I usually try to have everything in the basket.

 Here's a closer look at the station basket.  For each station, I use a pocket folder {with or without prongs... doesn't matter to me}.  On the lower right corner of the folder, I have a label that matches the magazine holder where it is stored.  For example, this station is actually a geometry standard so it would go in the geometry bin when not in use.  You can see how the zip ties hold the label here.  These have stood up to 9-10 year-olds for two years now!!

Here's the same station opened.  I have everything the students need to complete the station in the folder or in the basket.  In this particular station, students used copy paper to stamp several types of quadrilaterals.  Students then had to describe the quadrilaterals by their properties.

Here's another station.  For the stations that have cards {and there's a lot!} I have these awesome file folder game plastic storage pockets that I bought from The School Box years ago!  What's so awesome is they are SUPER sticky on the back.  All you do is peel the paper and stick these handy pockets wherever you need a place to store paper goods like cards.

Okay, I have been implementing math stations for 4 years now, and I still didn't have a system I liked for keeping up with which stations the students had completed.  I wanted a way so they could keep up with their own work and be responsible learners.  Then, I went on maternity leave and my long-term sub came up with this awesome idea!

I wish I could take credit for this, but I can't.  The students were doing this when I returned, and I fell in love with it.  Each child has his/her own hanging file folder in a crate {Wal-Mart always has these when school starts.  I think they are like $3.. I <3 them}.  My sub put their name on some post-it flags and tagged their folder that way.  Post-it actually has some self-stick labels that I am going to try next year.  I'm just not so sure the flags would stand up to an entire school year.  Within each folder, each student  has their station check-list and all their 'PROOF.'  Students must save all recording sheets, etc. from each station.  When the end of the station rotations are over {meaning when every student has completed each station} then everything in the folder will be collected and graded.  Each student should have a station check-list and a PROOF sheet for each station they have completed.  

The check-list is on top and some PROOF sheets are behind it.  These are all in one student's folder.  BTW- these are GREAT for parent-teacher conferences.

Here's a closer picture of the check-list.  Each station has the title of the station below the station number.  I use 9 stations because I just like the way the table is even with 3 rows & 3 columns... yeah, I know!  Leave me alone... I'm THAT kind of teacher! lol!  Do you notice the stamps?  That was also my sub's idea.  Who knew that students would enjoy stamping so much?

Beside the folders on the counter, I have a clear container that holds a variety of stamps {good job, super, awesome, etc.}.  I also have a scented ink pad {they love that it's scented} for the students to use.  Once a station is complete, the students must date the box where the station is listed and stamp it.  Then, they store it in their folder for the next day.

I'm pretty sure I left something out because I am also THAT kind of teacher!  I think I have finally found something that works for my classroom, and I am 12 different kinds of happy!

Let me know if you plan on adapting yours to include something from here.  I would love to hear from you all!