When I was a first-year teacher, I tried out a ton of different things in my classroom. It was a rough year filled with everything negative you can think of. From behaviors involving window blinds, lighters, knives, and drugs, not to mention daily fights between gangs, my first year was rough. One good thing that came out of it? I tried ANY idea anyone told me. I was constantly googling how to do it (fill in the blank here). Finally, I stumbled upon ideas for math stations.
As a middle school education major, stations or centers weren’t really a focus. In fact, I didn’t even realize they were a thing! I stumbled upon a few blog posts with ideas for math stations and took to Pinterest to find even more tips and tricks for starting math stations. I figured I’d try out math stations for a week and see how they worked.
Happy Dance all around! Math stations ended up fixing a TON of the problems that I had in my classroom. While it didn’t fix all of them, and maybe didn’t work as well as it could have if I started at the beginning of the year, math stations were my saving grace.
Fast forward 7 years, and I’m still going strong with math stations. I’ve taught 3rd-6th grade and math stations work for each and every grade! With slight adjustments and high expectations, math stations can turn your classroom into a fun room!
How to Start Math Stations
Before I dive into starting ideas for math stations, I should mention my FREE 5-part video series where I walk you through the who, what, when, where, why, and how of starting math stations. From math station rotation ideas to planning for a week at a time and the one who really benefits from math learning centers, I tackle it all! Drop your email below and I’ll send you all 5 videos to help you get started with your math stations this week!
Maybe- jumping into full-blown daily 5 math rotations isn’t quite your thing. Or maybe you want to start small and get your feet wet with math stations. Either way- this blog post is for you! I’m sharing 3 ideas for math stations that are perfect for getting started. You don’t have to overhaul your entire math block! These tips are perfect for starting out!
Ideas for Math Stations
Brainstorm any ideas for math stations that you might already have. Think of any activities that you use multiple times a school year.
Some ideas include:
- Task cards
- Worksheets
- Technology program mandated by the school
- Video notes
- Math partner games
- Number of the day
- Math posters
Math Rotations Expectations
Now think, do your students know your expectations for these activities? My students know that task cards are completed in pairs and show all work on a piece of paper. Because my students know the rules for this activity, my math rotations expectations are based on that.
If you want to try a new activity in math learning centers, model and set expectations beforehand. When learning a new math game, I have all students play the game at the same time and I monitor behaviors and content. This is why I love using similar games all year long!
By using games like Tic Tac Toe, Dice Games for Kids, and How To Solve Word Problems Board Games, I can switch out the content while the game still stays the same. I teach one game at a time, spread out over a month or two. Then I can use my math games station as a spiral review and change out the topics.
Using the same game type also allows students to focus more on the math topic than learning the rules of a new game.
I have bundles of these types of games in my TPT shop if you’d like the work done for you 🙂 Just print and play, no additional prep is needed!
How To Do Math Rotations
Wondering how to do math rotations? I recommend starting small. Splitting your class in half is a great way to start. Don’t overthink this part, you could be just splitting your tables in half. Keep it simple.
Pick 2 activities, maybe technology and task cards or a math poster lesson and an independent practice worksheet. Chances are, these activities are something you have and students are maybe familiar with your expectations with these activities. Set yourself up for success by not picking elaborate activities. Keep it simple! Look back at your list of ideas for math stations if you need help.
Set a timer for a certain time, I like 15 minutes personally but pick what’s right for you and your grade. I love using timers for classroom use and math stations are a great place to start if you are wanting to try timers in your classroom. Be sure to check out this blog post for more information on classroom time management strategies here.
A good amount of time is just long enough for kids to get engaged in something and work on it, but not too long that they would finish the whole activity. This also helps cut down on behaviors.
After the timer goes off, your groups switch sides. I have my students physically switch sides of the room to help me see which students are doing what. Walk around the room and monitor learning and behaviors. I wouldn’t start off with actually teaching a lesson as my first rotation trial run. I want to ensure that my students know the math rotations expectations first before using math station time to teach in small groups.
After the timer is up, congratulations you did math rotations! That wasn’t so bad, was it?
Next Ideas for Math Stations
Depending on how often you want to run math stations in your classroom, you want to complete this exercise a few more times before actually teaching small groups. In elementary school, I used daily 5 math rotations but in middle school, I use math stations once a week.
If the ideas for math stations you chose didn’t work as well, pick different ones and try again. Video notes are a good option for me this year because they keep my students on task. But they didn’t work as well for last year’s students. Don’t be afraid to try new options! Changing up the types of stations each quarter or math unit is a good rule of thumb so that students don’t get bored with the same options.
More Ideas for Math Stations
Looking for more ideas for math stations? Need help getting started with how to do math rotations or setting math rotations expectations? I rounded up a bunch of blog posts that offer more insight into different grade levels math stations rotations ideas and more.
- 7 Steps to Starting Math Centers in your Classroom
- 5 Steps to Setting Up Your Math Centers
- Getting Started with Math Stations
- How to Set Up Math Centers
- Effective math Stations: 5 Proven Secrets
- Starting Math Centers at the Beginning of the Year
- The Ultimate Guide to Math Centers
- How to Run Mather Centers: Easy Organization & Management Tips
- How to Set Up Effective Math Centers Quickly and Easily This Year
- How to Start Math Learning Centers
- Low Prep Math Station Rotation Ideas
- 5 Ways How to Use Technology in Math Classrooms
I’d love to hear from you! What ideas for math stations do you use in your classroom? Have questions about starting math stations? Drop them in the comments and let’s chat!
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