I’m giving you a quick peek at my week and linking up with the fabulous Deedee from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten. Between piles of laundry and several soccer games this weekend, I was able to put this quick post together. Here’s my warning . . . it’s not pretty, but I think you’ll be able to get a glimpse of what I have planned for my next set of Math Stations. My Daily 6 stations are forth coming, but I don’t have all my pictures taken yet so I will probably post them in the next day or so. Sorry guys. This soccer 6 days a week schedule and being a full-time mom and teacher is a fearsome schedule, but I’m trying to get into t groove. It’s a weird time of the year, thematically, because I will be doing a bit of an apple theme followed quickly by community helpers. And since my math stations last for about three weeks (hallelujah!) I have a little bit of the best of both of those worlds. There’s a brief description and links (where they apply) after my plans so just scroll down and click on whatever looks interesting.
Station 1: Community Helpers Yatta! This is a fun number recognition FREEBIE that your kiddos will beg to play and will build great fluency! If you’d like to pick up your copy just click on the picture.
Station 2: Community Helpers Counting (and Ten Frames) Mats: I actually am planning on letting my kinders choose whether they want to use Wikki Sticks and manipulatives or play-dough for these.
Station 3: Counting on Apples/Counting on Community Helpers: I am going to be using both of these activities as our themes change. I like giving my kinders a chance to use a laminated response sheet first for practice.
I’ll use this one the second time through so they can take home a little something to show mom and dad what they’ve been doing in math stations.
Station 4: Community Helpers Number Counting Book: We need a lot of handwriting practice so I put this little book for them to practice number formation and counting. They will go through and work on the numbers first and go back to color the helpers after they are done.
Station 5: Mail Carrier Roll, Say, Keep A Shape: Although this comes with 2D and 3D shapes, I am only going to start my kinders out with 2D. I have several that know all their 2D shapes but I want to review the first time around with these.
Station 6: Community Helper Counting Mats: There are actually two different counting mats for this activity to extend learning and practice. Students count the scattered objects on the mat and record their answers. There is one recording sheet that is purely counting and recording and another that is a bit more challenging and has students comparing numbers.
Station 7: Ten Frame Self-Correcting Counting Mats. These self-correcting (independent) cards will have some of my students representing numbers 1-10 with keys and counting on, while other students will be working with 1-20 numbers and still others will be finding the number that makes 10. They work their problems and when they are done, open their clothes pins on the card to reveal the answer.
Station 8: Write the Room for Farm Numbers: It wouldn’t be math stations without a write the room activity. This one is differentiated for students to work with simple counting or counting on. There are also two sets of cards that you can post around your room. One set works on numbers 1-10 and the other works with numbers 11-20 to allow you differentiate more easily. There are black and white response sheets to help with printer costs.
Station 9: I-Spy Numbers Down on the Farm: I have a permanent bucket of magnifying glasses in my classroom that are always ready to go because I-Spy’s are so popular. It hangs right next to my jumbo bucket of dry erase markers. I’ll be putting both of them to good use with this differentiated I-Spy numbers activity that is differentiated with numbers 1-10, 1-15 and 1-20. There are black and white response sheets too if you’re trying to scale back on ink.
I’m off to get some pictures for my Daily 5 Stations so stop back later. Until then make sure you head over to Deedee’s to check out everyone else’s plans for the week.
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!’
Leave a Reply