Math Learning Centers Made Simple and Easy

When I first started using math learning centers in my classroom, I would spend hours planning and prepping for everything every week! They were so time-consuming and the fact that they would only last a day or week made it hard for me to keep them up. 

I’ve learned a lot since my first year of teaching (thank goodness!) and am happy to report I am still using math stations but have streamlined the planning and prep that goes into them. My guided math rotations have changed over the years so I’m focusing on all the options that you can have. Choose which works for you and your students! Don’t be afraid to switch up the types of stations you include if you find something works better!

If you want to learn how I have math stations set up in my classroom then join the free video training series! Inside the 5 videos, you will learn more about the who, what, when, where, why, and how to create the best math stations for you and your students. Drop your email below to gain access to the 5 videos and start using math stations in your classroom this week!

Logistics of Math Learning Centers

I do math learning centers every Friday and love it! I take the whole 50 minute class period for students to work on the station activities. This works well because it gives students a few topics to practice, we do it regularly enough for kids to remember the routines and I have a large chunk of time to see all the groups. 

In elementary I would do guided math rotations for about 20 minutes every day in 3rd grade and twice a week in 5th grade for 30 minutes. 

By running math stations once a week, I have multiple topics to pull practice from. Some lessons don’t have good station options while other lessons have a million options! Planning is so much easier when I have 4 lessons (Monday-Thursday) to choose from.

Weekly stations are just repetitive enough for students to remember the math workshop rules while also staying exciting for students. Some of my students have nick-named station time as Fun Friday and honestly, I’m here for it:) I keep my station options simple to remember and the routines don’t change too much between the stations.

I also should mention I don’t set a timer for my stations. Students have the tasks they need to accomplish and they turn in their work at the end of the class period. This keeps students working the entire time during stations because they have their list of tasks to complete. Students don’t waste time waiting for the next rotation or get cut off from completing a task. 

I will pull groups for my teacher’s table by calling out names so students will stop whatever activity they were working on and come to my table. For partner games, students are asked to find a partner that is finished with their independent work. This functions as a built-in reward for finishing assignments but also motivation to finish in time to play a game. Win-win in the middle school world!

Math Station Rotation Ideas

I usually have 4 rotation options for students to complete in a class period. The ones I currently use are teacher time, independent practice, tech time, and hands-on games. Sometimes I combine practice with tech time since I have a lot of options from virtual learning days. Feel free to pick any math learning centers that work for you and don’t be afraid to switch up the rotation ideas as the year goes along.

Teacher Time

This is the only station that I have kept relatively similar no matter what grade I taught. I want to meet with my students regularly. This not only gives students additional attention but also helps you fill gaps more effectively than the whole group lessons. I have done this rotation as a review of skills from past grades/units as well as using this as a time to fill holes in the current teaching. Both work well, depending on your purpose. I usually keep to the current teaching lessons more often than not, unless the current teaching has a lot of background knowledge (I’m looking at you fractions!). During my fraction unit, I focus on filling holes during teacher time. During my other units, I focus on the current skill. 

I base teacher groups on exit tickets that students complete at the end of each lesson. Because I do stations on Friday I have a few topics and exit tickets to work with. I group students based on common mistakes or misconceptions. This means that I usually have 2-4 groups working on a different topic or different stuck points. 

When pulling groups, I prioritize students who have a small mistake first so that they can practice the other station activities the correct way. For my students that are struggling with broad concepts, I will have them complete their independent work with me or we will use more concrete models to build up understanding.  

I do try to meet with every student in a small group over the course of a month. Usually, my high-ability learners will have an extension activity that they start with me and then finish either as a group or individually. 

Technology

I haven’t always had technology at my disposal to use during stations. However, if you can swing it, a technology station is a fast favorite. I currently bounce between assigning Prodigy or Khan Academy lessons. Depending on the district, I have had an online program that students needed to get a certain amount of minutes on. This killed two birds with 1 stone. If you have more flexibility with technology I’d highly recommend Prodigy which is a game-like program for FREE that lets students either work on skills they need based on a pretest, or they can work on assignments you give them. I also use Khan Academy and assign students a video and exercise set of 4 problems. I can see if students watched the video as well as their exercise answers. This helps hold students accountable during math stations.

Another use for a technology station would be to take a flipped-classroom approach. Students would watch a video (usually while filling in notes) so that they are ready for the next day’s practice. I talk more about the benefits of a Flipped Classroom in this post.

Independent Practice

This station idea is exactly what the name sounds like. Usually, I have students work on a self-checking worksheet, task cards, or something else students can do by themselves. In elementary students had to finish their practice page in their workbook before they could go to station time. In middle school, this activity is due at the end of class. Most students choose to start with this rotation so that they can turn it in. I have also combined tech time with independent practice if I use an activity like digital task cards. I have also used this station to finish up missing math homework from the week since my homework is due on Friday.

Partner Games/Hands-On Learning

I like to have an option that gives kiddos a space to play a game and mathematically socialize. I also use this station as a time to review a prior skill. Typically I use my tic tac toe boards for this station. I love how they are partner checking and have really simple rules that you can teach once or twice and kids get the hang of it. They also require NO PREP! Simply print, put in page protectors and grab an expo marker. You can also laminate if you’re fancy. If you want to check out a freebie of the Tic Tac Toe games click over here.

Students can pick a partner (who has already finished their independent practice) and then pick a game. I usually have a few review topics to give students choice. For example, I might have a review of multiplying decimals, adding/subtracting fractions, and dividing whole numbers. I try to give as much student choice as possible and station time is a great time to incorporate that. 

Math Fact Practice

ALL KIDS NEED MATH FACT PRACTICE. If I ever have to write another fancy college paper, it will be all about the power of knowing multiplication facts in middle school. It truly makes or breaks middle school math!!!!!

Anyway, I always have math fact practice as an option for math station rotations. This can include anything from flashcards that they quiz each other on, the game of Popcorn (link to the freebie I use!), or my multiplication fact tic tac toe boards. This is a great option for fast finishers in station time or as a station all on its own. Something quick and that can stay out for a while is key. This option also stays out on non-station days for students who finish an assignment early.

Extension Activities for Math Learning Centers

Because I don’t have timed stations I love to have a couple of options to push my kiddos farther (and negate the ‘I’m finished now what?’ question). I love using open-ended word problems for this. I have a problem of the month board in my room that kiddos can grab the problem from, work it out and explain their reasoning. These take my students usually like an hour to fully work them out so this is a task that they can regularly work on, even after station time is over. I’ve seen other teachers use sudoku, logic puzzles, or project-like tasks for students to work on. If you have timed stations you might not need this station or maybe for your higher learners, this station is at the teacher table.

Other Ideas for Math Centers

There are tons of other ideas for math centers than just the ones I listed. Be sure to check out these articles for other tips and tricks for station ideas!

The Ultimate Guide to Math Centers

Math Center Ideas for Upper Elementary

How to Set Up Math Stations in 4 Easy Steps

How to Use Task Cards Easily Without Stress

I hope this inspired you to use math learning centers in your classroom! If you use stations, what math station rotation ideas do you include? If you are thinking about stations, what questions do you have? What ideas for math centers are you wanting to use?