Guided Math is similar to Guided Reading in that the teacher puts the students into small groups and the students work on specific standards being taught in centers around the room. You should try your hardest to have all the centers hitting the same topic.
WHAT DOES GUIDED MATH LOOK LIKE?
Click on one of the sheets below for a guide to what guided math will look like in your class. These sheets could help guide your master plan.
Guided Math Planning Sheet
Guided Math Planning Sheet 2
The first thing I say is make it work for you. Instead of thinking of this as a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday thing, think of it as Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5 which will allow you more flexibility.
Day 1- Pretest, mini lesson on topic, go over centers, whole group activity to get them thinking about concept(acceleration).
FOR PRETEST you could give a 5 question quiz to see what the kids know or you can go back to your IMI's and see how your kids did on the few questions on the IMI related to the standard you're focusing on
Day 2- Centers
Day 3- Centers (Students will be doing 2 centers each day.)
Day 4- Centers (Aim for about 4-5 kids per group)
Day 5- Post Test, review of a center, go over problem solving, whole group mini lessons
FOR POST TEST you could give the same pretest you gave before, or grab the same IMI questions and use those for the post test. If you choose to use different questions for the standard on the post test, that is fine too. Our main goal is to find out if the kids know the standard.
DIFFERENTIATION
*Groups are based on how kids did on their pretest. Differentiation at its best. Work on the concepts with the kids who struggled and extend and hit high order thinking skills for the kids who got it.
IDEAS FOR CENTERS
1) With Teacher- This is where the teacher will do direct instruction on the concept, model it, and allow for the students to practice with guidance
2) Technology- find a game on the computer for the kids to play to reinforce the concept being taught.
3) Smartboard/ActivBoard- Put a lesson up on the board and allow for the students to be interactive with it as a small group.
4) Games- Find a board game from the store or create a game for the students to play to reinforce the concept being focused on. You can have more than one center be a game or hands on activity.
5) Journaling- Find a problem solving activity for the kids to work on. then allow them to answer it in their journal and explain how they got their answers. USE THE CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE QUESTIONS. Download these items below under grade levels.You can use some during center and then save one for whole group on the last day of center to review as a class.
6) Skill and Drill- This will be a review center where students will practice standards from previous weeks. It could be in Worksheet form where the kids do the problems and then check the answers on a sheet you provide which shows them the correct way to do it. Or you can have dry erase boards and have the kids do assigned problems. This is great for flashcard activities for simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, time, money, measurement, etc.
7) Come up with some of your own- Use some of your great lessons you've done in the past, and instead of using them whole group, try them in your guided math centers. Also, look in your teacher's edition math book and see if their are some good hands on activities that you can take from the book and put into a center.
*Get these ideas from Math Exemplars, PICASSO, PICASSO 's Math Constructed Response Questions, your Teacher's Guide Math Book, www.georgiastandards.org , www.mathwire.com , etc.
ACCOUNTABILITY
One teacher told me they feel like they now have more to grade. This should not be the case. Allow the students to be accountable for their own work. Once they finish the group work, they must show their work to another person in their group, explain it and then show the other students the correct way to do the work. Allow them to teach each other as a way for review.
Guided Math happening in small groups in a 2nd grade class. This small group is doing direct instruction with the teacher.
Students doing one of the centers. This is a measurement center where the kids are estimating how big a strip of paper is then they go to measure it in cm or in to see who came the closest.
Students are given $2.00. They must buy 2 items from the store and figure out how much change they will get back.
Here is one example of how you can set up your center board so students know which centers they are doing. Remember the groups of students will change weekly.
3rd Nine Week Grading Period
Kindergarten
1st Grade
Download 1st grade MATH 3rd Grading Period
2nd Grade
Download 2nd grade MATH 3rd Grading Period
3rd Grade
Download 3rd grade MATH 3rd Grading Period
4th Grade
Download 4th grade Math 3rd grading period
5th Grade
Download 5th grade MATH 3rd Grading Period
4th Nine Week Grading Period
Kindergarten
Math Wire
1st Grade
Georgia Frameworks on Measurement
Mathwire.com- On Measurement
Download Const resp gr1 q4 pre[1] Use at Journal Center
Download Const resp gr1 q4post[1] Use at Journal Center
2nd Grade
Georgia Frameworks- Intro to Multiplication
Download Const resp gr2 q4pre[1] Use at Journal Center
Download Const resp gr2 q4 post[1] Use at Journal Center
Math wire-Multiplication and Division
3rd Grade
Georgia Frameworks on Multiplication and Division 2 or 3 digit by 1 digit
Download Const resp gr3 q4 pre[1] Use at Journal Center
Download Const resp gr3 q4 post[1] USe at Journal Center
Multiplication and Division Games Technology
Download Games for 3rd grade Mult and Division
4th Grade
Georgia Frameworks-Multiplication and Division of Decimals
Download Const resp gr4 q4pre[1] Use at Journal Center
Download Constr esp gr4 q4post[1] Use at Journal Center
Download 4th grade mult and division whole number activities and problems
Mathwire-Multiplication and Division
5th Grade
Georgia Frameworks- Decimal Fractions
Mathwire- Fractions
