Daily 5: 2nd Edition-Daily 3 Math – My Differentiated Kinder Spin on it!
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I need to start out this chapter first and foremost by saying that most of the time I was reading it, I felt like I was nodding in agreement, because it is basically very similar to how I structure my own math stations with a few adjustments.
In a similar fashion that Daily 5 teaches our students to be independently engaged in literacy activities so they can practice important skills, Daily 3 Math does the same for math.The focus of Daily 3 Math is not to teach specific math content, but rather to give our students ample time to practice and explore math concepts through engaging (and I would add –differentiated) activities.
The sisters break these activities into three categories
When I think about my own Math Stations, they clearly fall into one of these three areas easily.
Much like Daily 5, you lay the foundation forindependence through the ’10 Steps to Independence’ including the creation of I-charts.Without these, your stations can not run independently. And like Daily 5, a short focus lesson is given before the first rotation and each subsequent rotation begins with another short lesson that gives guided practice to students.
So now your thinking to yourself, ‘Well ok, that’s all great and everything Marsha, but how are you going to organize it and how will it look?”
Math Stations
Much like the ‘sisters,’ my math stations are a result of my desire to give my students ample time to practice and perfect basic math skills with engaging and DIFFERENTIATED activities.
When and How Often
This schedule allows enough time for students to really get into their activities before having to rush off to another rotation.
Who and What
Now I know that the ‘sisters’ believe that students should have the choice to go to whatever station they want, but that kind of choice just doesn’t work for my students in kindergarten. So instead of them having the choice to go to a specific station, they get other choices within math stations such as who they play with or where they work and what materials they use.
For Math Writing, I usually have some kind of find motor or writing activity where students are practicing the mechanics of writing their numbers along with another skill that might complement the activity such as counting or counting on.
Ok, so here is where it really gets interesting. You know about the rotations and where the activities are stored and what types of activities are available, right? Well now let me show you how they are organized within each drawer so that they are differentiated, and yet, students independently can determine which materials apply to them.
So one more time take a look at my rotation board. Do you notice how each student has their name on a card that is either orange, green or blue? Well those cards determine the level of difficulty for that student. Please note that these cards are laminated and, quite often, just because a student is orange one time they may not be orange the next depending on the skills and concepts we are working with at the time.
When you open a drawer to a station, you may find either poly envelops or zipper envelopes with materials inside. Students who have their name written on a blue card would use the materials from the blue or blue labeled containers, orange from orange labeled and green from green labeled materials.
I wanted to give you an idea of the activities that would typically be found my math stations because, lets face it, if you’re like me, you need to see what it looks like. So below you will find my actual visual plans from last fall. These were my back to school math stations. These were the stations that laid the foundation for so many of the games and activities that the students would be using for the rest of the year.
To see how I started my year out with these math stations, check out my blog post from last fall by clicking on the picture above or HERE. It has a ton of details on getting your stations up and running.
. . . and the teacher . . .
Well, once they have built stamina and independence with math stations, I have the flexibility and freedom to work with small groups assessing and having small group instruction.
Math stations are seriously my favorite time of the day when they are up and running. Even as the year progresses and the themes and seasons change, the activities are familiar and still engaging for the students so they continue to be independent. By making sure I differentiate them, students are neither bored because they are too easy nor frustrated because they are too difficult. They are engaged in meaningful activities that appeal to their learning profiles, interests and readiness levels.
If you’d like to know more about the math stations you saw in the pictures above, you can click HERE to see them. In all, I have over 13 different ‘Math Stations Galore‘ packets. There are plenty from which to choose. Now make sure you check out these other great bloggers and their take on Chapter 8.
With nearly 20 years of experience as a full-time kindergarten teacher, I’m committed to creating a classroom where learning is joyful, engaging, challenging, and fun. Each day, I work to ensure that my students feel successful through instruction that considers their unique interests, learning profiles, and readiness levels. I believe that students should be excited to come to class and enjoy a myriad of hands-on activities that encourage exploration and discovery.
While I continue to teach full-time, I find so much joy in connecting and building friendships with teachers worldwide. It’s why I started this blog back in 2012. My hope has become a reality as I have been able to forge relationships with teachers, sharing ideas and building friendships beyond my little neck of the woods through professional development sessions and this blog.
So by all means, take some time to look around and explore A Differentiated Kindergarten. Gather some new ideas, fun tips, and most importantly, don’t forget to reach out and say, ‘Hi!’
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