Ahh…. visual plans. I have a love hate relationship with them. I love how easy they make life. Everything I do is here, aligned with differentiating laid out. My administrator LOVES them. It also makes it easy to know what activity by looking. I admit, I’m terrible with names and I can look back at lesson plans from years back and think . . .’what does that mean? or what activity is called that?’ This way, I can look and know immediately.
But…it’s a TON of work. In the past I pretty much have completed these for my Math Stations but I’m slowing completing them for Daily 6 (my version of Daily 5) and Learning Centers. This week I have my Daily 6 and Math Stations for you to look over if you’re interested.
My Daily 6 Stations change every week. These stations meet Monday through Thursday. While in a traditional Daily 5 station, students go to each station everyday, my schedule would only allow for students to be at 5 stations for 10 minutes. That just wouldn’t give me the extended reading, learning and practice that I wanted with my literacy stations. So instead my Daily 6 schedule has students visiting 3 stations each day and then the next three stations the next day. I love this system. It gives me lots of time to do mutliple activities with students I meet with and my kinders are getting time to really explore materials and books rather than rushing through.
St. Patricks is coming up so I have some fun stuff included and some freebies so take a gander.
Just as a note…’choice work’ is for those students that are able to complete independent word work activities and might have some extra time.
If you’d like a copy of this station plan or want to find out anything more about the activities I’m using, please click on the plan itself. It will take you to a PDF with some links back to the products. There are several freebies in there as well so make sure you grab them up. I also created a little extra something something to the Lucky Clover Write the Room so make sure you take a look. Now you can extend this activity even further by finishing the sentence. Let me know what you think.
Math stations are set for the next three weeks. Yep, that’s what I said three weeks. My kinders rotate through these twice and by the time it’s all said and done, with my schedule it takes about 3 weeks. That means that I don’t have to worry about them again until after spring break. Yippee!
I have other math activities that I’ll include in their learning centers (that’s like their exploratory learning time when they have more choices but still differentiated) but these are my math stations.
You’ll notice on station 2 I have a couple of extra activities for math and addition. Some of my kids are mastering addition and subtraction quite easily and I wanted to challenge them a bit more with a write the room that didn’t include pictures to count but rather just a number line to figure out the answer. This should give them the little extra challenge they need. Make sure you click on the plans so get the PDF to take you to the links. Station number 8 includes a freebie.
I had to whip together a couple of new things for math. I’m especially excited for Crazy Rabbits Love I-Spy Addition and Subtraction. These are the cutest graphics and I was able to do them in color AND black and white.
Included new in the Math Stations Galore I also have a Place Value Game
and a number decomposing activity I’m excited to introduce to my kinders.
The entire unit includes 10 different stations to pick and choose from so you can meet all your students’ needs.
It has so many pages I couldn’t fit everything on one page of the preview!
Ok. I need to get all this stuff organized and put away in station tubs so its off to work for me. If you would like to see more visual plans, I’m linking up with Deedee at Mrs. Wills Kindergarten. So click on the Link below to see other great plans.
Love how everything is laid out in your plans but I couldn’t imagine how much time that takes! Your new units look super cute!!
Lindsey
Lovin’ Kindergarten
Thanks so much. It does take a TON of time. I’m hoping it gets quicker eventually.
Marsha
I’m loving the visual plans. And those Easter activities are ADORABLE!!
Lisa
The Lower Elementary Cottage
Join the Successful Saturday Linky!
Thanks Lisa.
Marsha
Thanks for admitting that the visual plans are “a ton of work!!” Everyone always makes it seem so easy, but as much as I love them, I knew when I first started seeing them that there was just no way I could allot enough time to do them. Plus my district uses “Curriculum Engine.” Our lesson plans are all web-based and done online and the program doesn’t allow you to insert photos, etc. I has it’s advantages and disadvantages.
~Traci
The Bender Bunch
Hey, I have no problem admitting when something is difficult and these plans are anything but easy. I would say if you have a district mandated system that works…all the better. It is hard in kindergarten to get everthing on one or even two pages. I do like having my station plans, daily 6 plans and learning center plans separate from the week at a glance type plan but everyone has something different that works for them. Thanks for stopping by.
Marsha
Thank you for sharing your plans. You need to be presenting at the “I Teach K” Conference on this!!! Are you going by chance? I am focusing SO hard on mastering the fine art of “differentiating” this year….and am loving how it has allowed my students to soar!!! However…I am discovering it is going to take me much longer than a year to perfect! I have 14 math stations I use in 3 week rotations, much like you, and am moving toward differentiating each…but it’s taking me some time! Thank you for being my bloggy-mentor! 🙂
I love the way you do your visual plan. I am a new kindergarten teacher so I am always looking at your blog for new ideas. I was wondering if you could do a post with all of your word work lesson plans for one month just so I could see how the activities change or stay the same. I would really like to my stations in a similar fashion to yours next year! Thanks!